Sister Mary Maher, a native of Oceanside, NY was recently elected to serve as general superior of the School Sisters of Notre Dame at their 22nd General Chapter held in São Leopoldo, Brazil. She will assume her new position and duties in January at the international congregation's headquarters in Rome, Italy.
To see a press release about the work of the General Chapter, click HERE. To read an interview in in the December 6, 2007 issue of The Catholic Review weekly for the Archdiocese of Baltimore, click HERE.
Tim Dewane testified in Madison on November 7, 2007 before the state Senate Judiciary and Corrections Committee which is considering making human trafficking for sex or cheap labor illegal in Wisconsin. Dewane, director of the School Sisters of Notre Dame Milwaukee Province's Office of Global Justice & Peace said, "This is modern slavery. It cannot be tolerated and must be stopped." Tim's quote was printed in an article about the hearing that appeared in The Capital Times on November 7, 2007. Sister Niva Langreck also attended the hearing.
S. Loretta Semposki, a participant in the Nun Study * is pictured on page 53 of National Geographic's cover story entitled "Memory" in the November 2008 issue. You can see the story online by clicking HERE. To find the photo of S. Loretta, click on "Photo Gallery" — the second button in the menu.
*
The Nun Study is a longitudinal study of aging and Alzheimer's disease. It began in 1986 as a pilot study on aging and disability using data collected from the older School Sisters of Notre Dame living in Mankato, Minn. In 1990, the Nun Study was expanded to include SSNDs living in other regions of the United States. The 678 participants in the Nun Study were 75 to 102 years old when the study began, and the average age of the participants was 83 years. Over 85 percent of these participants were teachers. Participants in the Nun Study include women representing a wide range of function and health, from sisters in their 90s who are highly functional with full-time jobs to sisters in their 70s who are severely disabled, unable to communicate, and bed-bound. The goal of the Nun Study is to determine the causes and prevention of Alzheimer's disease, other brain diseases, and the mental and physical disability associated with old age.
S. Sara Jean Donegan, DDS and four other researchers examined the possible link between oral disease and dementia. Their study, "Tooth loss, dementia and neuropathology in the Nun Study" was published in JADA - The Journal of the American Dental Association, October 2007 issue (Vol. 138, No. 10). Results showed that a low number of teeth increased the risk of higher prevalence and incidence of dementia.
Sisters Barbara Linke, Jane Mary Lorbiecki, Mary Catherine Dundon and Affiliate Beth Huggins were featured in the documentary, Milwaukee's Vowed Women of Faith. The 30-minute program aired October 5 and 7, 2007 on Milwaukee Public Television, Channel 10.
S. Susan Ann Adrians who ministers in spiritual guidance and counseling was interviewed and quoted in the September 23, 2007 issue of the Northwest Indiana Catholic the official newspaper for the Diocese of Gary, Indiana. The title of the article by Debbie Bosak was "Forgiveness—Good for the Body & Mind." To read the article, click HERE.
Dr. Linda Timm was pictured in the custom-made outfit that third-year fashion design students made for her inauguration day as president of Mount Mary College on September 14, 2007. The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel article described how Thimm asked the students to create something feminine yet professional for her to wear during a busy day of activities. The class delighted the president with a monogrammed inscription on the inside pocket of the jacket that read: Inauguration 2007 — From our Hands — Mount Mary Tailoring Students.
Sisters Mary Judith Spatt and Mary Meinrad Pickner were featured in an article entitled "Pair of 100-year-olds are proof living a good life has its rewards" by Lisabeth-Passalis-Bain for the August 30, 2007 issue of Now (formerly Elm Leaves). The two centenarians who reside at Notre Dame of Elm Grove shared a bit of history and commented on their joys through SSND community and ministries.
SSNDs at Notre Dame of Elm Grove . . . School Sisters of Notre Dame, associates, friends and over 200 students from St. Mary School, Elm Grove and Notre Dame Middle School, Milwaukee gathered by the Peace Pole on grounds of Notre Dame of Elm Grove to pray for peace on September 21, 2007. To see a slide show, click HERE.
S. Mary Meinrad Pickner . . .
celebrated her 100th birthday on the feast of the Assumption, August 15, 2007.
S. Gabriel Mary Spaeth . . .
was featured in an article published in the magazine 50 Plus, August 2007. The article highlights her role over the past 17 years in the Alzheimer studies that are directed by Dr. David Snowdon with the 678 School Sisters of Notre Dame from across the United States.
Mount Mary College . . .
has received eight grants totaling $138,960. The money will benefit:
Graduate students participating in the Urban Education Fellows program [$36,000 from the Corporation for National and Community Service (AmeriCorps)]
The college's James L. Monaghan Endowed Scholarship Fund for scholarship awards [$33,000 from the Rose Monaghan Charitable Trust]
MMC's College in the Community initiative [grants of $20,000 from the Mother Caroline Mandate Fund – School Sisters of Notre Dame - Milwaukee Province and $19,960 from the Northwestern Mutual Foundation]
MMC's Midtown Scholarship Program [$25,000 from the Mother Caroline Mandate Fund; $5,000 from the Helen Bader Foundation; and $5,000 from the Patrick and Anna M. Cudahy Fund]
The Summer 2007 New Leadership Wisconsin Program within MMC's Women's Leadership Institute [$5,000 from the Forest Potawatomi Community Foundation]
SSNDs Honored . . .
Four sisters received special recognition at the 24th annual appreciation dinner sponsored by the Milwaukee Achiever Literacy Services. Sister Anton Marie Voissem and Sister Vonnie DeCleene who are staff members were each honored for 15 years of service to the organization. Sister Joyce Ploch received recognition for ten years of volunteer service and Sister Jean Paul Zagorski was recognized for five years of volunteer service.
S. Shawnee Daniels-Sykes . . .
was the focus of an article in the July 12, 2007 issue of the Catholic Herald, newspaper of the Archdiocese of Milwaukee. S. Shawnee made history when she earned her doctorate to become the first black Catholic theological bioethicist in the United States. To read the article, click HERE.
S. Josephe Marie Flynn's . . .
opinion piece, "Immigration system must cease jailing those seeking asylum" was published by the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel on June 30, 2007. Click HERE to read the article on the MJS website.
SSNDs of Our Lady of Mount Carmel Celebrate . . .
School Sisters of Notre Dame hosted a special prayer service and gathering for the Capuchin Friars who are celebrating 150 years at their first mission in North America at Mount Calvary, Wisconsin. SSNDs celebrated the 150th anniversary of the establishment of their mission in 2002.
Notre Dame Middle School . . .
NDMS was featured in an article which appeared in the May 24, 2007 issue of the Catholic Herald. It highlighted the new addition to the school which includes a gym, science lab and art studio. The new building was unveiled for donors and supporters on May 9.
S. Kieran Sawyer . . .
and Kathie Amidei who co-authored the program and book Learning About L.I.F.E. were featured in a Catholic Herald article on May 24, 2007. The book was published last fall by Ave Maria Press and serves in promoting healthy life relationships for children and youth. During the past school year, the program was used by 50 parishes of the archdiocese. LAL (Learning About L.I.F.E. – Love, Infatuation, Friendship and Exploitation) is a positive response to the Bishops' 2002 mandate that requires parishes to give one hour to each child every year to teach about abuse prevention. See the TYME OUT Youth Ministry Center website at www.tymeout.org for information about training sessions offered for parish staff and volunteers as well as for youth programming.
S. Josephe Marie Flynn . . .
whose tireless efforts on behalf of Regina and David Bakala, a Congolese couple who were seeking political asylum in the United States finally achieved results. The couple won asylum with the April 2 ruling by U.S. Immigration Judge O. John Brahos. Their story was covered in the April 3, 2007 issue of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel and the April 5, 2007 issue of the Catholic Herald. Click HERE to see the article on the Catholic Herald's website.
S. Mary Judith Spatt. . .
celebrated her 100th birthday on March 13, 2007.
The School Sisters of Notre Dame sent a delegation of 25 students and adults representing Africa, Europe, Latin America and North America to participate in the 51st session of the Commission on the Status of Women February 26-March 9, 2007 at the United Nations Headquarters in New York. For information about SSND participation and reports about the meeting, click on the picture above to link to the details.
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Sister Mary Maher