Sister Meg Walsh,
SNDdeN

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"Knowing when the mission and ministry are one."

Sister Meg Walsh was a missionary before she was a vowed member of the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur. More than 15 years ago, she started teaching in northern Peru on her own and her love for the Peruvian people began immediately. Her commitment to religious life came a few years later.

After entering the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur and professing final vows in Cincinnati, Sister Meg returned to Peru. Today, she and nine other Sisters prepare sacraments for the villagers in the countryside. Each day they work as a teams and travel hours at a time to reach the people in the 120 small towns across the countryside. Sister Meg also teaches English classes to adults and children.

According to Sister Meg, the mission and the ministry are the same in Tambogrande. She explained: “St. Julie believed that each person possesses sublime dignity as an individual, and that dignity is not determined by personal or financial status. In fact, she knew well that the poor are most likely to be deprived of a sense of dignity. That is why she called her followers to a mission of preference for the poor. And because education is the essence of dignity, we are called to be educators – educators in the Catholic faith.”

Sister Jo Anne Depweg,
SNDdeN

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“Our ministry is the day-to-day living and needs of the people.”
Nearly every morning after prayers, Sister Jo Anne Depweg meets a small group of men from her impoverished neighborhood at her kitchen door. There, she actually shares with them her daily bread. Sister Jo creates relationships with people. Relationships, she says, get people to say “yes” to helping each other. Sister Jo helps people in her neighborhood say “yes” to caring for the sick. She finds doctors to say “yes” to pro bono services to the poor. She encourages mothers to say “yes” to helping care for undernourished infants.

Fit and fast-talking with a thoroughly modern point of view, Sister Jo was one of the original five sisters who “got off the boat” in 1962 when SNDdeN began its ministries in Brazil. She celebrated her 60th jubilee in 2011 and shows no signs of slowing down.

Sister Jo runs a “Ministry of Hospitality” in one of the poorest neighborhoods in the Brazilian city of Belém. There, she tends to the finances of the SNDdeN Province House, a hub for the growing religious communities of Anapu, Ceara, São Luis and Marajo. In this role, she hosts frequent visitors and helps train younger sisters. She is involved in her parish church and serves on the Conference of Religious of Brazil for the state of Para.

Perhaps nearest and dearest to her heart is her involvement “Comité Dorothy,” a group carrying on the work of her martyred friend, Sister Dorothy Stang. Sister Dorothy was an advocate for sustainable farming in the Amazon rain forest, fighting to protect the rights of rural workers and the poor against loggers, land speculators and agribusiness. Sister Jo meets regularly with the Dorothy Committee and every summer participates in a 55-kilometer walk between Anapu and Boa Esperanca, where Sister Dorothy lived and was murdered in 2005. “We try to keep up with all the issues we know Dot would have been interested in,” she says. “We work with local volunteers, we try to promote our presence at meetings and we take a bus down to Anapu and work with the community there. People want to maintain Dot’s memory. Dorothy’s life stands for the struggle of many people.”

Raising awareness of the trafficking of young Brazilian girls into human slavery is another issue high on the list of concerns of the sisters in Brazil. “Trafficking is a serious problem all over Brazil,” she says. “They get these girls and tell them they’re going to send them away to be models. Then, once the girls get involved, once they go to Spain, once they go to France or wherever it is they are going, their passports are taken away from them. Without any kind of identification, they’re dead. Dead by the way of having no documents. They cease to exist. We keep trying to get churches and schools and organizations to help by letting girls know what they’re getting into.”

She and the other sisters in the Province House sacrifice a portion of their personal funds to help poor families make ends meet. They often pay bus fares for volunteers and personally support the Pastoral of the Child, an organization which makes and distributes a protein powder for undernourished children. “Our ministry is the day-to-day living and needs of the people,” she says.
 

Sister Carol Wetli,
SNDdeN

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“We have a key role to play in the development of the Nigerian region.”

With two master’s degrees and additional certification, training and years of experience, Sister Carol Wetli is an advisor to the fastest growing of all Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur units in the world. Sister Carol has taught, mentored and advised the Nigerian Sisters in formation, finance, leadership, development of community life policies and strategic planning since 1992. Statistics tell her the rapid growth of the Nigerian religious community makes the African nation critical to the future of SNDdeN. “We have a key role to play in the development of the Nigerian region. It’s going to be strongly committed,” she says. “They are well-educated, competent and dedicated. Nigerian Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur have come of age.”

In Nigeria, SNDdeN now manages five primary and five secondary schools, owns two primary and two secondary schools, owns one primary health clinic, manages one diocesan hospital and staffs two peace and justice centers. Sister Carol serves as Development Director, mentor and teacher living half the year in the Postulate House in Fugar, a small city in the state of Edo, and half of the year in a community of sisters in Illorin, the state capital. “My whole reason for going to Nigeria in 1992 was to be a support to the Sisters, to affirm them, to challenge them, to let them know they can do it,” she says. “I feel good knowing we have been empowering them and all the leadership now is in their hands.”

But life remains harsh for the 84 Sisters living this underdeveloped and impoverished nation on Africa’s Atlantic coast. Crime is rampant. Living conditions are third-world.

Every one of their 15 communities has been victimized by robbers. Attackers cracked the skull of a guard to get through the padlocked gates of a compound housing a convent, boarding school for girls and health clinic. A Sister suffered a gunshot wound to her leg when highway robbers tried to shoot out the tires of her bus to force the driver to stop. Even Sister Carol was terrorized by thugs who broke into her living quarters and forced her to open her drawers, cupboards and suitcases. “Everything is precious,” she said. “They steal whatever they can find.”

Only one of the communities has “city” water delivered through pipes. Tankers deliver water to the rest, pumping it into underground storage containers. And once they have the water, it isn’t safe to drink. They have to boil it. Electrical service can be disrupted for months at a time. The Sisters use generators sparingly because of the cost of gasoline, turning only to recharge lanterns and batteries. The lack of electricity makes the most routine chores of daily life extreme. The simple task of doing laundry, for example, means washing and rinsing clothing in buckets and hanging it to dry.

Political corruption and the deterioration of education and health care services further complicate the lives of the Sisters who are running schools and health centers, says Sister Carol. Traveling on highways often means paying for safe passage. “To get out of school, you need signatures from heads of departments,” Sister Carol says. “Sometimes you pay for that.” Even the Nigerian Sisters who are advancing their own education have difficulty getting transcripts.

Despite the challenge of living in an underdeveloped nation, Sister Carol says she is happy in Nigeria. She sees the glory of God in the demeanor of the Nigerian Sisters and the ways they interact with people. “Some people think we have everything that they don’t have, but there’s something in the culture there that we don’t have,” she says. “Here, we run, run, run. There, they take more time for other people. With them, everything is about relationships, togetherness and connectedness.”
 

Sister Godelieve Matondo,
SNDdeN

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"Continuing a mission of education as St. Julie saw it."

Where Life is Difficult, Education is a Priority

Sisters Godelieve Matondo (top photo) and Marie Josée Mbambi (bottom photo) work at the medical centre in Lemfu in Congo. Both Sisters are nurses who take care of many women delivering babies and receiving medical care. When the new mothers return home, the two Sisters continue to teach these women life education and good care after birth.

The Sisters do not use books for teaching the women because most of them are unable to read. Instead, the Sisters educate the women with songs and stories. New mothers who get this training are very motivated and practice what they learn.

This is another example of the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur teaching people what they need to know for life.
 

Sister Gerry Bolzan,
SNDdeN

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"Guiding the newest Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur."

Six young women in Kenya are exploring life as a Sister of Notre Dame de Namur. As novices, they are in the early years of a journey of religious formation. They are being led on this journey by the Novice Director of the Kenyan Province Sister Gerry Bolzan. Sister Gerry guides the novices through the formal process of prayer, reflection, conversation and listening that is central to the exploration of religious life. She oversees their educational development as well.

Sister Gerry began her ministry in Nigeria after serving as the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur Vocation Minister in Chicago for nearly 10 years. She took her experience and gifts to Kenya, embracing life as a missionary in Africa. “We are called to have a love that reaches beyond the boundaries of tribe and nation,” she said. “I saw this as God’s invitation. It is a joy to be able to share in the simplicity and openness of these young women. They have a deep reflective spirit and desire to learn and grow in the spirit of Notre Dame.”

Sister Rebecca Trujillo,
SNDdeN

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"Putting moms first to help special-needs children."

Caring for a special-needs child is never easy.

In a major city like Matagalpa, where more than 10 percent of children are disabled, their care falls largely to the mothers. This means mothers are isolated for as long as 12 hours a day. It also means they are unable to earn an income, which feeds the spiral of poverty and hopelessness for the family.

About eight years ago, Sister Rebecca Trujillo started “Familias Especiales de Santa Julia Billiart” to help special children by focusing first on their mothers. Today this organization of mothers, volunteers and professionals provides support to more than 500 Matagalpan families with disabled children. It is a ministry that is often carried out door-to-door, with programs that include home therapy, neighborhood parenting programs and small business development and job training for mothers.

Sister Rebecca explained the focus. “Most mothers are virtual prisoners in their own homes without a way to express their needs. We address their medical and educational needs first. Then we provide spiritual and psychological support, and introduce the mothers to others who share similar circumstances. We show them they are not alone.”

Sister Carmen Silva, SNDdeN

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Sister Carmen at Southwest Key Program.

Sister Carmen at the opening of Casa St. Julie. 

Sister Carmen with her local community and neighbors at their Habitat for Humanity home.

Today, she is Sister Carmen. In years past, she was Officer Silva.

Not many women make the transition from police officer to religious life, but Sister Carmen Silva did. 

She was also a probation officer. If you didn’t toe the line, it was back to jail.

“I certainly never saw myself in religious life,” Sister Carmen says. “I was happy where I was. I thought of religious life as teaching and nursing. It wasn’t until I saw that it was all about service to others, that I began to think about joining.”

Sister Carmen entered religious life in her late 30s. She grew up in the White Mountains of Arizona, and first came into contact with Sisters of Notre Dame through Cursillo retreats. She later became a Notre Dame Associate.

Today, Sister Carmen heads up the Sisters’ Notre Dame AmeriCorps project in Phoenix. AmeriCorps volunteers work at four different sites, including schools, the St. Vincent de Paul Society and the Southwest Key Program, which shelters unaccompanied children. The volunteers help adults with job and life-readiness skills, help recruit other volunteers from the neighborhood, and tutor children in reading and math. They also help children experience new things, such as gardening and singing in the choir. At one site, an elementary school, they work at an on-campus animal habitat where children learn about various farm animals and how to care for them.

The volunteers themselves come from various parts of the country, from Boston to California, and have various faith backgrounds, from Catholic to Mennonite. Many are on their second sign-up. “We try to foster their own individual spiritual development,” Sister Carmen says, “while sharing our Notre Dame ministry of service to the community. Hopefully they’ll want to continue in this kind of ministry and to keep helping others improve their lives.”

“Because this is bigger than local,” Sister Carmen says. “It’s connected to a larger dimension.” 

 

 

Sister Judy Tensing,
SNDdeN

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Sister Judy stands outside Venice on Vine Pizza Parlor.

Sister Judy helps prepare food for Power Inspires Progress catering business.

A volunteer tutor works with a Power Inspires Progress employee.

“People need affirmation when they do something right. That’s what we give them.”

Sister Judy Tensing is a teacher but her students aren’t conventional students. Her classroom is not in a school. And what she teaches isn’t the usual kind of lesson. Sister Judy teaches people how to make pizzas and hoagies. While she’s doing that, she also teaches them to show up for work on time, be dependable, speak professionally, dress appropriately and perform a number of skills that help them land jobs. Sister Judy runs Venice on Vine, a pizza parlor and catering service occupying, of all things, a former burlesque house in Cincinnati’s inner city. Venice on Vine is also a job training center.

Over the course of a year, 20 people at a time work at the pizza parlor. They are paid minimum wage for working four hours a day, five days a week. “They can stay here for a year and after a year they are gone,” says Sister Judy. “We have to set a limit on it or they would just stay here.”

At the pizza parlor, they gain workplace experience while volunteer professionals tutor them on how to fill out employment applications, write resumes and do interviews.

Many of Sister Judy’s students are mothers and grandmothers who have not been able to get a job. Others have been referred by Alcoholics Anonymous, Narcotics Anonymous or agencies serving ex-convicts. “It’s very difficult to change your track in life when you want to do it,” says Sister Judy. “You’re going to AA, but you can’t get a job. You can’t get a job, so you can’t afford housing. You don’t have housing, so your kids get taken away. Here, people can get pieces of their life back together.”

“People get themselves into all kinds of messes. Many people could get into these same messes except they can get a lawyer or they have parents who can help them. Many people who come here haven’t had a support group. People need affirmation when they do something right. That’s what we give them.”

In addition to the skills they learn from Sister Judy, their job coach and tutors at Venice on Vine, the Venice on Vine staff creates a supportive group for each other. “They become a community,” she says. “People get on track. They get encouraged by people who have been here. They feel they are joining in the line. It’s not necessarily something we give them ourselves but we give them the opportunity.”

Venice on Vine has many success stories – people who are now working at restaurants, bakeries, nursing homes, cleaning services, making deliveries and going to a technical college to pursue degrees. The job job training center received a lot of support during its start-up phase, but now that it is more self-sustaining, the greatest need is “people who are willing to open their doors and help us find jobs for people.” 

Sister Mary Ellen Carinato,
SNDdeN

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Sister Marie Smith describes Corryville Catholic Elementary School in Cincinnati, Ohio.

“I can read! Sister taught me.”

The kids are quick to grab their favorite spots. Some sit on pillows on the library floor. Others crawl onto rocking chairs. A couple more sit with tutors at study tables tucked into quiet hallway corners. It’s reading class at Corryville Catholic Elementary School in Cincinnati’s inner-city, and it has been Sister Mary Ellen Carinato’s passion for the past 13 years.

Sister Mary Ellen believes that virtually all children, even the poorest readers, can learn to read at grade level if they receive the proper help. And at Corryville Catholic, she provides that help, through a customized reading program designed specifically for each student – from pre-school through eighth grade. Sister is able to do this through a small stipend she receives from our Ministry Fund, which supports the work of our mission in areas where earning a living wage isn’t possible.

Each day, Sister Mary Ellen can be seen leading a parade of her youngest students down the hall and into the school library and reading lab. Then they get down to business, reading carefully selected books and taking computerized comprehension tests. Sister rewards good marks with coupons for pizza and snacks.

Corryville Catholic is known as a school where students graduate with a well-rounded education. Some are the first in their families to complete primary school. All go on to high school. But when they leave Corryville, the graduates of this school most always take with them a profound love of books and words. It’s a blessing from Sister Mary Ellen.
 

Sister Anne Ralston,
SNDdeN

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"Finding the goodness of God
in the grief."

In the dark early hours of the day, when grief seems most intense, Sister Anne Ralston, is the one in the room who is listening with her heart. She is the social worker from the Office of Decedent Affairs, on the night shift at University Hospital in Cincinnati.

Sister Anne is often the one who makes the telephone call when a family member dies or when death is imminent. She is the first to raise the issue of an autopsy, or the need for legal advice. She tackles the tough questions like “why did this happen?” and “how do I tell the kids?”.

Sister’s top priority is to be present to others’ pain, and to help relieve the stress of such a difficult time—even when it happens nearly 300 times a year during her 7 p.m. to 7 a.m. shift.

The University Hospital is the country’s first teaching hospital. It was founded to provide care for the city’s aged and indigent, and is world-renowned for its state-of the art medical facilities. It is also the only Level I trauma center in the area that treats adult patients, which means Sister Anne’s ministry is rarely quiet.

Sister’s gentle compassion helps family members begin the process of grieving. When she was asked how she does it, she smiled and replied, “Only with the Grace of God.”

Sister Rosemarie Pohlman, SNDdeN

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"Bringing a special heart to special needs children."

Sister Rosemarie Pohlman is the only hearing-impaired teacher who is certified to teach in the Campbell County Kentucky School district. She understands the frustration and challenges associated with learning when hearing is limited.

For the past 15 years, Sister Rosemarie has worked with profoundly deaf students in the district, working one-on-one to teach reading, writing, spelling and communications skills. She said what pleases her most about her ministry is, “when the light bulb comes on. I see it in the faces of my students when they finally understand a concept. Their faces and eyes just light up.”

Her ministry also provides a powerful personal link to the foundress of the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur St. Julie Billiart who called education the most important job in the world. Sister Rosemarie explained, “My work often reminds me of how St. Julie Billiart cared for her older sister, Madeleine, who was almost blind. It seems only natural to me that Julie would extend this invitation to us to teach all of the children who are in need of an education.”

Sister Marie Shields, SNDdeN

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"Making the Gospel come alive."

St. Matthias Parish in Columbus has steadily evolved into a rich, multicultural community with members from Nigeria, Brazil, Haiti, Philippines, Southeast Asia along with American-born women and men.

For the past 17 years, Sister Marie Shields has served as the pastoral assistant at the parish. In this ministry she provides spiritual guidance to church members. She also plans and arranges educational, social, and recreational programs for the congregation. But perhaps one of her most important responsibilities it to work with the pastor to make the gospel relevant and helpful to modern people, taking into consideration the various needs of each culture at St. Matthias.

“We have such a beautiful mix of cultures in our parish and we are all learning how to appreciate one another’s gifts that come from our loving God,” Sister Marie said. “I feel privileged to be here and to use all that God has been given me. It is wonderful to be chosen to help this way.”

Sister Marietta Fritz, SNDdeN

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“We don’t take just anyone here.”

For more than 20 years, Sister Marietta Fritz has been a powerful source of hope for women in Saginaw when it’s time for them to leave prison. She runs Emmaus House—a community of eight homes that offers a clean, safe family-like environment for women who would otherwise have no place to go. “But we don’t take just anyone,” Sister Marietta cautioned. “Our guests must come from jail, prison or rehab.” Their stays are temporary, just until a guest can be on her own.

In each Emmaus House, the accommodations are simple but cozy. Some of homes have house managers who oversee the operations and look after the guests. Others are “step up” homes for women who are headed toward independence. All operate under the same philosophy. “At Emmaus House,” Sister Marietta explained, “we believe people have the potential to become what God wants them to be, regardless of what they’ve done. We believe each person is good, and a unique expression of God. Our hope is to provide an environment in which each woman can come to realize her own goodness—and the goodness of God.”