25th General Chapter
PRESS RELEASE
IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Thirty-seven School Sisters of Notre Dame (SSND) have gathered at their Generalate (international headquarters), in Rome, Italy for their 25th General Chapter, October 24 – November 17, 2023.
A General Chapter is held once every six years with elected and ex-officio representatives from each province (administrative unit). Together, they prayerfully reflect, dialogue, and discern to set the future direction of the congregation. They also elect a General Council who will lead the congregation in implementing the Spirit-inspired direction set by the General Chapter members. The theme of this General Chapter is “Living into a prophetic witness of universal communion.”
“A general chapter, essentially a paschal event (in the life and history of the congregation, church, and world) becomes a significant moment of communion and an openness to transformation,” said Sister Roxanne Schares, SSND, General Superior.
The sisters ask all their members, associates, partners in mission, families, and friends to pray for them during this sacred time of direction-setting and decision-making.
Blessed M. Theresa of Jesus Gerhardinger founded the congregation of the School Sisters of Notre Dame in 1833 in Bavaria, Germany. October 24, the day the General Chapter begins, is the 190th anniversary of the foundation of the Congregation. They are grateful for these many grace-filled years and for the 20,002 deceased sisters who served our church and world since 1833.
Today, this international congregation of apostolic women religious in community consists of over 1,800 sisters serving in 27 countries on five continents. Their mission, to deepen communion with God and among all people, is lived out in ministries focused on education. They educate with a global vision believing that the world can be changed through the transformation of persons.
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For more information, visit the international website www.gerhardinger.org or contact
Sister Maria Iannuccillo, SSND, Congregational Communications Coordinator, at communications@ssndroma.org.
