Born on December 29, 1969 and raised in Hollister, Barbara was a 5th generation Californian, descended from the Bernal Family who was part of the 1776 DeAnza Expedition. From her earliest years, she loved to dance; even in her recent years at Mercy Retirement and Care Center in Oakland, she often used her cane to
Sister Julie lived a very full life – for nearly 103 years! Born Phyllis Bellefeuille, on the White Earth Indian Reservation in Minnesota, she was always proud of her Chippewa heritage. She was close to her loving family of six boys and four girls, and grateful for her large international Notre Dame de Namur family,
By Kay McMullen, SNDdeN (1939 – 2018) O Holy, Holy One, how majestic are your names in all the earth! When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars that you have established; what are we, scruffy humans, that you are mindful of us, such bungling, difficult creatures,
Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur from the US East-West Province have been serving at the US-Mexico border in various temporary capacities since 2017. Summer 2020 Update In Texas, through early 2020, Sisters were walking across the border in Texas to bring food, supplies and support to migrants living in a makeshift camp in Matamoros,
Our Sisters offer summer reading suggestions, as they did in 2018. The following are just three of the many books recommended in the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur's Seasons publication. To view or download the full issue, click here: Summer 2019 Seasons An Ode to Nature Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens is
A joyous gathering on Sunday, June 9, in Belmont, CA, allowed Sisters, family and friends to celebrate the Sisters who are marking 75, 70, and 60 years as Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur. The photo gallery below offers glimpses of the mass and reception for many of these Sisters (some, sadly, were unable to
A Teacher at Heart Angele first met the Sisters of Notre Dame when she began attending College of Notre Dame in Belmont, now known as Notre Dame de Namur University. She grew up in Vallejo and went to St. Vincent Ferrer Grammar and High Schools with the San Rafael Dominicans. After entering the Sisters of
With her joyful, enthusiastic outlook, her warmth and her frequently expressed gratitude for all the blessings in her life, it is no wonder that people responded so positively to Sister Ann. Born on the eve of the Great Depression, Ann grew up in Marysville, where she attended the second Notre Dame school founded in California
Joan Panella, SNDdeN, was a native of San Francisco who entered the Sisters of Notre Dame in 1958, and took the name Sister Marie Angele. She taught in Notre Dame elementary schools in Salinas (Sacred Heart and Madonna del Sasso), Campbell, Folsom and at Notre Dame High School, Alameda. After receiving a Master’s of Social Work
Ducks! Do Not Open! If you were to ask Sister Eileen McCarthy to describe herself, she would most likely decline. However, if you were to ask anyone else who knows her, there wouldn’t be enough words or time to describe how generous and good she is, because as Sr. Georgianna Coonis says, “that’s just the
