North Belgium
Our Sisters in North Belgium carry forward
with a mission of service in their hearts
Our Congregation's Flemish roots are deep and strong.
FROM GABY PEETERS, SND
In late 2006, North Belgium has two communities, Westmalle and Berchem. Some sisters live in a home with other elderly religious and some live on their own. Although these numbers are small, energy continues to be present, just as the deep wish to render service, and to live as our foundress, Saint Julie Billiart, wanted her Sisters live: announcing God’s goodness and caring for the weak and the poor.
North Belgium wrote one of the first pages of the congregational history. In 1806 Saint Julie brought her sisters to Flanders, only two years after the foundation of the Congregation. Flemish roots are deep and strong.
Very soon after the renewal chapter 1968/1969, listening to the signs of the time, many sisters found a supplementary field of apostolate. The apostolate changed definitively when all those teaching in our different schools could retire and found a second mission “of their heart” - one that always refers to education and catechetics, each in the broadest sense of the words.
Now you find Flemish Sisters of Notre Dame visiting the poor and the sick, being pastoral workers, teaching migrants, participating in prayer groups, helping in the parishes, being a heart for the very poor, materially and mentally, for abused women, for the elderly, for all those who suffer from loneliness.
In the community of Westmalle, the house where life becomes more peaceful, the days are more and more filled with goodness, help and quiet but real friendship for one another. The sense of responsibility doesn’t disappear, responsibility rooted in love and thankfulness for the congregation and in an ever greater awareness of all people. Little visits to one another, small services, and an apostolate of prayer and of goodness characterize the inhabitants of that beloved home.
Flanders has written a great congregational history. It is pleased to possess part of the Congregation's Heritage Center and to be able to transmit that heritage to all Sisters over the world and to the wider Notre Dame family.
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South Belgium
Many of Our Belgian Sisters
Stay Busy Through Retirement Years
In the following narrative from our Sisters who live in South Belgium, written in mid-year 2005, there are references to the word "commune" to describe neighborhood areas of a larger town. A “commune” is an administrative unit. In Brussels, where there are about one million inhabitants, a “commune” is a part of the town. The numbers of inhabitants cited in this report are from a 2003 census.
FROM MARIE-ROSE LEPERS, SND
From 1807 until about 1965, nearly all of our Sisters were somehow working for a day or boarding school and the community schedule was adapted to that of the school. During the last 40 years, our ministries have become diverse. On one hand, because of smaller numbers of Sisters, little by little we entrusted lay people with school administration. We closed the boarding schools (except for Orvillers and Saint-Hubert), and left the large buildings (except for Jumet, Namur and Saint-Hubert).
Small groups of Sisters chose a new orientation: insertion into neighbourhoods and into movements of popular education, opening a house for camps, creation of a community open to young people in search of their vocation. Some of these communities lasted while changing. Some retired Sisters and former missionaries, returned from the Congo, put themselves at the service of parishes or entered into existing movements. Some Sisters who have been living for 30, 40 or 50 years in the same school, or who have been living for a long time in a popular area, have quite simple contacts with their neighbourhood.
All ministries other than formal education happen on a voluntary basis. Devotion to Saint Julie is flourishing everywhere, but especially in Bastogne, Cuvilly, Jumet, Namur and Saint-Hubert with their public oratories.
In Belgium
Namur, rue Julie Billiart, founded by Mother Julie in 1807. Community of 24 sisters in a city that has a university, a lot of schools and many tourists during summer.
Mother house: general archives, international pilgrimages (SNDs de Namur, SND d’Amersfoort and SND de Coesfeld), international programs for SNDs de Namur.
Provincial house: residence of the provincial and of two councillors, administrative services.
Community: individual ministries
- Correspondence with some prisoners
- Fundraising for the Congo
- Volunteer service in a refuge in Brussels
- Adult evangelisation: Bible lessons for two groups of
about 20 people
- Monthly recollection for about 10 adults,
including deacon and priest
- Weekly meeting of a prayer group for young adults
- Fortnightly meeting of a prayer group for young couples
- Participation in several boards of trustees for
Catholic schools in Namur, city and diocese
(tens of thousand students and thousands teachers)
- St Julie chapels, one of them open to the public
-
Chiropodist serving the communities of Brussels and Jumet
- Knitting for the poor
- Visits to sick, elderly or lonely people
- Various services to the community:
superior; coordinator of nursing services, driver;
librarian, audio-visual, liturgy, etc.
- Treasure of Hugo d’Oignies, with a lay assistant:
about 3.000 visitors a year
Bastogne, founded by Mother St Joseph in 1836. The community of sisters lives in a house near the school. St Julie’s chapel
- Visits to elderly or lonely people
- Relationships with alumnae, mostly by phone
- Services to neighbours
- International pilgrimages of SNDs de Namur
- Community services
Brussels, Anderlecht. Convent and school founded in 1847; in 1972, several sisters went into two neighbouring houses, in 1998, the remaining sisters went to live in a flat, part of a set of huge buildings.
- Parish liturgical team
- Visits to elderly or sick people
- Community services
Brussels, Chaussée de Wavre, House founded in 1984; community consists of former missionaries in the Congo.
- Visits to elderly or sick people
- Literacy training – services to immigrants
- Tutoring
- Parish work
- Community services
Brussels, rue Coppens. Convent founded in 1839.
One sister
- Boarding house for young people studying
in the music conservatorium
Fleurus, founded by St Julie in 1813. The community lives in a small old city.
- Teacher in the 6th grade (end of elementary school)
and catechesis for baptism in the pastoral area
- Teaching immigrant women how to sew
- Welcoming the priests of the pastoral area for lunch
every working day
- Pastoral work
- Participation in the boards of trustees of the schools
- Welcoming international pilgrimages
- Community services
Forest-lez-Anvaing. One Sister has been living in this village since 1998.
- Full-time volunteer work in the library
of the diocesan seminary of Tournai.
- Parish work during week ends.
Gembloux. Founded by Mère Julie in 1813.
One Sister, former principal of the elementary school, is living in a house opened in 1989.
- Support of children with school difficulties
and of deprived children
- Occasional welcoming of school or catechesis groups
- “Listening-praying” – Prayer group
- St Vincent de Paul Conference
- Parish choir
Jambes, a suburb of Namur. A Sister has been living there since 2004.
- Part-time teacher at ‘Etablissement des SND’ in Namur
(about 500 pupils)
- Volunteer work at ‘L’Arche’
(communities including the mentally challenged)
- Leading the choir on Sunday Mass in a spiritual centre
Jumet, founded by St. Julie in 1808. Residence for elderly sisters, including health care: community of 30 sisters.
- Retreats
- Adult evangelisation
- Delegate of the province for the mutuality
of religious women (health insurance paperwork)
- Welcoming young people in Charleroi
- Member of the Board of Trustees of the school
- Community services: superior, driver, washing,
liturgy, library,…
- Numerous mutual services between Sisters
- The community helps to fold and mail a magazine.
- Welcoming international pilgrimages
Marche, founded in 1843. The Sisters have been living in the present house, in front of the school, for about 20 years.
Community of seven Sisters.
- Catechesis for baptism
- Numerous contacts with alumnae
- ‘Vie Montante’ (a Christian movement for elderly)
- Visits to families
- Community services
Namur, rue Pepin, founded in 1993. One Sister is managing a community with young people.
- Retreats ‘ESDAC’ (spiritual exercises for communitarian apostolic discernment) and formation programs
- Accompanying young people
Quaregnon, convent and school founded in 1852. The present community was founded in 1969 for a deeper insertion into the popular area. The city has inhabitants from 30 nations; it is part of an agglomeration of about 100,000 people that suffered a lot because all the coal mines were closed.
- Membership in ‘Communautés d’Eglise en Milieu Ouvrier’ (Church communities in workers’ society)
- Membership in ‘Equipes Populaires’
- Immigrants, profoundly poor, physically-challenged people
- Accompanying people who are coming out of prison
- Coordination by telephone of calls for a house
where people help each other
Saint-Hubert, founded by St Julie in 1809. The community lives in the middle of a big school in a rural area, with a lot of tourists in the summer.
- Group ‘Friends of St Julie’
- Parish services
- Parish choir
- Visits to families and to elderly people
- Relations with alumnae
- Oxfam
- Community services
Thuin. Convent and school founded by Mother St Joseph in 1817. “Les Pins Verts”: House for camps opened in 1976.
- Welcoming groups
- Management of the house for camps
- Visits to sick people at home and in a house for elderly
- Animation of Masses in a house for elderly
- Eucharistic celebrations without a priest
- Community services
Vielsalm. One Sister has been living here since 1989.
- Visits to sick and elderly people
- Services to lonely people
- Support to young people and families,
help for administrative requests.
IN FRANCE:
Cuvilly, founded in 1985. Community lives on the same ground as St Julie's house and oratory.
- Rosary teams
- Communion to sick
- ‘Listening’ to students in Orvillers
- Participation in missionary cooperation
- Catechesis
- Group ‘Faith and light’ (families of mentally-challenged children)
- Preparation of baptisms
- Liturgical team
- Group for the celebration of funerals (often without a priest)
- Welcoming pilgrimages
- Community services
Orvillers-Sorel, founded in 1955 near Cuvilly. One Sister.
- Principal of “Lycée Julie Billiart” with a boarding house
- Member of Board of Trustees of several educational groups
and of ‘Secours catholique’
- Provincial councillor and provincial treasurer
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