I’m giving a big shout-out this week to the School Sisters of Notre Dame (abbreviated as SSND), who are celebrating their 185th anniversary.
On Oct. 28, I attended a glorious Mass celebrated by Bishop Salvatore Matano followed by a reception at the Sacred Heart Cathedral in Rochester, N.Y. held to honor the sisters. Those sisters all have worked in the Diocese of Rochester (which covers 12 counties), and although I didn’t know any of them personally, I attended the Mass to honor the sisters who taught me at Notre Dame High School in Burlington, Iowa.
Their influence has had a lasting impact on me. One in particular, Sister Ann Scholz, was the yearbook adviser when I was the editor. She knew of my interest in majoring in journalism in college, and fortunately for me, she recommended I apply to the University of Missouri School of Journalism, which her sister had attended. I didn’t come from a family of journalists, and I knew little about the available programs. (There was no Internet in the mid-1970s, and you had to rely on your teachers and guidance counselors for advice.) I can’t say enough about how Sister Ann’s recommendation to attend Mizzou helped launch my career in journalism. Sister Ann was also a wonderful mentor to me during high-stress times. I still remember a conversation she had with me in the high school chapel, calming me down from whatever crisis I was experiencing and have long since forgotten.
Today, Sister Ann works at the Leadership Conference of Women Religious, and we email occasionally. When I told her that I planned to attend the celebratory Mass, she suggested I look up Sister Sue Czaplicki SSND, whom she knows. Having no idea what Sister Sue looked like, I wandered around the reception after Mass looking at name tags. Fortunately I found a sister who took me to her. Sister Sue was a bit surprised to find out I knew Sister Ann; we had a fun conversation about that. Sister Sue now is the faith formation director for Most Holy Name of Jesus parish in Elmira.
I also met some sisters from Baltimore, Md. Two of them are now retired and do volunteer work; the other works in the inner city with young women, training them to be pharmacy technicians and certified nursing assistants. “I’m learning a lot,” she said with a big smile. My husband, Gary, and I introduced them to Bishop Emeritus Matthew Clark.
The School Sisters of Notre Dame are members of an international congregation of women religious that was founded in Bavaria in 1833 by Blessed Theresa of Jesus Gerhardinger, according to the program handed out at the celebration. It’s the 165th anniversary of the SSND ministry in the Diocese of Rochester, where more than 1,000 sisters have ministered in 13 schools, parishes and sponsored ministries. Today the sisters are involved in Bishop Kearney High School and Notre Dame Learning Center in Rochester and Most Holy Name of Jesus parish in Elmira.
I want to mention the other SSND sisters who taught at Notre Dame, when I was there from the fall of 1973 to May 1977: Sister Mary Charles, Sister Laurinda, Sister Celine and Sister Mary Claire. Looking through my yearbooks as I wrote this blog post brought back some great memories.
Listening to Bishop Matano’s homily, hearing the history of the SSND order, singing some of my favorite hymns — “Be Not Afraid” and “We Are Called” — my heart was full of gratitude and my eyes were moist. I am so thankful for their influence on me. God bless them, every one!
Related post: How is God Calling You to Be a Disciple?
Sister Celine and Sister Laurinda were there when I was in school. I also believe that our old neighbor and baby sitter, Mary Beckman is a SSND. I would love to get in touch with her!