Notre Dame National Youth Gathering

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The year 2023 marks the 100^th Anniversary of the arrival of the Sisters of Notre Dame in Brazil. To celebrate this event, the Seventh ND National Youth Gathering met in Passo Fundo from September 20 to 23, 2023.  The theme was “The Joy of Being Notre Dame.”

This meeting, held at our centenary school, Colégio Notre Dame, brought together about five hundred Notre Dame students from 8th grade to the senior year of high school. These students came from 14 of our Notre Dame schools from the two Brazilian Provinces and were accompanied by Sisters, teachers, and staff members. Each group expressed their joy and pride at being part of this century-old story, written in the lines of the good God.

The days were ones of reflection, study, prayer, sharing, and living the Notre Dame spirit. The program and activities provided the participants with diverse pedagogical, relational, spiritual, recreational, and artistic experiences.

The gathering began at Our Lady Aparecida Sanctuary, continued at Colégio Notre Dame, and culminated with a Marian walk to Our Lady Aparecida Cathedral, where a Holy Mass was celebrated with all participants. The Seventh ND National Youth Gathering fueled the schools´ commitment to daily create “a more just and peaceful world” where “life can achieve its fullness”..