Congregational News | Sisters of Notre Dame, Rome

Thoughts from the New General Government	The Sisters of the new general government were asked to share a thought about their first week here at the generalate and motherhouse in Rome since their welcoming celebration on February 26, 2011.


Sister Mary Kristin: "Our first week of settling into our new offices at Casa Madre has been a bonding experience for all of us newcomers. We helped one another move furniture, hang pictures, install video cameras on our computers so we could use Skype and in general had a great time giving a personal touch to our environment. The local community has made us feel very welcome in our new ND home."	Sister Maria Alcídia: “My experience: I felt that a huge space was left open when the Sisters of the former General Government departed. Now we are like the "anawin of Yahweh", a small group who have the commitment of moving forward to serve the Sisters, lay people, parents, students and staff. We have a treasure, our charism, in our hands, which we want to share. The feeling of homesickness knocking in my heart is supported by the concern which we experience in the group of the General Administration and the community. I know the SUN of kindness is over us!”	Sr. Maria Julindis: “To see so many young sisters in the motherhouse during my first days and weeks here was a surprising and beautiful experience for me. In the celebration of the Eucharist on Feb. 26, 2011, I was especially touched by the blessing ceremony at the end, when, together with the priest, the sisters in the former general government, those of the new general leadership team and all the sisters in the congregation – represented by the sisters in the motherhouse – gave each other the blessing.”

Sister Mary Shauna: "I am more and more aware of walking in the footsteps of those sisters who have gone before us in congregational leadership. It is a humbling and exciting experience all wrapped in one! "	Sister Mary Sreeja: “The past week has been a blessed transition which filled me with newfound hope for our ONE MISSION. The deep experience of God's goodness in every precious sister in Casa Madre is very visible and tangible. I feel richly blessed and privileged to be in the service of the congregation and move forward with assurance of your prayers and support. It is a challenge to learn new languages but it hardly matters when we have a language of love to share our life with all in community. God bless all.”	Sister Maria Emma: “Since I arrived here in Rome the days have been filled with various meetings and conferences which, I believe, will help me to better serve our Sisters and fulfill the dream of our General Chapter of 2010 of proclaiming God’s goodness and provident care, united in one heart, one hope, one mission, committed to global transformation.”

Congregational and International and News

	Hojai Training Center Hojai, Assam is in the north eastern part of India. Notre Dame Women's Empowerment Centre, Hojai gives residential training for 30 young women for one year. The come from the surrounding remote villages where formal schooling is not accessible. Most of them are illiterate or drop out of school at a very early age. They belong to different tribal and ethnic communities, namely Garos, Karbis, Bodos,Assamese and Adivasis, each speaking their own language. Sister Deepika, the director of the Center, organizes various programmes for the women, including literacy, life skills and faith formation. One skill they have mastered is weaving. Bags are woven from a conventional loom with intricate patterns symbolizing a particular tribe or its traditional values. They also weave traditional clothes, shawls, scarves and many other attractive and colorful items for their own use or for sale. Thank you to our Sisters and collaborators in northeast India for making a difference in the quality of life for these women, their families, and community. For more information, or to purchase items crafted by the Notre Dame Women's Center, please contact Sister Deepika: deepikasnd@gmail.com
	SNDs Respond to Volcano Disaster in Indonesia The SNDs have a school and boarding school in Yogyakarta a town situated about 28 kilometers from the erupting Mount Merapi. The eruption of Mt. Merapi has caused a great deal of suffering for the people affected. While our Sisters in Pekalongan are fine, they have a school and boarding school in Yogyakarta, very near the volcano.Their facilities are now being used as a shelter for 500-600 people who had to flee from their homes. The Sisters themselves are providing food, blankets, medicine and other needed items. While living conditions may be primitive, the people have access to drinking water and basic nourishment. For this emergency the sisters have changed from teachers and nurses to cooks and servers.
	October 1, 2010 First Profession in the Philippines Congratulations and abundant blessings to our first Filipina SND, Sister Jean-Marie who makes her First Profession on October 1, 2010 in Iloilo, Philippines. We rejoice with her and our Indonesian missionaries in Iloilo/ Guimaras, with Sister Maria Virgo and the Indonesian province and our Sisters in Bataan as we welcome our first Filipina Sister to Notre Dame. October 1st also marks the investment of two Filipina postulants, Eddielyn Dimaano and Joan Friolo. Congratulations and blessings to both of them. It was on this Foundation Day ten years ago, in 2000, that the Philippine Mission was founded in honor of our Foundress, Sister Maria Aloysia on the occasion of our sesquicentennial year! Let us join our dear Sisters in Iloilo/Guimaras, Bataan and Indonesia on this great day of joyful celebration.We rejoice with all who have served in the Philippines during these ten years and we are very grateful to the provinces of Pekalongan, Incheon and Chardon for sending professed Sisters to minister in the Philippines. We thank Sister Maresa and all the formators who have accompanied these young Sisters and assure them of our continued support.
	“You are the powerhouse of the Congregation!” On August 15, Sister Mary Sujita wrote a letter to the elderly and infirm sisters in our congregation which every sister is invited to read. She says: “…You are our treasured queens, precious to the heart of God, precious to each one of us not just because of what you have done, but because the “Almighty has done great things” in and through you… By your joyful and enduring witness of life, you continue to teach us the many beautiful and lasting secrets of living our consecrated lives fully and meaningfully to the very end… You have a very important mission to fulfill in helping all of us to remain rooted in the heart of God, in the heart of our Congregation and inspiring us to move forward with prophetic courage as we live faithfully the mission of Jesus in response to the signs of our time… May your holy and wholesome presence among us and the ever present and challenging footprints of all our saintly and prophetic women of Notre Dame who have preceded us during these past 160 years, continue to be a wellspring of blessing for our Congregation and for our world…” To read the full text click here. The photo shows Sister Maria Walteris in Coesfeld who just celebrated 100 years of life on August 9, as Sr. Maria Reinilda congratulates her.

Message of Gratitude from Sister Mary Sujita, SND

My dear Sisters everywhere! My heart is overflowing with gratitude for all the beautiful messages of love and best wishes that I received and continue to receive from so many of you! As I read through all the feastday wishes and expressions of your genuine love and gratitude I feel deeply touched and humbled. Reading your messages fills me with much joy and a wonderful sense of our bondedness as SNDs! Dear Sisters, you know that I am so very grateful for the gift of each one of you, for our journey together during these past twelve years. If I had the time, I would have enjoyed responding to each one of you individually. But as you can understand, all of us in the outgoing general government are very busy these days “clearing up” and getting ready for Sister Mary Kristin and her Assistants. And so, please accept this little “web-love note” as an expression of my sincere and loving gratitude to each one of you for your many expressions of love and support. All my General Assistants join me in extending their gratitude to you for all your wonderful messages of love and appreciation of them. Let us continue to remain united in our prayers and in our life of commitment to the mission of Jesus wherever we may be. May our good and provident God bless each one of us and make us a reflection of divine Presence in our world. Thank You!

Sister Maria Adelaide Orth went home to God on April 1.

We are very saddened by the passing of our dear Sister Maria Adelaide in Passo Fundo. Sister's early death is a great loss to the Congregation and to her home province. For the past 12 years Sister Maria Adelaide generously shared her wisdom and love for religious life and Notre Dame as a member of the general government. The past several years she needed to remain in Brazil for medical treatments however she was in constant contact with Sister Mary Sujita and made contributions regarding important decisions. At great personal cost and discomfort she attended the General Chapter in November of 2010.

Sister Maria Adelaide was a gentle, loving sister with a smile that radiated her interest and concern for each person. Sister had served the community in numerous roles of leadership and in formation. During her time of illness she suffered heroically never complaining.

We had faithfully prayed for a cure for Sister Maria Adelaide. God had other plans for her life but gave her great strength and inner peace which we believe were an answer to our prayer. We know that now she is our great advocate in heaven.

Sister Maria Adelaide is survived by her mother and siblings. At this difficult time let us remember them in our prayers.

We will post the regular death notice as soon as it is ready for publishing.

Sister Mary Kristin Battles, SND

Superior General

Click here to send a message of condolence.

Celebrating Sister Mary Sujita’s Nameday

and Gratitude for the Outgoing General Government

Sunday, January 30th, was the day we chose to celebrate Sister Mary Sujita’s nameday honoring her patron, St. Agnes. On the same day the Sisters of the Motherhouse celebrated their gratitude to Sister Mary Sujita and her Assistants General for their years of congregational leadership. These sisters include Sisters Mary Frances, Joan Marie, Maria Margret, Maria Adelaide for twelve years and for six years each: Sisters Maria Yasinta and Marie Julia. Following our Holy Mass we continued the theme of “Magnificat” and celebrated the day with songs, festive meals and a program of photos. A lovely decorated cake, colorful cards of appreciation, an attractive bulletin board and yellow roses for each Sister added to the day. We are so grateful for the blessed congregational leadership of these sisters as well as for their daily involvement and participation in the events and duties of the motherhouse community. They have truly been one among us with joyful and caring hearts!

Welcoming Celebration

for the New Leadership Team

Saturday, February 26, 2011, was the day the Generalate and Motherhouse community officially welcomed Sister Mary Kristin Battles as the new superior general of the Sisters of Notre Dame and her general council, Sisters Maria Alcidia, Maria Julindis, Mary Shauna, Mary Sreeja and Marie Emma. The morning Liturgy was celebrated by Father Thomas McClain, SJ and included a welcoming ceremony for the new leadership team. In the afternoon we had an Open House for the men and women religious of Rome, lay friends and our collaborators who came to greet the new team members and to say farewell to Sister Mary Sujita, the outgoing superior general, and her general council: Sisters Mary Frances, Joan Marie, Maria Margret and Marie Julia. Sister Maria Adelaide who already returned to Brazil was also fondly remembered.

An Incredible Week

What an incredible week the five of us were privileged to spend as pilgrims in the Holy Land through the generosity of dear Sister Mary Kristin and all our provincial and delegation superiors! The sun shone every day as our deeply-blessed group of 14 walked in the footsteps of Jesus through Galilee, Bethlehem, Nazareth and Jerusalem accompanied by an excellent guide. Be assured that you, dear Sisters all, were often in our thoughts and prayers, very specially our dear Sister Maria Adelaide.

We pray that each experience during these days will live on in our hearts and enrich our lives forever. Let us together continue to pray for peace in our world, especially in Israel and Palestine. SHALOM!

Lovingly and gratefully,

Sisters M. Sujita, M. Frances, Joan Marie, M. Margret and M. Julia

Rome, March 25, 2011