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October 24 , 2008

School Sisters of Notre Dame
Celebrate Congregation’s 175th Anniversary

School Sisters of Notre Dame (SSND) celebrate the 175th Anniversary of their foundation on October 24, 2008. The international congregation of women religious traces its roots to 1833, when Blessed Mary Theresa of Jesus Gerhardinger founded the School Sisters of Notre Dame in Bavaria in response to the urgent needs of her day.

Blessed Theresa grounded her community in poverty in order to reach the poor and dedicated it to the Blessed Virgin Mary. As an educator, she helped women and children reach the fullness of their potential, a founding principle of SSND.

In 1847, Blessed Theresa traveled to America to help the German people who had emigrated there, and she became one of the early founders of the American parochial school system. Pope John Paul II beatified Blessed Theresa in 1985.

The congregation has thrived through several generations to meet the needs and cries of the world for 175 years. Today, more than 3,700 School Sisters of Notre Dame serve in 36 countries on five continents. The sisters uphold their congregation’s founding vision that education has the power to transform the world, and they do so in a variety of ways.

SSNDs today educate with a broad vision. They serve as teachers, administrators, tutors, lawyers, accountants, nurses, therapists, social workers, pastoral ministers, social justice advocates and much more.

Visit the SSND website, www.ssnd.org, to learn more about what School Sisters of Notre Dame are doing to transform the world through education.

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For information concerning the Canadian Province, please contact:
Patricia Stortz, Communications Coordinator

Transforming the world through education.