Mission Advancement Egram | May 31, 2017
KINDRED HEARTS MINISTRIES, 
 strength for the journey  

Kindred Hearts Ministries was pleased to welcome staff members from Sacred Heart Parish and School in Ventura for a joint retreat this month.   In this photo, Sr. Antoinette Marie Moon explains the theme and schedule for the day while Sr. Marie Paul Grech stands in readiness for the next activity.


Sr. Margaret Mary Scott, Director of Religious Education at Sacred Heart Parish, enjoys a humorous moment during the retreat.
As Sisters of Notre Dame we are ready to respond to a growing desire for spirituality among God's people.   Kindred Hearts Ministries invites, encourages and supports our fellow sojourners, offering strength for the journey.
 
Our programs can be designed to meet your group's needs in various locations.  As schools and parish groups make plans for 2017-18, please note that Kindred Hearts Ministries is available to offer faculty retreats; days/evenings of recollection for parents, staff, or parish groups; and other prayer experiences.  Speakers are also available on religious vocations and other spiritual development topics.  
 
For further information, contact Sr. Marie Paul Grech, Kindred Hearts Ministries Coordinator, by email or at 805-917-3760.  As the Kindred Hearts Ministries offerings at Notre Dame Center are finalized, information will be posted at www.sndca.org/events.   Be assured that the Sisters of Notre Dame carry our fellow sojourners in our daily prayer.
LILLIAM PAETZOLD, 
woman of encouragement


Lilliam Paetzold, current principal and president-designate of Notre Dame Academy Schools, proudly presents a diploma to a member of the Class of 2017.
 
"I always tell people that with the Sisters of Notre Dame, every detail counts in educating the whole child. Their schools are clearly Catholic." These are the words that ring true for Lilliam Paetzold, newly appointed president of Notre Dame Academy Schools of Los Angeles.   As a graduate of both the elementary and high schools, Lilliam is no stranger to the education that is the living legacy of the Sisters of Notre Dame.

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The "Where are they now" feature of the SND Mission Advancement Egram will give updates on our colleagues and former students--anyone entrusted to our care.   We want to share how they live the SND mission by serving, leading, and giving hope within our diverse society.  To submit information for this column, please email lmegaffin@sndca.org.  
FREEDOM, a  call to action    

Human trafficking is a form of modern day slavery in which victims are deceived and coerced into providing forced labor or sexual services for the benefit of their traffickers.   
 
California is particularly vulnerable to human trafficking because of factors such as large runaway and homeless youth populations, proximity to international borders, the number of ports and airports, a significant immigrant population, and a large economy including industries that attract forced labor and sex trafficking.    The most recent comprehensive report on human trafficking in California was released in 2012, a year in which California human trafficking taskforces identified 1,300 victims of human trafficking and made 1,798 arrests related to human trafficking.

Everyone has the power to affect anti-trafficking policy at the local, state and federal levels. Let your elected officials know you expect them to pass legislation that will protect and serve victims of human trafficking.  The California Assembly included a $10 million continuing request from the general fund for specialized services for trafficking victims. The Senate did not, and so the issue is sent to Conference.   

This is the Call to Action:  Please make calls to the appointed Conference members listed below before June 2, asking them to support the $10 million in funding for specialized services for human trafficking victims.
  • Assemblymember Shirley Weber - (916) 319-2079
  • Senator Holly Mitchell - (916) 651-4030 
For further information about human trafficking and CAST, the Coalition to Abolish Slavery and Trafficking, follow this link.   
OUR LADY OF FATIMA , a call to peace  
 
Dear Friends,

We recently commemorated the 100th anniversary of the first apparition of the Blessed Mother to the three children at Fatima.  Mary provided a simple solution to complex challenges, challenges faced today in every corner of the world.   At that time, Mary asked the children to pray for peace in the world.  In the gospel of John, we read that Jesus promised us peace, the peace of mind and heart that the world cannot give.
Modern technology provides 24/7 updates on the violence that plagues our planet. To pray for peace, though, is to embrace that personal transformation that will bring peace into our hearts, and peace between and among families, neighborhoods, workplaces, parishes, communities, cultures, nations and every other type of social grouping.   Whether it is the threat of terrorism, the realities of global warming, the scourge of human trafficking, or the anguish of refugees seeking safety--all of these challenges invite us to prayer.  Please know that the Sisters of Notre Dame around the world are devoted to this intercession--and personal transformation--and we invite you to join us in this urgent mission.  And with gratitude for all of your encouragement and support, we wish each of you the peace of Jesus, the peace of mind and heart that the world cannot give.

Blessings always,
Sr. Lisa Megaffin, S.N.D. 
Director of Mission Advancement Services
Quick Links  
Vision & Challenge , Spring, 2017   
Special thanks to our contributors to this egram:  Sarah Marcuse, Lisa Stupar, and Sr. M. Joanne Wittenburg
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