School Sisters of Notre Dame

In Mission
2019Fighting for theright to a safe
and secure life
– Honduras
page 5Serving refugees
with humility, loveand compassion– USA
page 8.

Painful woundsof war – Austria
page 4Migration andhuman trafficking– Ghana page 9
Much more ...

Becoming painfully aware...
You Are Sent, Constitution 17

About Living the Gospel
ten-year ministry with those affectedby violent conflict and war in Africa waschallenge and grace. By becoming
painfully aware of the suffering anddaring to allow it to become my and our
personal suffering, we discover what
each of us can do about it (cf. LaudatoSi’, 19).

Sister Roxanne Schares,
General SuperiorCommitted to Christ’s mission, we are
impelled into the heart of the world toaddress critical global concerns. On
this journey, we often find ourselvesat the peripheries, encountering those
who are vulnerable and marginalized.
In today’s world, migrants andrefugees, displaced persons andvictims of trafficking have becomesigns of exclusion.
To understand and respond well, it isvital to see the faces, hear the voices,
walk with and share the pain of children
and youth, women and men, fleeing
unbearable conditions. Their journeys
reveal their desperate desire to savetheir lives and create a future. My

This issue of In Mission highlights
experiences of School Sisters of Notre
Dame, reaching out and being withpeople forced to be on the move. The
stories reflect ways of respondingthat welcome, protect, promote, andintegrate our sisters and brothers into
our lives and societies, that respect
the dignity of all. Our sisters pray andaccompany, educate and advocate,discern and take action that cantransform us and our society.
Through these experiences, we learn
that “it is not just about them, but about
all of us” (Pope Francis, Message for the105th World Day of Migrants and Refugees2019). It is not just about migrants andrefugees; it is about encountering Christin the other, about being compassion
and love, healing and hope. It is aboutliving the Gospel. 

Inside this issue
The migration reality and our
Shalom network .  .  .  .  .  .  .  3
Migration should be a choice,not a necessity  .  .  .  .  .  .  . 3The painful wounds of war . . 4
A commitment to immigrants
and immigration reform .  .  . 5

Being Nigerian in Hungary . . 7Serving refugees with humility,
love, and compassion .  .  .  .  8
Responding
to Pope Francis’ call .  .  .  .  .  8
Migration and the linkto human trafficking  .  .  .  .  .  9

Fighting for the right to a safe
and secure life .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  5

#whatisHOME .  .  .  .  .  .  .  10

Unaccompanied, underage
refugees: a challenge for us . 6

I was a stranger, andyou accepted me  .  .  .  .  .  . 11

2 / In M i ssi o n

In Mission 2019
Publication of the
School Sisters of Notre Dame
Generalate, Rome, Italy
gerhardinger.org
Province of Latin America andthe Caribbean (ALC)
provinciaalc.org
Province of Africa (AF)ssnd.org/africa
Atlantic-Midwest Province(AM)atlanticmidwest.org
Central Pacific Province (CP)ssndcentralpacific.org
AF, AM, CP Collaborative site
ssnd.org
Bavarian Province (BY)
schulschwestern.de
Hungarian Province (MG)iskolanoverek.hu
Province of Austria-Italy(OR-IT) including theCzechoslovakian Province(CE)
ssnd-austria.org
skolskesestry.cz
Polish Province (PO)ssnd.plSlovenian Province (SI)notredamke.rkc.si
Editor: Patricia Stortz
Collaborators:
Sr. Joan Mukhwana
Namulanda,
Sr. Yvonne Nosal,
Caelie Haines,
Sr. M. Justine Eberdorfer,
Trudy Hamilton,
Zsófia Katona,
Kurt Haspel,
Sr. M. Adrianna Modelska,
Sr. Alenka Žibert
We are grateful to the sisters
and lay colleagues whotranslated from the original
languages to English, andfrom English to each of theprovince languages.
Thank you!
***
Cover photos: Flight into Egypt; Artist:
Gentile da Fabriano, 1423. Source:
Wikimedia Commons.
Top photo. Photographer: Trasmo;
Source: Pixabay

The migration reality and our Shalom network
By Sister Kathy Schmittgens,International Shalom
Coordinator, Rome, Italy
Fromthebeginningof my work in 2015
astheInternational
ShalomCoordinatorbased at our Generalate inRome, the phenomenonof human migration has
been one of the pressing concerns for our Church
and our world. In response, our Shalom Network has
consistently tried to learn as much as we can about thecauses and find ways to act.

we live in countries that are the destination or pathway
for those who are migrating. In both situations, our
Shalom network strives to be a countercultural voice inthe din of negativity, fear and hate so present in today’s
world. ***
Shalom is the international network for justice, peace, andthe integrity of creation for the School Sisters of Notre Dame.
Each Sister is a member of the Shalom Network.

At our Shalom Seminar in 2015, we heard the personal
witness of a family forced to migrate due to political
retaliation. We also studied Laudato Si’, Pope Francis’
Encyclical on care for our common home. In ourstudy of the environment, we saw how the issues
are interrelated. As places become more polluted or
uninhabitable due to climate change, pressures tomigrate increase.
Our Sisters find themselves at both ends of the
migration reality. We live in countries where thesituation is so dire that people are migrating away, andSister Kathy with other SSNDs and Novices at apeace march, St. Peter’s Square, Rome.
Photo: SSND congregation

Migration should be a choice, not a necessity
By Sister Beatriz MartínezGarcía, SSND, Director of
SSND UN-NGO Office
In 2015, hundreds ofthousands of families from
Syria, Iran, Afghanistan,
Eritrea, and other countries
crossed the Mediterranean
Sea to reach Europe. Allof them in search of safety
and wellbeing.
On September 19, 2016, the United Nations General
Assembly unanimously adopted the New York

Declaration for Refugees and Migrants pledging
to develop a global compact for safe, orderly andregular migration. On December 10, 2018, a majority
of UN Member States adopted the Global Compact
for Migration (GCM); formal endorsement by the
UN General Assembly followed on December 19. In
addition, the UN Network on Migration was createdto support collaboration among Member States in
implementing the Compact.
Along with these efforts, the International Organization
on Migration (IOM) is promoting diversity and inclusionof migrants in society through campaigns such as “i ama migrant”, “Holding On”, and “Global Migration Film
Continued on page 4 ...

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... Migration should be a choice
Festival”. The IOM Migration Data Portal provides statistics andreliable information about migration worldwide. Migration data isimportant for local, national and international policymaking.
I encourage you to watch the video: “Migration should be a choice,not a necessity” prepared by the Food and Agriculture Organizationof the United Nations (FAO). It may help us understand why
there are more than 258 million migrants throughout the world
living outside of their country of birth. It may also call us to action
and to dare to respond boldly in unsuspected ways (You Are Sent,
Constitution 17; GD 36-38). ***

Links:• https://refugeesmigrants.un.org/• Video: Migration should be a choice (FAO)

SSND and the UN
Since 1994, the School Sisters of
Notre Dame have participated in thework of the United Nations through ourassociation with the UN Departmentof Public Information (DPI) and, since1998, the UN Economic and Social
Council (ECOSOC) with which wehave special consultative status. Our
advocacy and educational efforts focus
on the rights of girls, women, and those
who are poor—especially their rightto education, economic justice, andsustainable development.

The painful wounds of war

Sister Martha Bertsch with a group of refugee boys. Photo: Sister Martha Bertsch, Austria

By By Sister Marta Bertsch and Kurt Reel (ÖR-IT, Austria)
In 2015 thousands of refugees came to Austria.
Eggenburg, a small town north of Vienna, received 45
unaccompanied minor refugees and Syrian families.
The Mayor and the Pastor asked Christine and Michael
Schneider-Heinz to coordinate the initiative “Welcome
People”. The couple had just returned from the SSND
Shalom seminar in Rome, where they had participatedas interpreters.
These teenagers were housed in a Caritas home.

4 / In M i ssi o n

However, at the age of 18, they had to leave and seek
shelter elsewhere. They were practically left to theirown devices.
Our SSND Sisters searched for private apartments forthese 36 young people. Some of them were illiterate,
so it was important to find schools willing to work withthem.
Our sisters helped the boys and families with children
to learn the language, accompanied them to various
Continued on page 6 ...

A commitment to immigrants and immigration reform
immigration reform and keeps our SSND networks
informed so that we can educate, advocate and act.
In the USA, we currently house refugees on our
properties in Wilton, Connecticut and Baltimore,
Maryland. In Canada, our Sisters in Waterdown,
Ontario helped sponsor a family’s immigration and are
assisting them as they adapt to life in their new country.

Sister Leonora interviewing Manal, a Syrian refugee andwidow who lives on the grounds of Villa Notre Dame(VND)
in Wilton with her five children. Manal works in the kitchen
at VND
Source: Video interview.

By Caelie Haines (AM, Maryland, USA)
Sisters and Associates in the Atlantic-Midwest
Province, both in Canada and the United States, arecommitted to and engaged in work with immigrants
and immigration reform. We have a committee thatmonitors developments with regard to immigrants andIn our immigration work, the issue we see mostconsistently connected to migration is poverty. Poorer
countries have been stripped of their natural resourcesby rich and powerful nations, often with collusion by
their country’s leaders. The people who are sick or
marginalized bear the burden of minimal resources.
They must migrate if they are to attain a sustainableliving for themselves and their families.
Our Sisters petition the government to send
humanitarian aid and other necessary resources tocountries in need. We also participate in the fight forcompassionate immigration reform that keeps families
together and welcomes refugees and the contributions
they will make to society in return for a safe place to
live, work, learn and grow. Fighting for the right to a safe and secure life
By Sister Rosa Maria Trochez (ALC, Honduras)
Eight times a year, we reflect as a congregation on
global issues in our Shalom International Solidarity
Reflection using the learning paradigm: experience,reflection, action. In the January 2019 issue, Sister
Rosa Maria related her experience of the migration
reality in Honduras.
***
I share with you the pain of experiencing the massive
exodus of thousands of Hondurans. They are fleeing
the unbearable conditions of life in our country. We
have seen children, women, young people, men, inshort, whole families, desperately wanting to savetheir lives.
Sister Rosa Maria speaks with community members.
Photo: Mark Coplan, USA

Continued on page 7 ...

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Unaccompanied, underage refugees: A challenge for us

Sister M. Diethild working with Oumar, a refugee who graduated from the Brede Vocational College and went on to
study business administration. Photo: Verena Biermann, Brakel, Germany

By Sister M. Diethild Wicker (BY, Germany)
Our directional statement “Love gives everything” is achallenge and a commitment for each School Sister of
Notre Dame, including myself in my work with underage
refugees.
In 2013, after a dramatic escape, the first refugees from
Guinea came to us at the Kolping-Berufsbildungswerk(Kolping Vocational Training Center) in Brakel,
Germany, where I have been teaching for 10 years.
In 2015, twenty-one young refugees arrived here;
I have accompanied them intensively since thebeginning. My job has many facets: I go with them todoctors, psychologists, offices, and authorities and wehave many talks. Above all, the boys need to regain
their self-esteem and confidence in their own abilities.
Every young person has their own horrendous escapestory. For example, Fikadu, from Eritrea, was being... The painful wounds of war
offices and to doctor appointments, and helped them ifthey needed school or personal help.
The war has left painful wounds. Help, a sign ofaffection, an open ear, a word of appreciation can all
help to heal these wounds.

6 / In M i ssi o nforced to become a soldier at 14. He fled to Sudan,
then through the desert to Libya, waited for months
for money from his parents to pay smugglers, andthen spent 14 days in a rubber boat crossing theMediterranean to Italy. “I always had to stay awake,otherwise I would have been thrown into the sea,” said
Fikadu, his hands shaking at the memory.
Finally land and the cry: “Hungry, hungry!” Italy, Austria,
Germany, Hamburg, Dortmund, Höxter, Brakel.
Completely exhausted, frightened, crying, traumatized,
Fikadu arrived here and collapsed.
Today he is doing well and has contact with his parents
and siblings. He works in gardening and landscaping
for a large company and is appreciated there.
“Love gives everything.” Every effort is worthwhile andcorresponds in our apostolate to meeting people withrespect and empathy regardless of their religion andbackground. This project was supported from the beginning by
the Province of Austria-Italy. Especially helpful wereSisters Elise Silvestri, Jean Greenwald, Helen Plum,and Martha Bertsch who is currently working in thisfield. These SSND Sisters have been, and remain astrong testimony of lived neighborly charity to these
displaced people. Being Nigerian in Hungary
By Sister Kinga Baráti (MG, Hungary)
Favour, 11, is in the fifth grade. She arrived at our
school in Makó, Hungary a few months ago. Her arrival
sparked lively interest among the students, because
she was the first among us whose parents are fromAfrica. Despite being born in Hungary, her statusis stateless. Her parents arrived 14 years ago from
Nigeria. I visited her family to interview her, her father,
Henry and her Hungarian stepmother, Vivien.
Favour: People say I am like an average Hungarian
teenager. Those who do not know me usually talk to
me in English; they are very surprised when they findout that I speak Hungarian excellently.
I would like to become a doctor, specifically, a plastic
surgeon.
In my new school, I like that we treat each other as if
we were the same. We are the same in fact; people
do not judge you by the color of your skin. In anotherschool, when I got a bad grade once, they connected itwith the color of my skin.
Vivien: I often experience prejudice. Children are
not taught that calling someone a Negro (néger) is ahurtful expression for them. When my little boy was
three years old, he wanted to be white and he kept
scratching his skin not to be brown. I taught him to be
proud of what he is.
Henry: People in other countries do not know what ishappening here. On the streets, I am provoked; they
spit on me and say: “What are you doing here? Gohome to Africa!”
I have had positive experiences, too, of course. An old... Fighting for the rightto a safe and secure life
The alarming reasons for the displacement of ourpeoples include war, violence, extreme economic
inequality, corruption, impunity, and lack of opportunities
for employment, health, education, and housing. Either
they fear for their future or they just do not see a future.

Favour (left) with a classmate at their schoolin Makó, Hungary.
Photo: Sister M. Kinga Baráti, Makó, Hungary

man came to me at a shop and kindly greeted me: “Youare one of those Negros, like that famous boxer.”
People and politicians should be told: whoever comes
here and is willing to fit into this culture, should not
be hurt, beaten or criticized. They should get to know
them first, and then judge. I am a Human Rights Promoter and I work to support
the community of San Isidro in El Progreso, Yoro,
Honduras. This community has been prosecuted for
occupying lands on which they have been living for along time.
We fight for their rights so that they and others
searching for a safe and secure life do not have toleave Honduras. 

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Serving refugees with humility, love, and compassion
By Trudy Hamilton (CP, Missouri, USA)
Sisters from across the Central Pacific Province havebeen responding to the urgent needs of immigrants
and refugees for many years, but there has been an
increased sense of urgency over the last year, especiallyalong the southern border of the United States. Working
in collaboration with other congregations, Sisters aresupporting immigrants and asylum seekers in El Paso,
Texas, by serving meals, preparing ‘to go’ meals,
and driving volunteers and immigrants. Sister Cathy
Doherty shared, “This experience was emotional anda heart opener.”
Near Juarez and Anapra, Mexico, sisters meet withborder patrol agents and work with refugees at aprocessing center. Sisters also assist adult immigrants
who work in U.S. factories, care for unaccompanied
minors, and support refugee women at a cancer centernear San Antonio, Texas. “This has been a real gift for allof us,” said Sister Kate DuVal. “Many moments of deepreflection on freedom, safety, peace, hope, communityand so much more. The unbelievable patience theseguests have hour after hour, day after day, is such areminder of how much we take for granted.”
Whether it is hands-on work or prayer and presence,
Sisters from the Central Pacific Province are serving
immigrant refugees wherever and however they areneeded. 

Sister Rose Anthony Krebs, Sister Richarde Marie Wolf
serve breakfast to refugees in El Paso, Texas.
Photo: Sister Kate DuVal

Sister Kate arranging rides for refugees and volunteers

Responding to Pope Francis’ call
By Sister Kathy Schmittgens (Generalate, Italy)
In Rome, Pope Francis made a direct appeal to religious
congregations asking us to use our unoccupied spaces tohouse migrants and refugees. We turned to the Jesuit Refugee
Service (JRS) Centro Astalli program to help us respond.

La casetta. Photo: Patricia Stortz, Generalate, Rome.

8 / In M i ssi o n

On our Generalate property we have a small house, "lacasetta”, that originally was home to a preschool. Somecleanup and upgrades made it a perfect, safe living space.
Our first guests were from Congo. They stayed for 14 months
and are now on their own. Currently we are hosting a family
from Pakistan. We feel blessed that we have been able torespond to Pope Francis’ call to help people who are in suchgreat need. Migration and the link to human trafficking
By Sister Helen Galadima (AF, Ghana)In the July 2019 Shalom Solidarity Reflection, Sister
Helen Galadima, an English teacher at Notre Dame
Girls Senior High School in Sunyani, Ghana, wrote
about the issue of human trafficking in the African
context. She shared an encounter of her own thatbrought home for her how those migrating to find work
can easily become victims of human trafficking.
***I had heard of trafficking cases from others; however,I had not encountered anyone actually involvedin trafficking until 2016. On a flight from Ghana to
Rome, Italy, I entered into a conversation with Esi
who sat near me. When I asked Esi where she wasgoing, Esi replied that she was traveling to Kuwait.
She explained that in Ghana she was told by therecruitment agent who made the arrangements that
Kuwait would be her destination. The agent explainedthat she would be going to work as a housekeeper.
When asked if she knew what housekeeping meant,Esi replied in the negative.
A man who sat nearby overheard the conversationand exclaimed, “Hey”! He related the experience of
his niece who became a victim of trafficking througha similar journey to Kuwait. By God’s grace, the niece
was rescued by family members and returned home
to Ghana.
After hearing about the niece’s experience, it dawnedon Esi that Kuwait was the wrong place for her andthe job that she was told was waiting did not reallyexist. ***
Links:• gerhardinger.org• United Nations• Talitha Kum

Sister Helen at a Justice, Peace and Integrity of Creation
seminar in Ghana. Photo: Province of Africa?
Trafficking isprevalentin all partsof the world.

Where might
it existnear you?

Migrant workers and job seekers,
who constitute the majority of international migrants,
are vulnerable to human trafficking
throughout their migration process.
Global Estimates of Modern Slavery: forced labour and forced marriage.
International Labour Office (ILO), Geneva, 2017, page 30.

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Sister M. Slavka Cekuta, first from left, participates at a “round table” gathering.
Photo: From the archives of Slovenska Karitas. Used with permission. Source link.

#whatisHOME?
By Sister M. Slavka Cekuta (SI, Slovenia)
The Caritas MIND project has been holding “roundtable” meetings in Slovenian cities to raise awarenessand highlight the relationship of migration anddevelopment from different points of view. MIND
(Migration,
INterconnectedness,
Development)
promotes positive views of the relationship between
migration and sustainable development, and the active
participation of society in solving development issues.
I was invited to participate in MIND because of myexperience as a missionary working and living among
the Albanian people in Albania for 11 years and now
in Slovenia helping them overcome language barriers
My experience in Albania marked me deeply.
I learned the language and admired the culture andnatural resources; at the same time, I learned about
their social, economic and political problems.
After 1991, people were leaving Albania because ofpoverty. Few industries provided permanent employment
despite foreign investment. Young people wanted
to stay at home, but could not, because they needed
work to help their family financially. Now, educatedpeople are leaving because they want to move forward
professionally. They also want a better future for theirchildren, and to have social and health security.

1 0 / In M i ssi o n

My cooperation in the MIND project’s “What is home?”
campaign has been a precious learning for me: every
human being craves a home, acceptance, safety anddignity; every human being deserves to feel at HOME
– to be DOMA (Slovenian).
I desire that our minds are illuminated and ourhearts rekindled so that we overcome fears andunrest. Therefore, I support the efforts of all whocare for those who cannot live where they have theirroots. ***
Links:• Caritas Europa: caritas.eu/whatishome• Caritas Slovenia / Slovenska karitas“In recent years, we have witnessed an increaseof international migration and refugees. Some arevoluntary, but mostly forced. The main causes offorced migration are conflicts and wars, climatechange, an increasing hunger and extreme poverty.
Looking at the goals of sustainable development,
we come to the basic question which requires a
response to one the basic human needs – to havea HOME – DOM.”- Cveto Uršič,
General Secretary of Caritas Slovenia

I was a stranger and you accepted me(Mt 25:35)

By Sister M. Irenea Książak (PO, Poland)

Syrian families are able to buy water, food, medicine
and fuel for heating flats.

Jesus’ words: “I was a stranger and you acceptedme” (Mt 25.35) are a challenge for all, including usconsecrated persons. Although we may have little
influence on the decisions of politicians, we have a
deep conviction that we should give our help first andforemost in the countries affected by armed conflicts
and unrest. This is confirmed by appeals, led by local
bishops, to help people remain in their own homes andcountries, to help first on the spot.

We realize that apart from helping in places affected bywar, it is also necessary to help those who have fled toour country. In Poland, our sisters place themselves atthe disposal of those in need, helping where we can.
Sisters from one community assisted people in applying
for Polish citizenship, in searching for employment, by
providing appropriate housing for female students, andby supporting them with prayer. Another community isgiving their chapel to a minor denomination in Poland
for their monthly prayers.

The “Caritas Polska” organization took up this effort; it
has helped over 8,500 Syrian families in Aleppo withthe “Family to Family” program, supporting those mostaffected by the war. Many religious congregations,
including some of our SSND communities, have taken
part in this program, paying a certain amount eachmonth to support a family in Aleppo. Using this support,

As we accompany those in need, we try to understandcontemporary migration. This is a critical and current
challenge for the world and the Church, including
consecrated persons. So we ask ourselves: What or
who makes it necessary that hundreds of thousands ofpeople are forced to migrate? Website image for the Family to Family (Rodzina Rodzinie) program of Caritas Polska.
Source: Caritas Polska website. Used with permission.

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In Mission
School Sisters of Notre Dame
are in mission in 30 countries:• Argentina • Austria • Belarus • Brazil• Canada • Czech Republic • England• Germany • Ghana • Guam • Guatemala• Honduras • Hungary • Italy • Japan • Kenya• Nepal • Nigeria • Paraguay • Peru
• Poland • Puerto Rico • Romania • Serbia• Sierra Leone • Slovenia • South Sudan • Sweden• The Gambia • United States of America

Making the concerns of the poor our own,
we become painfully awareof the many who suffer privations
stemming from the sinfulness of our world.
In accord with church teachingand directives, we work actively,
especially in our local situations,to eliminate the root causes
of injustice in order to realize a worldof peace, justice, and love.
You Are Sent, Constitution 17

Image of our founder.
Vienna, Austria
Artist: Joseph Kastner?
In these stories we havetouched upon just a few of thecommitments of our sisters.

The mission we are committed
to is the mission of Christ,
to bring all to oneness.
The call of God continues
to press upon the hearts ofsisters and associates, laycolleagues and partners,
collaborating in God's mission.
Do you hear God's callin your heart?

How will you
respond?

Generalate of the
School Sisters of Notre Dame
via della Stazione Aurelia, 95
00165 Rome, Italy

Transforming the world through education

1 2 / In M i ssi o n