Thanks to everyone who participated in the second-annual Sisters of Notre Dame Nun Run 5K on February 6! For more photos of the event as well as timing results, visit our Facebook page.
Posts Tagged ‘celebration’
It’s Habit-Forming!
Posted in Events, tagged 5K, celebration, celebrations, Community, health, La Reina, La Reina High School and Middle School, Nun Run, Nun Run 5K, nuns, Second-Annual Nun Run 5K, sister, Sisters of Notre Dame, Sisters of Notre Dame California, Sisters of Notre Dame Nun Run 5K, SND, SNDCA, thank you, Thousand Oaks, women religious on February 15, 2016| Leave a Comment »
The Fourth Week of Advent – By Sister Mary Grace Leung
Posted in Advent Reflection Series, tagged Advent, advent reflection series, celebration, Christians, Christmas, Elizabeth, family, friendship, Jesus, Mary, nativity, nuns, reflections, sister, Sister Mary Grace Leung, Sisters of Notre Dame, Sisters of Notre Dame California, SNDCA on December 20, 2015| Leave a Comment »
This post is part of our Advent Reflection Series – a collection of original blog posts written by the Sisters of Notre Dame.
In today’s reading from the Gospel according to Luke, Mary rushes to visit with her cousin Elizabeth. The Angel Gabriel told Mary that Elizabeth was with child, and Mary herself was to bear the Son of God. Both women discovered in each other a mystery that they did not fully understand, and yet they were filled with the joy of eager anticipation.
What struck me about this scripture passage was the faith and humility of Elizabeth. She is humbled to be visited by the future mother of her Lord. She will share in the joy of motherhood with Mary, her relative. How often do we have the grace to share such an intimate moment with a friend, relative or even a stranger, knowing that God is making known his presence in us?
I have a friend, Brittney, whom I consider to be my sister. We share many things in common, but what binds us is our faith in Jesus. We pray the rosary together whenever possible, and we have confidence that no matter the challenges that we face in our life journey, we share in the joy of God’s love and mystery. We feel God’s presence through one another.
As we draw closer to celebrating Christmas, we are called to remember and reflect on the blessings of the people who have touched us with their wisdom and witness of their lives of faith. How can we reflect the presence of God to others as we say, “Come, Lord Jesus!”?
AUDIO: Sister Mary Therese marks 65 years of faith in God
Posted in Celebrations, tagged anniversary, Catholic, Catholicism, celebration, church, Events, faith, God's love, joy, Jubilarians, Jubilee, nuns, Prayer, religious life, renewal, Saint Julie Billiart, service, Sister Mary Grace Leung, Sister Mary Therese Kirstein, Sisters, Sisters of Notre Dame, Sisters of Notre Dame California, SND, SNDCA, spirituality, vows, women religious on July 9, 2015| Leave a Comment »
Sister Mary Therese Kirstein knows that it takes true perseverance to be a sister. She entered the convent during her senior year of high school, and will celebrate her 65th anniversary as a sister on July 11. Listen as she reflects on the highs and lows of her ministry.
On the meaning of Jubilee:
On growing up and entering the convent in Cleveland:
On her ministry as a teacher and a chaplain:
On facing the end of life:
On her trip to visit the former home of Saint Julie Billiart, spiritual mother of the Sisters of Notre Dame:
On the gift of perseverance:
AUDIO: Sister Mary Bernadette celebrates 50 golden years of ministry
Posted in Celebrations, tagged Catholic, Catholic Sisters, Catholicism, celebration, convent, faith, God's love, Golden Jubilee, Jubilee, nuns, Religious, religious life, Sister Mary Antonine Manning, Sister Mary Bernadette Pendola, Sisters, Sisters of Notre Dame, Sisters of Notre Dame California, SND, SNDCA, spirituality, vows on July 2, 2015| 1 Comment »
Sister Mary Bernadette Pendola entered the convent when she was just 18 years old. On July 11 she will celebrate her 50th year as a Sister of Notre Dame. Listen below as Sister talks about her joyful first years in the convent, her travels abroad and the lessons she’s learned from life.
On her kindergarten teacher, who inspired her to consider becoming a sister:
On her family’s reaction to her vocation:
On choosing her name:
On feeling excited to be a sister:
On her call to be a missionary nurse in Uganda, Africa:
On her pilgrimage to Lourdes, France and her struggle to accept her Parkinson’s diagnosis:
On the meaning of Jubilee:
The Feast of Saint Julie Billiart
Posted in Celebrations, tagged Catholic, Catholicism, celebration, celebrations, Charism, Community, Events, faith, Feast Day, God's love, history, nuns, Prayer, Saint Julie, Saint Julie Billiart, Sisters, Sisters of Notre Dame, Sisters of Notre Dame California, Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur, Sisters of Notre Dame of Coesfeld, SND, SNDCA, spiritual mother, spirituality, tradition on May 13, 2015| Leave a Comment »
Saint Julie Billiart is the spiritual mother of the Sisters of Notre Dame, since she was not living when the religious order began, but the order is based on her spirituality and teachings. She was born on July 12, 1751; died on April 8, 1816; and was canonized on June 22, 1969.
Marie Rose Julie Billiart (as she was baptized) was born in the French village of Cuvilly during the French Revolution. Even as a young child, Julie’s love for the good God was apparent to all who knew her. She told bible stories and taught about Jesus to neighboring children.
As a young woman several things happened to her and her family which left them in poverty and traumatized her in such a way that she was paralyzed and had difficulty speaking. In spite of these physical handicaps, Julie served God by preparing children for their First Communion. She offered spiritual guidance to adults who came to her because of her wisdom, goodness and love of God, even in the midst of all her suffering.
With her friend, Francoise Blin de Bourdon, Julie, then 53 years old, began a religious community of sisters: the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur. These women wanted to follow Julie and Francoise in their dedication to God, their spreading of the message that God is good, and their work teaching poor children. Julie was still paralyzed when a priest asked her to pray for an unknown special intention. This special intention was Julie’s cure, so after 23 years of being paralyzed, Julie began to walk. She was able then to travel to all the places her sisters were in order to help them become sisters and teachers. She wrote many letters and made many journeys to her sisters until she died in 1816.
Two other religious communities of sisters were founded after Julie Billiart died that are also called Sisters of Notre Dame. Their way of living as sisters and relating to God comes from Saint Julie Billiart. One of these religious communities is the Sisters of Notre Dame of Coesfeld, Germany, and they eventually came to the United States and became the congregation we know today.
Prayer from the Mass of Saint Julie
Almighty and eternal God, you called Saint Julie Billiart to respond joyfully to the love of your crucified Son in dedicating herself to the education of the poor. Grant that her prayer and example may inspire us to respond with love to His Cross, in serving the needs of others with true goodness of heart. Amen.
The Feast of the Annunciation
Posted in Events, tagged Angel Gabriel, Annunciation, calendar, Catholic, Catholicism, celebration, Feast Day, Gabriel, Holy Days, Mary, nuns, Our Lady, Prayer, religious life, Sisters, Sisters of Notre Dame, Sisters of Notre Dame California, SND, SNDCA, thankfulness, The Feast of the Annunciation, The Feast of the Annunciation of the Lord to Mary, Vocation, vocations on March 25, 2015| Leave a Comment »
The Feast of the Annunciation of the Lord to Mary recalls the angel, Gabriel, coming to the young woman, Mary, to ask her if she would be the mother of God’s Son, Jesus. The Catholic Church celebrates this feast on March 25 each year, nine months before the birth of Jesus.
The feast is important to all of us as an example. Mary, a young person, so in tune with God in her life, responds with an important “Yes” to God’s request to be the mother of his Son. Mary said: “Behold, I am the servant of the Lord. May it be done to me according to your word.” As a young woman preparing for her marriage to Joseph, Mary did not know how this would happen, what this child would be like, what Jesus’ future would be, or what all this would mean for her and Joseph’s life together. And yet she could say “yes” to God. She modeled for us great faith and trust.
It is a very important day for all Sisters of Notre Dame. Notre Dame means Our Lady so the sisters are, in a unique way, Sisters of Our Lady. They chose the Annunciation their congregational feast because they want to model their lives after Mary’s by being open and ready to say “yes” to whatever God asks of them.
Today, let us pray for all the Sisters of Notre Dame that they continue to listen to God and say “yes” to whatever God asks of them. Let us pray for ourselves, our family members and our friends, that we may be open and ready to say “yes” when God asks something of us, even if we don’t understand.
Let us think about these words of the angel, Gabriel, as we say:
Hail, Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with you.
Blessed are you among women,
And blessed is the fruit of your womb, Jesus.
Holy Mary, Mother of God,
Pray for us sinners,
Now and at the hour of our death.
Amen.
Jubilee Celebration 2014
Posted in Celebrations, tagged celebration, Jubilee, Jubilee 2014, La Reina High School, nun, nuns, religious life, Saint Julie Billiart Catholic Church, Sister Julie Marie, Sister Margaret Mary, Sister Mary LaReina, SIster Mary Leanne, Sisters, Sisters of Notre Dame, Sisters of Notre Dame California, SND, SNDCA on July 15, 2014| Leave a Comment »
Congratulations to our Jubilarians!
Sister Mary LaReina – 50th
Sister Margaret Mary – 40th
Sister Julie Marie – 40th
Sister Mary Leanne – 25th
Thank you to everyone who came to celebrate!
Associates candidates reflect on their journey
Posted in Events, tagged Associates, celebration, covenant, reflections, Welcome on June 6, 2014| Leave a Comment »
Moorpark residents Richard and Anne Interrante decided to embark on their Associate formation journey with the Sisters of Notre Dame together as husband and wife. The process of becoming Associates has brought them closer to God and strengthened their faith, commitment to service and prayer life.
“The Associate program has allowed me to find out about the sisters’ mission on a more personal level,” said Anne, “I witnessed how their compassion for others, dedication to service and openness to God’s call has made a direct impact on many people. Through this process I came to realize that I have a very important role in answering that call myself by using my God-given gifts to strive to create positive changes in the world around me.”
Richard reflected on how the experience has influenced his family life.
“This program inspired a desire in me to become a better spiritual role model for my family, maintain the ideals of my faith in all aspects of my life and find new ways to use my talents to help those in need,” he said. “I value the opportunity I’ve had over these past months to participate in this program with my wife, knowing that we can work together and challenge each other to make what we have learned a more active part of our daily lives.”
Richard, Anne and other Associates candidates will make their covenant during a ceremony on Saturday, June 7th. We congratulate them and welcome them to the Notre Dame family. To learn more about the Associates program and how you can become more involved with the Sisters of Notre Dame, visit our website here.
