Sister Meg Walsh
Sister Meg has a deep calling to work in ministry with the women, children and families of Peru.  God first called Meg to teach and now he is calling her to expand on that vocation as a Sister of Notre Dame.  She knows her role in preparing children and families for the sacraments and teaching English will be personally challenging as well as enlightening.

Meg says, "The people are so open and share God so unhesitatingly.  I have a feeling....a sense of calling - a 'sentimiento.'  Even though Peru is a different place than what I am used to, it feels like home.  This is my vocation."

Sister Alma Grollig
In grade school, neither teaching nor religious life were options I considered for my future. I dreamed of being a lab assistant or joining the Navy...so, what happened?

Starting my freshman year at Mount Notre Dame High School, I was on my own. Yet, strangely, on my first day there, I had a sense of "being at home." One day, my teacher ended a conference with, "Whether you end up as a blue and white Navy officer, a green college freshman, or a black and white postulant in some religious order, I hope you will be happy." I had to face it – that "black and white" image had been struggling in the back of my head. Losing THAT struggle was the best fight I ever lost!

My life has been constant "being at home" wherever I was, and in whatever I was doing, which assures me that I heard the Lord!

Sister Jo Anne Depweg
When I was in the 2nd grade, I heard a missionary priest challenge the congregation by these words, "If none of you children respond to becoming a priest or sister, who will be there for the children when all of you are adults?"

I tried not to entertain that idea during grade school and high school until finally "I heard my name out loud" during a retreat. It was then that I made the decision to change my life – to respond to the call – to become a Sister of Notre Dame de Namur. St. Julie Billiart was a strong inspiration in my making the choice for Notre Dame.

My desire was to reach out to those most abandoned and I found deep within myself the strength to follow this desire. Today I pray that I will always be faithful to "the call."

Sister Noreen Joyce
I remember an eighth grade retreat when my teacher put out some pamphlets for us to look at. I opened one and saw a picture of a sister kneeling before a crucifix. At that instant, my heart said, "that’s what I want to do – spend my life loving the Lord."

The desire deepened as I attended Notre Dame High School for Girls in Chicago, Illinois. I joined the vocation club, and in my junior year, I went to the candidacy in Columbus. In February of my senior year, I entered.

The sisters I have lived, prayed, and worked with are wonderful women who have educated, guided, challenged, inspired, consoled, and loved me through the past fifty years in Notre Dame. What a treasure they have been!

Sister Mary Carolina Hess
I received two calls from God. My first call was to become a Catholic when I was 14 years old, through the influence of my mother who was a philosopher and poet. Through articles and poems she published in Catholic magazines, she became acquainted with the Catholic faith.

During World War II, when my brothers were in the U.S. Navy, she felt inspired to become a Catholic. Her enthusiasm for her newly found faith impressed me so much that within two years, I asked to be received into the Church.

The Sisters of Notre Dame I encountered in elementary school and in college reflected to me a life that I wanted to live – a life of loving service to the Church.

Sister Bernice Weilbacher
My vocation to religious life came from my mother, whose deep faith was sincere and straightforward. She taught us to always be concerned about others and be helpful to others. The presence of Franciscan and Notre Dame sisters throughout my grade school and high school years was instrumental in my pursuing a religious vocation.

It has been most meaningful living in communities with Sisters who were always striving for a deeper spiritual life. I have taught in areas where I could give to others the beauty of our God-given life and planet, and give students an appreciation for the many gifts and talents each has received.

Sister Jean Anne Blust
I believe that my beliefs and commitments were first rooted in and developed by my family. Loving parents supported my faith and enabled me to meet our sisters by sending me to Notre Dame High School in Hamilton, where the sisters made my learning exciting and enjoyable. They challenged our minds and abilities and presented religious life as a positive and possible choice. The friends I met in high school helped to form and firm up my desire to join Notre Dame.

I have always felt the constant and unfailing support of my sisters. I have also been blessed with friends who believe in, support, and share in my life. For all I am truly grateful!

Sister Frances Mary Schoenung
With my childlike way of thinking, I thought I was promising Jesus to be a Sister of Notre Dame, but now I know He was calling me. On my First Communion day, right after I received Jesus, I promised Him that I would be a sister. Jesus was my strength, and I have thanked Him often for calling me to religious life in Notre Dame.

I have been blessed with the opportunity to teach children of God’s love for them. After teaching children all these years and trying to give them a strong conviction of God’s love for them, I am convinced of His love for me.

Sister Marguerite Schoenung
Growing up in a Catholic family where religious life was held in high esteem, it is not surprising that, for as long as I can remember, I wanted to be a sister. Living in the shadow of the Teachers’ College of the Athenaeum of Ohio, I was familiar with many different kinds of sisters, but as soon as I went to St. George School, I knew I wanted to be a Sister of Notre Dame de Namur and a teacher.

I wanted a closer relationship with Jesus and believed the surest way was to consecrate my life to the good God in service to the poor.