A Letter from the SND USA Provincial Team

LETTER FROM SND USA PROVINCIAL TEAM

Dear Friends,

Ah, autumn. As Lee Maynard wrote, “I loved autumn, the one season God seemed to have put there just for the beauty of it.” Amidst the cascade of changing autumn leaves, tantalizing scent of apple spice, and crisp hint of cooler days ahead, may this season be one of reflection, comfort, and inspiration for you and your loved ones.

In this issue of SND USA, we are excited to share with our readers how Sisters of Notre Dame are responding to Pope Francis’ encyclical letter, Laudato Sí, Care for our Common Home. Although trained as a scientist, Francis consistently reminds us that environmental degradation is the symptom of a deeper human and spiritual crisis. He encourages the whole human family to contribute to holistic, global solutions. The Laudato Sí Action Platform will support and empower communities, families, and individuals to make changes in the way we treat our common home.

Since the congregation’s beginning, the Sisters of Notre Dame have focused on caring for those on the margins, particularly underserved women and children. Today, we continue in this mission, recognizing that care for the natural world is an urgent and integral part of Catholic social teaching. Although the problem is global, Pope Francis invites each of us to discover what we can do about it right in our daily lives. In this issue you will read about an SND Associate who has taken up beekeeping to help improve the health of her community, and about one local SND community that made a series of small changes in their life together.

We hope you feel encouraged and energized reading this issue. Please join us as we take steps together to live in deeper relationship with God, with our neighbor, and with the earth itself. “There is reason to hope that humanity at the dawn of the 21st century will be remembered for having shouldered its grave responsibilities” (LS 165). Thank you for your continued prayers and financial support.

Gratefully,