Celebrating the SND Presence in Africa The second African Regional Conference was held in Njiro, Arusha, Tanzania, September 26–29, 2005. Thirty SND’s from around the world were in attendance including missionary sisters and sisters in leadership. Our missionary sisters from Covington in attendance were: Sister Mary Janet Stamm, Sister Mary Delrita Glazer, and Sister Mary Rita Geoppinger. Sister Marla Monahan, provincial, was also in attendance. The purpose of the meeting, conducted by our General Government in Rome, was to renew and strengthen our discipleship for mission in Africa. The theme of the meeting was, “The Future of our mission in Africa.” Sisters of Notre Dame from our India province have sponsored the mission is Tanzania for the past 13 years and the mission in Kenya for the past 4 years. Our province in Brazil has sponsored the mission in Mozambique for the past 12 years. Our own Kentucky province, together with the California province, has sponsored our mission in Buseesa, Uganda, for the past 10 years. Besides our primary and secondary schools in Uganda, our SND presence in the other African countries includes schools for poor children who otherwise might not have the opportunity for an education, a women’s center
Sisters Mary Joell, Marla and Mary Sujita with two teachers and a first grade class in Tanzania.
assisting women to improve the quality of life for themselves and their families, and health centers including training in natural medicine. The meeting acknowledged the situation in Africa that includes tremendous gifts and resources, wonderful people, and at the same time abject poverty and political instability in many areas. Sister Mary Sujita, Superior General of the Sisters of Notre Dame, made this observation, “Our rootedness in the heart of God and in the soil of Africa will give us the vision and the necessary inner energy and vision we need to be effective prophetic disciples of Jesus among our African sisters and brothers.”
St. Julie School Wins Music & Speech Competitions
St. Julie School, again, achieved First Place in the annual Center Music Competition. The students achieved a score of 619 points
out of a possible 750 points. Sr. Mary Bernarde’s groups did exceptionally well in the Western Song and the Creative Dance section. The students scored first in five of the remaining six events. Sister was especially happy with the children who participated this year. They not only came on time for their practices, but often begged Sister not to stop, to just do it one more time! It seems that the students enjoy the sessions and give their all to both the practice and the competition. Congratulations, Sr. Mary Bernarde and students! During the summer, students at NDA also participated in a speech competition whose topic focused on whether Kenya, Uganda, and Tanzania should form a federation. The competition was in Bujuninext, some distance away. Since their was little advance notice of the competition, the two Political Education teachers lost no time training the girls. Five girls were chosen as speakers and eight were designated as observers. The competition’s actual goal was to see how well the participants knew English. Notre Dame Academy finished FIRST in the competition! One student was awarded number one in the conference, having scored 88 points out of 100. All other participants had scored at least 60 points. The school had earned 355 points, 38 points ahead of the next school. The school prize was a world wall map and the student prizes consisted of copybooks or math kits. All were indeed proud of the students and the school, not just NDA, but also St. Julie School since the students had first started learning English in St. Julie School. Sisters in Buseesa
Interested in traveling to Uganda? Immersion trip to central and south Uganda. June 26 to July 12, 2006. For information, contact Sr. Mary Ethel Parrott at mparrott@nda-cvg.org.