Celebrating the call to religious life – the door is open!
Since 1833, School Sisters of Notre Dame (SSND) have welcomed women “drawn to our way of life,” seeking to dedicate their lives to God, to commit to a charism of oneness and to transform the world through education. The doors are still open!
The SSND Constitution states, “Through our life as apostolic women religious, we witness to the joy and challenge of following Christ. Gifted with God’s grace and drawn to our way of life, other women perceive within themselves God’s call to share in the life of our congregation. We welcome these women and together with them, enter into a process of discerning their call to be School Sisters of Notre Dame.” (You Are Sent, SSND Constitution, C43)
“Each new member brings to us the gift of herself, stimulates growth in us, and moves us more consciously into the future. We, in turn, enrich her by the gift of ourselves, our living tradition, and our spirituality. Together we continually discover the meaning of our vocation.” (YAS, C 44)
In the United States, National Vocation Awareness Week (NVAW) is celebrated each November, this year from November 3-9, 2024. NVAW is a time to highlight and promote vocations to ordained ministry and consecrated life and renew our prayers and support for those who are considering one of these particular vocations.
The SSND North American Vocation Team (NAVT), serves the congregation in the U.S. and Canada by promoting a culture of vocation, with an understanding that we are all called by God to continue the mission of Jesus.
The NAVT leads the effort for SSND to accompany young adults, especially women, who are discerning God’s call. They respond to inquiries, provide spiritual guidance for discerners, collaborate with campus ministers, make presentations at schools and to other groups, participate in vocation fairs, and offer events for young adults to connect with SSND (i.e. monthly online evening prayer, discernment retreats, university / college Busy Persons Retreats).
To assist the three sisters who embrace this ministry, several sisters in both the Central Pacific and Atlantic-Midwest provinces have volunteered to serve as Area Vocation Ministers (AVMs). This new network of sisters complements the work of the NAVT, providing a local SSND presence to younger generations and their families. They may attend local parish or diocesan vocation fairs, visit schools or parishes in their area to speak about religious vocations, help promote NAVT events and distribute SSND vocation resources, or otherwise represent SSND in a vocation capacity when the NAVT members cannot.
Sisters Vicki Chambers and Lucy Nigh enthusiastically embraced their AVM role and coordinated a ‘Sweets with the Sisters’ event at Mount Mary University (MMU) in Milwaukee earlier this year. MMU students enjoyed homemade goodies and opportunities to chat with SSND from Trinity Woods Intergenerational Community and the surrounding Milwaukee area. The sisters enjoyed the opportunity to engage with the Mount Mary community, as students expressed their gratitude and chatted about their next class. Students also loved the resources that were made available, such as SSND stickers and prayer cards. “I need this prayer for my next class,” one student remarked.
Sisters Vicki and Lucy promised that this simple event will be back next semester. “It is another way to make SSND visible on the campus, strengthen a sense of SSND support / prayerful presence and hopefully provide another opportunity for some new relationships to be formed,” said Sister Lucy.
You, too, can promote a culture of vocation simply by sharing your connection to SSND with young people and opening the door to conversation with this question, “Have you ever considered what God is asking of you for your life journey?”
Feel free to invite others to connect to the NAVT where you’ll find upcoming discernment events and other resources, including a monthly discernment newsletter, Vocation Reflections.
Please find additional vocation resources at the links below.