PATTY SETTLES ENTERS THE NOTRE DAME CANDIDACY
On August 23 Patty Settles, a member of Our Lady of Carter Lake Parish in Carter Lake, Iowa, entered the candidature of the Notre Dame Sisters. There was a time in her life when she made sure that information about religious life was distributed to her parish community, all the while thinking, “It wasn’t supposed to be me” who would pursue a religious vocation. But after several retreats that focused on discernment she came to the conclusion, “It was supposed to be me.” The more it seemed that becoming a sister was God’s will, the more willing she was to change her lifestyle.
As a candidate, a process that lasts for six months to two years, Patty lives in a house with three other Notre Dame Sisters. They share morning and evening prayer together, mealtime and leisure time also. During the candidacy period, Patty is responsible for keeping a job, paying all her own expenses, and doing some type of ministry. She currently works for the Archdiocese of Omaha in the chancery office. A trained bookkeeper, her ministry is keeping the books for her parish.
Patty finds church ministry very fulfilling. She has friends and family who are very supportive, including a few who have walked most of her faith journey with her. She looks forward to the future formation program she will be experiencing as she continues her discernment.
 Parts used with permission from The Catholic Mirror, Des Moines IA diocese

SISTER CYNTHIA HRUBY MAKES CATHOLIC CONNECTIONS AT STATE CAMPUS
  Since July of 2001 Sister Cynthia Hruby has been Campus Minister at Wayne State College in Wayne, Nebraska. In this ministry she provides a variety of opportunities for Catholic students to strengthen their faith and to continue development of their Catholic identity.
Because Sr. Cynthia does work with young adults, her office hours are rarely 8-5, but often 10:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. with students dropping by in that time frame. A recent social planned for and implemented by student leaders began at 9:00 p.m. and concluded just after midnight. The event drew more than 50 students who gathered for drinks from the Dry Bar, for conversation, Christian music, and games of various kinds.
Sr. Cynthia coordinates the weekly Eucharist and other sacramental and spiritual opportunities for the students. Most students go home on weekends but some participate in weekend parish liturgies at Wayne. Once a month the Newman Center provides the music and other ministries.
With the assistance of young adult volunteers Sr. Cynthia provides advice and consultation for the students and also coordinates various social activities to strengthen the Catholic community on campus. While Sr. Cynthia works with her volunteers she attempts to enhance their leadership skills for future use as members in their own parish communities.
Very often Sr. Cynthia invites other Notre Dame Sisters to join her in her ministry. For example, Sr. Marie Alice Ostry led the students in activities to help them relax into God’s love and thus focus on decisions. Sr. Dorothy Rolf helped facilitate a discussion on choosing a life of ministry in the church. Sr. Joy Connealy shared her experience with Native American spirituality. Sr. Mary Ann Zimmer, adjunct professor of theology at Creighton and Administrator of Seven Oaks, led a discussion on the death penalty, assisting students in examining the varied values, emotions and arguments that make up the death penalty debate. Sisters Alma Janousek, Margaret Hickey and Celeste Wobeter simply visited the campus renewing connections with students they knew from their respective ministries.
Sister Cynthia’s work with college young adults continues to provide her with motivation to continue this important ministry. She says: “My decision to return to northeast Nebraska continues to be affirmed. Working with young adults provides me a new kind of strength for bringing a Catholic presence to this academic environment.”

NOTRE DAME SISTERS PREPARE FOR 150th ANNIVERSARY OF FOUNDING
 August 15, 2003 will mark the 150th year of the founding of the Congregation of the Notre Dame Sisters in Czechoslovakia. To celebrate this event, a special committee composed of Sisters Rosalee Burke, Margaret Hickey, Stephanie Matcha, Sally Ann McReynolds, and Dorothy Rolf is planning a year-long celebration. Collaborating with them is the Non-violence Direction Committee who will host a renewal weekend for all the Notre Dame Sisters and Associates in June of 2003 in Schuyler, Nebraska at the Benedictine Retreat Center. This weekend will focus on the life and spirit of Fr. Gabriel Schneider, the founder, and the eight original Sisters who pioneered the work of the congregation in Hirschau.
To prepare for this event, Sisters Christine Elias and Margaret Hickey spent three weeks at the motherhouse in Hradec Kralove searching the chronicles for new and more complete information about the order. They delighted in what they found but were continually amazed that the chronicles were so well preserved in spite of the years of being forced to move from place to place during World War II and communism. They delighted in the stories of the Sisters who had lived through those years. The Sisters’ manner of dealing with history is truly admirable and holy. Through it all they persevered because of their deep faith in Divine Providence, their strength and unity as a community, their cleverness and intelligence in coping with the officials, and their obvious sense of humor. They had lost the opportunity to teach, as most of them were trained to do, but they found other ways to teach, even the overseers and their fellow workers.
The spirit of Fr. Gabriel Schneider and our pioneer Sisters truly permeates our congregation today, truly permeates the life of each Notre Dame Sister. The Sisters look forward to sharing their story with you in the year of celebration.

ANNUAL MEMORIAL LITURGY OFFERS SOLACE AND PEACE 
A part of the Notre Dame Sisters’ charism is to reach out with love to those who are grieving and to offer them solace and support. They do this in many ways: walking with families at the time of the death of a loved one, being with them during services, and continuing their prayers for and presence with them in their time of grieving.
The Notre Dame Memorial Association has been in existence since the mid 1970s. The deceased are enrolled in the Association and the Notre Dame Sisters make a serious commitment to praying for them in their daily prayers and in a monthly liturgy.  
Once a year in November, the relatives of those who had died in the past year are invited to join the Sisters for the annual Memorial Mass and breakfast. This year on November 3, 2002, over 200 family members attended the annual Memorial Mass. The families came with memories of their loved ones, still feeling their loss in many cases, but also ready to celebrate the lives of their loved ones who now enjoy eternal life.  
Those who attend this liturgy often remark how healing the event is for them. Very often the readings, the memories, the reflection, the tears, and the celebration help them take one more step in the grieving process. They can truly take to heart these words and promise of Jesus: “I am the resurrection and the life. Those who believe in me, even though they die, will live, and whoever lives and believes in me with never die.” (John 11:26) 
In 2002, following the Mass, breakfast was provided through the generosity of Heafey-Heafey-Hoffmann-Dworak-Cutler Funeral Chapels, and the Family of Marie Beauchamp.