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Our Global Advocacy: Working Toward Equality in Latin America | |
The global work of the SNDdeN and our partners to address the needs of women was in evidence during Women's History Month! On March 17, the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur co-sponsored a panel discussion at the United Nations (UN) with Trinity Washington University, Citizens for Global Solutions and Green Hope Foundation.
The panel, organized by and for global civil society, non-governmental organizations and feminists to connect them with the official United Nations Commission on the Status of Women (UN CSW 70) process.
Two Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur participated in the discussion and shared their thoughts on gender inequalities in Brazil and Peru.
Sister Isabelle Izika, SNDdeN of the Congo Unit, our SNDdeN Congregational representative at the United Nations, shared opening remarks for "Closing the Gap: Housing, Health and Inequity in Latin America." She described some of the challenges faced by women with limited access to education, safe housing, clean water, healthcare, childcare and transportation. These topics were later explored by three Trinity students who, as Fellows with Citizens for Global Solutions, conducted in-depth analysis of policy and the lived realities shaped by structural inequality.
Sister Ann Howard, SNDdeN provided closing comments and touched on the intergenerational ministries of the Sisters living in Latin America, such as education, advocacy and pastoral care.
READ MORE about Sister Isabelle Izika in the recent Global Sister Report article, "At UN women's summit, nuns warn gender-based violence persists worldwide."
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Goodness Blooms! Mark Your Calendar as We Celebrate 175 Years in California – Eucharistic Liturgy Livestream
All are invited to view the livestream for our Eucharistic Liturgy to celebrate 175 years of the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur's ministry in California and the founding of Notre Dame High School in San José. The event is on Friday, April 17, at 10 a.m. PT.
Bookmark this link to watch!
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“Adopt a Sister” Participants Celebrate a Special Year
The inaugural Adopt a Sister program between sophomore students at Notre Dame High School in Belmont (NDB) and local Sisters drew to a close in March. Beginning in October, students and Sisters met periodically to share meals and glimpses into one another’s lives. Both Sisters and students enjoyed the initiative and we look forward to sharing the project across the East-West Province.
“Students who don't have grandparents or extended family living nearby said this was a great opportunity to connect with someone with life experience and wisdom to share,” said Amy Jobin, director of Mission and Ministry at NDB and an Associate of Notre Dame de Namur. "...students wanted to get to know more about Notre Dame, its mission and what the life of a Sister is like.”
Pictured: Sister Susan Olson, SNDdeN with NDB student
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Symposium Energizes Educators
The East-West Sponsorship office held the third annual East Educators Symposium at Notre Dame Academy in Hingham, Massachusetts.
Sister Bárbara Gutiérrez, SNDdeN addressed more than 150 educators from our East Coast schools during the symposium. She shared stories of the Congregation's early days, inviting educators to see themselves as “living chapters in the history of SNDdeN education.”
The day continued with teacher-led workshops on mission engagement and job-alike roundtable discussions, fostering collaboration and shared purpose among the participants.
Pictured: Kathleen Colin, Sister Bárbara Gutiérrez, SNDdeN and Julie Dowd
| | | Maryvale Students Visit the United Nations | | | | Sister Isabelle Izika, SNDdeN (center) is surrounded by students from Maryvale Preparatory School and U.S. East-West Province staff at the United Nations. | | |
Students from Maryvale Preparatory in Baltimore attended the United Nations’ Commission on the Status of Women (UN CSW 70) earlier this month to develop a global perspective on women's rights. While there, they met with our Sister Isabelle Izika, SNDdeN the Congregational UN delegate.
Sister Isabelle discussed the role of NGOs (non-governmental organizations), such as the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur, which have been members of the UN since 2001. She also described her own experience with grassroots movements for change in her home country, the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The students left feeling inspired and empowered to bring change to their own communities.
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Trinity Welcomes New Director of Campus Ministry
It is a pleasure to welcome Talita Borges, who is the newly appointed leader of Campus Ministry at Trinity Washington University. She succeeds Sister Ann Howard, SNDdeN, who retired last year.
Borges brings over a decade of international experience in youth formation, intercultural and interreligious dialogue and faith-inspired social action.
“Trinity’s deep commitment to access, equity and the empowerment of students who have historically been excluded from higher education and economic opportunity is what first drew me to this opportunity," Borges said.
Read more about Borges and her work at Trinity in the next edition of our magazine, Sowing Goodness, coming out this summer.
| | Talita Borges, director of Campus Ministry at Trinity Washington University | | | | |
Care for Creation: NDNU Publishes Land Acknowledgement
Notre Dame de Namur University in Belmont, California, published a document on its website acknowledging the unceded ancestral homeland of the Ramaytush peoples, the original peoples of the San Francisco Peninsula on which the school stands today.
In the statement, NDNU, guided by the Hallmarks of a Notre Dame Learning Community, committed "to working through our curriculum, and institutional practices to address the ongoing injustice of colonialism and to support the enduring presence and traditional stewardship of the Ramaaytush community." Read more on our website.
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Looking for a summer experience that matters?
Check out our Summer Immersion Opportunity
Applications are due by April 30
Our inaugural Laudato Seeds of Change immersion program is designed for women ages 20+ who care about the Earth and want to live their values more deeply. This one-week experience, with an option to extend for an additional week, will take place from June 21 to June 28 (extension until July 5) at the Notre Dame Spirituality Center in Ipswich, Massachusetts.
Learn more and apply: Laudato Seeds of Change: An Immersion Experience.
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Sister Julie Marie Thorpe, SNDdeN
We thank God for the life of Sister Julie Marie Thorpe, SNDdeN, who completed her earthly journey on March 6, 2026, after 74 years of religious life. She was 95 years old.
Sister Julie Marie loved the Yup'ik people of Alaska, where she served several summers and full-time for eight years. Her passion in that ministry was teaching catechism, training Eucharistic ministers, assisting at baptisms and funerals, and responding to the community with compassion and strength.
She later returned to California and worked with migrant families in Pajaro.
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Sister Marie-Rose Charpentier, SNDdeN
We gratefully remember the life of Sister Marie-Rose Charpentier, SNDdeN, who returned to God on March 15, 2026. She was 86 and lived 67 years of religious life.
Sister Marie-Rose taught at schools from Massachusetts to Kentucky. Memorably, she worked with Appalachian families in West Virginia, where she “saw the reflection of God in individuals who were unchurched but so very close to God.”
At her 2020 Jubilee, Sister Marie-Rose shared, “I so appreciate the varied ministries I’ve had and the opportunity to meet and work with people of different cultures.”
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You Help Make the Mission Possible! Please Continue to Support Our Work in Honor of Catholic Sisters Week
Earlier this month, we recognized Catholic Sisters Week on our social channels with curated stories, photos, reels and graphics showcasing Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur engaged in impactful work.
From advocacy to education to our international mission, Sisters are at the forefront of transformation. Your support of our work helps make the mission thrive!
And we thank you for continuing to remember the Sisters in your charitable giving!
If you'd like to make a tax-deductible gift to the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur, go online today for the secure form or call our Development Office at 617-387-2500. Gifts in honor or in memory of a Sister are always welcome.
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