REFLECTION
School Sisters of Notre Dame on this campus. One of the oldest, the stone sculpture by the reflecting pool, speaks of the contemplative spirit that listens and endures. Mary’s prayerful spirit was grounded in a steadfast faith that saw her (and us) through the darkest times. The mural outside the dining hall depicts an older, hopefilled Mary with eyes lifted up in joy. She is holding a cup of blessing even as her arms are extended to embrace every realm of activity on this campus. She portrays what every SSND serving Mount Mary most desired: to give herself to a transformative endeavor far bigger than herself, and to do it with joy and hope, knowing she was not alone.
By Joan Penzenstadler, SSND Vice President for Mission and Identity When I connect the School Sisters of Notre Dame with Mount Mary, my thoughts are drawn to Mary, mother of our congregation and patroness of the university. Her spirit is threaded through all that we are and do. Originally, each of us sisters received a new name when we entered the novitiate, and each name included some form of Mary, for example, Sister Mary Dominic or Sister Rosemarita. Living in Mary’s spirit is what we were and are called to do. The SSND Constitution states: “In our attitude of listening and openness, we follow Mary. She pondered the Word received and was so united with God, so desirous that His will be done, that the Word could become incarnate through her. We honor her as mother of our congregation, practicing truest devotion to her when we do whatever He tells us.” At Mount Mary, I ponder the images of Mary that speak of the way she was opened to God’s spirit, and how these images embody the vocation of the
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There is a practical Mary in the courtyard in back of Notre Dame Hall. This bronze sculpture of Mary is feeding the geese at her feet. How many of the almost 700 SSND who served Mount Mary – from portress to president, from faculty to food service – have offered their practical gifts for the good of the overall endeavor? Mount Mary and SSND are also seen in the multicultural images of Mary that now grace the grottos (the former confessionals) in back of Our Lady Chapel. An Asian Mary came from the SSND region of Japan. An African American mother and child came from a community in the heart of Milwaukee. Our Lady of Guadalupe was a gift from a community in Mexico. There is also a Native American Mary, a portrait of the Black Madonna and a moving image of the mother of all. She is a wise and compassionate older woman whose cape is held wide open for all the people who take refuge there.
At Mount Mary, I ponder the images of Mary that speak of the way she was opened to God’s spirit, and how these images embody the vocation of the School Sisters of Notre Dame on this campus.
May the care and courage, the commitment and compassion that Mary speaks and that SSND, the daughters of Notre Dame, have tried to live out at Mount Mary, continue to be experienced by all who grace this campus.
