Help us remember our Sisters by sharing a story about a Sister who touched your life, or making a gift in their honor.
Sister Lorraine "Ronnie" Burns was a Buffalonian, deeply committed to her friends, family, and SSND. After teaching in Baltimore, New Jersey, Connecticut, New York, and Africa, it was in Rochester, NY that she founded the Notre Dame Learning Center. As was said by a colleague, ‘Lorraine’s service focused on the Gospel message—she was kind and loving to all. We will remember Lorraine always! May God welcome her home.
Elizabeth Marie Mathis was professed in 1952, given the name Donita, and began teaching primary grades. In 1975, she decided to become a nurse and served as an RN in the Chicago Area, retiring in 2015. Sister Donita is remembered as a gentle person with a beautiful smile… a calming, quiet authority, and a sense of balance, wonderful qualities when helping those in need. May Sister Donita rest in peace.
Sister Val grew up on a farm one mile south of Denzil, Saskatchewan. She went on to work in religious education in Ontario, Saskatchewan and ministered to Indigenous communities in Keewatin-Le Pas, Manitoba. Later, In 2000, she served as Provincial Councilor for the Canadian Province. We remember and give thanks for Sister Val's generous spirit among us.
In death, we say our ultimate human yes to God. Trusting in God’s power to bring us to the fullness of life, we conclude our earthly life with an act of worship: in the action of death we proclaim God as God, and ourselves as God’s creatures. We are called by God and sent by the community; we go in joy!
- You Are Sent, Constitution of the School Sisters of Notre Dame
