What does it mean to be a Sister of Notre Dame?
What questions should I be asking if I
don’t know where God
is calling me?
What kinds of things should I be listening
for within myself in trying to discover God’s plan for my life?
Who can I talk with about where God might be calling me?
How can I grow in my spirituality and prayer life?
Can you tell me about the prayer life of the SNDs?
How do religious communities differ from one another?
Are the Sisters of Notre Dame the same congregation as the Notre Dame Sisters?
How does someone know if they are called to be a sister?
Are there young women entering the Sisters of Note Dame?
What do the vows mean?
What does it mean to live in community as a Sister of Notre Dame?
I don’t know if I’m good enough
to be a sister. What qualities are needed?
I’m not Catholic, but I keep
thinking about being a sister. Could God really be calling me?
Can you tell me about the SNDs and Mary?
What does “vocation” mean?
How can I find a Sister of Notre Dame that I knew years ago?
How can I help in some way or be a part of the ministry done by Sisters
of Notre Dame, even though I am not a member of the community?
Where are the Sisters of Notre Dame located?
How do I find a school hospital,
or other facility staffed by Sisters of Notre Dame?
I’m married but would like to
be connected with the sisters in some way. How can I do this?
How can I get more information on being a sister, or an associate,
or a volunteer?
How can I get answers to other questions or get more information?
What does it mean to be a Sister of Notre Dame?
The Sisters of Notre Dame are an international congregation of Catholic
women religious, committed, faith-filled, and joyful...witnessing to God’s
loving care and goodness in our lives. With Mary as
our model we commit our lives to God in the Church. We extend our love to
all people in a variety
of ministries around the world. Like our first sisters, we live an integrated
life of prayer, ministry, and sharing, strengthened
by the God who loves us. Explore the rest of our website to find out more,
especially the Living
God’s Call and Drawn by God sections.
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What questions should I be asking if I don’t know where God
is calling me?
First of all, be sure to ask God to guide you. Trust that you will receive
an answer and be open to where God may lead you. You may want to read through
the section Discerning God’s Call, especially the Making
the Journey feature. There are questions and other thoughts and suggestions that may
help you discover where God is leading you. Discernment
Help offers some
good ideas.
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What kinds of things should I be listening for within myself in
trying to discover God’s plan for my life?
God speaks to
us through Scripture and in our inmost hearts. God also speaks through
other people and the circumstances of our lives. What energizes you or
attracts your attention? When you look back on your life, what patterns
do you see? Visit other sections of our website, especially Discerning
God’s Call and Living God’s Call. Discernment
Help also addresses
this question.
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Who can I talk with about where God might be calling me?
Some
of our sisters are vocation directors and would
be glad to help. That doesn’t mean they will try to “recruit” you. They
will help you discern whether life as a Sister of Notre Dame is right
for you.
Spiritual directors can also help. You can contact a religious community,
retreat center, or the diocesan office in your area for more information.
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How can I grow in my spirituality and prayer life?
Visit the
Drawn by God section,
especially Prayer
Help.
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Can you tell me about the prayer life of the SNDs?
Visit the Drawn by God and Living God’s Call sections,
especially Prayer and Prayer
Help.
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How do religious communities differ from one another?
There are a variety of ways. Contemplative communities devote their lives
primarily to the ministry of prayer. Their daily routine is structured
and some seldom leave their houses. Active apostolic communities engage
in ministry among the people. Some communities focus on one
primary ministry, while others work in a
variety of ministries. Diocesan congregations are under
authority of the bishop of their diocese. Others,
like the Sisters
of Notre
Dame, are
international
and directly under the authority
of the Holy Father. However, all religious communities have their
own sisters who are called to leadership in their congregations. The spirit, charism, spirituality and
origins of each community are distinctive.
If you feel called to religious life and don’t
know what community to join, learn more about several communities and then
talk with or schedule a visit with a vocation director.
The Discerning
God’s
Call section on this website has some good ideas.
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Are the Sisters of Notre Dame the same congregation as the Notre Dame Sisters?
No. There are several religious congregations with names similar to ours. Although
we are not
affiliated with these congregations, website links are provided
below to assist you.
Congregation of Notre Dame http://www.cnd-m.com/
Notre Dame Sisters of Omaha, Nebraska http://www.notredamesisters.org
School Sisters of Notre Dame http://www.ssnd.org
Sisters of Notre Dame deNamur: http://www.sndden.org
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How does someone know if she is called to be a sister?
Every sister has
a different story of how God called her to be part of her community. You
can find out more about the call of some sisters and what it means to be
a sister by clicking on these links: Travel
Companions and Why I am a Sister
of Notre Dame.
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Are there young women entering the Sisters of Notre Dame?
Yes! Last year
there were nearly 60 novices in
our congregation from different parts of the world.
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What do the vows mean?
Our vows are a way of living our baptismal consecration
more fully. Sisters of Notre Dame make vows of chastity, poverty, and
obedience. A call to vowed life is an invitation to allow God to love through
us.
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What does it mean to live in community as a Sister of Notre Dame?
As
Sisters of Notre Dame, we choose to live together in community, unless
circumstances
necessitate a different arrangement. Community is a sharing of our
experience of God’s love as we’ve known it in the events of our lives, and
this sharing becomes our support in mission. For questions and answers on community life, read “Why
Community Counts.”
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I don’t know if I’m good enough to be a sister.
What qualities
are needed?
None of us is perfect. The mystery of God’s goodness is
seen not in a group of perfect women but in a community of women who, despite
their imperfections, encourage and support one another in their journey of
faith. We live our vows through God’s grace and the prayers and support
of our sisters. Some qualities that we strive for are described in the section
on Living God’s Call and in the article “Why
Community Counts.”
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I’m not Catholic, but I keep thinking about being a sister.
Could God really be calling me?
Yes. Although we are a congregation of Roman Catholic
religious women, a number of our sisters grew up in other religious traditions.
Some felt drawn to religious life and then explored the Catholic faith through
classes or instructions from a priest or catechist. After their acceptance
into the Catholic Church, they were able to further discern and follow God’s
call to become a Sister of Notre Dame. There are also congregations of religious
women who are Anglican or Episcopalian, as well as Buddhist nuns.
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Can you tell me about the Sisters of Notre Dame and Mary?
Yes. “Notre
Dame” means “Our Lady” which refers to Mary, the
mother of Jesus.
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What does “vocation” mean?
A vocation is a call or a gift from
God that allows us to live fully who we are called to be. Each person has
a vocation. Visit the section Discerning God’s Call to explore
yours.
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How can I find a Sister of Notre Dame that I knew years ago?
Use
our Find a Sister feature in the Contact
Us/Resources section.
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How can I help or be a part of the ministry done by Sisters of
Notre Dame, even though I am not a member of the community?
Click
on Share in our Ministry for
some ideas.
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Where are the Sisters of Notre Dame located?
As an international
congregation our sisters live and serve in many places around
the world. Look on
the map or in our contact information.
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How do I find a school, hospital, or other facility staffed by
Sisters of Notre Dame?
Contact us through one of our main centers
nearest
the location you are interested in by filling out the more
information request form.
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I’m married but would like to be connected with the sisters
in some way. How can I do this?
You can become an associate of the Sisters of Notre
Dame or spend
time with the sisters as a volunteer. You can share
in the ministries of the sisters in several ways.
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How can I get more information on being a sister, or an associate,
or a volunteer?
Click on Different Paths for an explanation,
or request more
information in the Contact Us/Resources section.
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How can I get answers to other questions or get more information?
You can do this in several ways: Search our website;
visit our More
Information page to request information; contact a sister listed
on the
Guides or Contact
Us pages; or check out the Links page for
some other good websites to visit. We'll be happy to help in any way we
can.
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