Mission Advancement Egram | August 22, 2016
Embracing SND spirituality


During June, the SND Vocation Directors sponsored a Spirituality Retreat for women discerning a religious vocation. The participants came from six states: California, Florida, Indiana, Ohio, Virginia, and Wisconsin.  They ranged in age from 29 to 49 and in interest from "convent curious" to "how to formally discern with this community?" Some participants work in the public sector while others work in various forms of Church ministry.    Read more!
Kindred Hearts Ministry r esponds to spiritual hungers

Sr. M. Aloysia Wolbring and Sr. M. Lisette Kuhling, co-foundresses of the Sisters of Notre Dame, had the vision to reach out in love to those most in need.  Their "kindred hearts" motivated them to serve God by responding to the needs of their times.

As Sisters of Notre Dame today, we recognize the deep spiritual hungers of God's people.  Through Kindred Hearts Ministries, we share what we have with other "kindred hearts," those who are seeking to know and love God more.  Follow this link for the 2016-17 Kindred Hearts events calendar.   For more information, contact Sr. Marie Paul Grech by email or at 805-917-3760.  
St. John's Seminary to honor
Sr. Anncarla Costello

St. John's Seminary will honor Sr. M. Anncarla Costello, provincial of the California SNDs, at its Annual Gala on Saturday, Sept. 24.  To be held at the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels, the event honors priests and pastoral leaders, encourages young men who are pursuing their call to the priesthood, and provides financial support for the seminary.

In receiving the Seminary's Distinguished Alum Award,  Sr. Anncarla is distinguished in two ways:  the first woman to receive this award and the first person to earn the seminary's Master of Arts in Pastoral Ministry degree.  As she said, "going to St. John's Seminary gave me a profoundly deepened growth in my own spirituality, theology and identity as a woman religious."  

Other recipients are Bishop Tod Brown, bishop emeritus of the Diocese of Orange, and Msgr. Liam Kidney, pastor of Corpus Christi Church, Pacific Palisades. The Seminary will present its Evangelii Gaudium Award to Msgr. John Barry, pastor of American Martyrs Church, Manhattan Beach.   Follow this link for more information about the gala, or contact Julia Scalise at 805-482-2755, ext. 1104. 
Where are they now?
...Updates on colleagues and former students 

Communion with Christ according to Saint Teresa Benedicta of the Cross is a recent book on the spirituality of communion.  St. Teresa Benedicta (Edith Stein who was born into a Jewish family) was a philosopher who discovered that Truth to be the person of Jesus Christ.  As a convert to Catholicism and a Carmelite nun, she gave up everything for communion with him.  In 1942, St. Teresa was arrested by the Nazis and died as a martyr in the Auschwitz concentration camp.

This book's author is Sr. M. Regina van den Berg, F.S.G.M. , a 1990 graduate of La Reina High School.   Sr. Regina obtained her doctorate in philosophy from the Catholic University of America, and she has served in various apostolates for her religious community, currently residing in Rome.

The "Where are they now" feature of the SND Mission Advancement Egram will give updates on our colleagues and former students--anyone entrusted to our care.   We want to share how they live the SND mission by serving, leading, or giving hope within our diverse society.  To submit information for this column, please email [email protected].
Mustard Seeds
for reflection
In Matthew 9:38 we read that Jesus told the disciples (and us) to "pray to the Lord who is in charge of the harvest; ask him to send more workers into his fields."    This month, we face a time of transition as students return to school and parish religious education programs begin anew.  Back-to-school sales remind us that this is a time of new possibilities.  Spiritually speaking, it is a time when God's dream for the harvest, God's dream for each individual, is unfolding.

Young or old, our baptismal graces call us to "work in the field" by fostering God's dream of a world full of faith, courage and kindness. 

New possibilities may be around the corner for individuals who are discerning a call to religious life or the priesthood.  Follow this link for information about a discernment retreat to be held on September 10 in San Pedro.
Message to our Readers
Children of St. Julie's School in Buseesa, Uganda, are ready for their Confirmation ceremony.

Dear Friends,

Despite the many priorities that take our time, attention and resources, it is important for us to learn about and care for our brothers and sisters who live on the margins. This summer, a number of parishes invited representatives of the SND Uganda mission to make a formal appeal for prayers and financial support.  We wish to thank the clergy, staff and parishioners of  Maternity of the Blessed Virgin Mary Parish and Transfiguration of Our Lord Parish (Chicago, Illinois) and St. Ann Parish, St. Joseph Parish and SS. Peter & Paul Cathedral (Indianapolis, Indiana) for their hospitality and warm welcome.

Also, please save the date for our third annual Nun Run--Saturday, February 4, 2017.   More information will soon be available, or email Anne Interrante, Associate Director of Mission Advancement.  

Blessings always,
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