Sister Roxanne Schares
Sister Roxanne Schares, General Superior
In mission 185 years, School Sisters of Notre Dame have responded to urgent needs, directing their entire lives for that oneness for which Christ was sent. As we mark this anniversary of the founding of our congregation on October 24, I am delighted to introduce our newsletter In Mission. This is a new collaborative initiative of our international, multicultural, multilingual congregation.
The congregation has grown since its humble beginnings in Bavaria, Germany in 1833, when three young women began to live community life, dedicated to addressing the needs of their times through education. Urged by deep faith and courage, our founder Blessed M. Theresa Gerhardinger risked meager resources to respond wherever she was called. In her spirit, we discern and respond to God’s call expressed in our times. Today, diverse in background, culture, and language, we live and serve in 30 countries on five continents, united in mission.
Especially sensitive to youth, women, and those who struggle with injustice and poverty, we educate with the conviction that the world can be changed through the transformation of persons. As educators in all that we are and do, we recognize our obligation and opportunities to develop a world vision and a sense of global responsibility.
Urgent and critical global concerns of our times demand that we witness to unity in diversity and dare to respond boldly in unsuspected ways. Risking innovative responses, our sisters cross borders, foster inclusion, explore greater collaboration, strive to live mission interculturally, and enkindle hope. In all of this, we are mutually enriched and challenged to ever deeper communion.