Sister Judy Fleisner, SSND

• Professed 1987
• Current Ministry: Serving as a third grade teacher at Holy Wisdom Academy in Milwaukee, Wisconsin
• Previous Ministries: Taught in various schools.

My life as a School Sisters of Notre Dame has been and continues to
be both challenging and rewarding. I have been challenged to experience things I never thought of doing before. I have volunteered
in women’s shelters, been on the board of a women’s center and a foster home. I have also experienced the life of the poor in Mexico through the GATE program. These experiences have changed me personally, spiritually and professionally. Our foundress worked with women and children preferring the poor. In my ministry, I teach children who come from various cultural backgrounds. This has been an enriching experience for me as well as my students. I also have the opportunity to help my students become aware of the needs in our own city as well as the world around us.

I first met the School Sisters of Notre Dame in the second grade and was taught by several others in grade and high school. I first began to think about becoming a sister when I was in my early twenties. At that time I was working as a nursing assistant in a hospital. I felt the call to do something more with my life than work and spend money. I wasn’t sure what I wanted to do though. Then a sister I knew invited me to consider being a sister. My first response was, “No way! Me? A nun? Right! So I went to a weekend for women who were thinking about being a sister. It was an eye opener for me. I met and got to know sisters in a whole new way. They were prayerful, caring and had fun. I soon discovered that it would be possible for me to live that lifestyle.

I would encourage anyone looking at religious life to spend some time to get to know sisters. Spend time with them in community and in their ministries. Check out several different orders to see which one seems right for you. God has blessed each one of us with special gifts and talents. It is important and so enriching to use them to serve others in a way that is life-giving for you.

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