Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur

Twentieth Sunday in Ordinary Time – August 16, 2026

Sr. Anne Mary O’Donnell, SNDdeN

Matthew 15: 21-28

When Pope John Paul II promulgated the five Luminous Mysteries of the Rosary in 2002, I realized that Jesus cured five specific females, thus giving us five Healing Mysteries of the Rosary.

The first case was of a little girl, the daughter of a Syrophoenician woman. Jesus rejected her suit because mother and daughter were both Gentiles. Her quick reply to Jesus, that dogs eat the crumbs that fall from the children’s table, probably moved him to smile. Her faith moved him to cure her daughter, even at a distance. Before his Ascension, Jesus missioned the Apostles to preach the Gospel to the whole world.

The second case was Mary Magdalene, who was always named first in the list of women who supported Jesus in his public ministry. I think of her as in her thirties, personally and financially independent, free to travel with Jesus and his other disciples. She was not the sister of Martha and Lazarus, nor the sinful woman of Luke 7:37. Jesus cured her of seven demons (Luke 8:2), not sins of lust but a severe physical or psychological illness.

The third case was a woman in her forties, who had suffered from a hemorrhage for twelve years. Because of this flow of blood, she was ritually impure. She did not touch Jesus, or his cloak, but the tassel of his cloak. Her touch did not contaminate him, but his strength cured her.

The fourth case was Peter’s mother-in-law, in her fifties, sick with a fever, perhaps malaria. People don’t always die of malaria, but it recurs periodically. This woman was glad to serve the honored guest, Jesus, at table. When Peter left his home to follow Jesus, she was able to help her daughter manage the household.

The fifth case was a woman in her sixties or older, who suffered from curvature of the spine for eighteen years. She did not ask Jesus to cure her, but he took the initiative to do so. I do not ask to be cured of the diminishments of old age, only the grace to bear them cheerfully.

I hope that you too will meditate upon these five Healing Mysteries of the Rosary. Anne Mary O’Donnell, SNDdeN

Matthew 15: 21-28

At that time, Jesus withdrew to the region of Tyre and Sidon.
And behold, a Canaanite woman of that district came and called out,
“Have pity on me, Lord, Son of David! My daughter is tormented by a demon.”
But Jesus did not say a word in answer to her.
Jesus’ disciples came and asked him, “Send her away, for she keeps calling out after us.”
He said in reply, “I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.”
But the woman came and did Jesus homage, saying,
“Lord, help me.”
He said in reply, “It is not right to take the food of the children and throw it to the dogs.”
She said, “Please, Lord, for even the dogs eat the scraps that fall from the table of their masters.”
Then Jesus said to her in reply,
“O woman, great is your faith! Let it be done for you as you wish.”
And the woman’s daughter was healed from that hour.

Meet Sister Anne Mary O’Donnell, SNDdeN

Sister Anne Mary O’Donnell was born in Baltimore, Maryland in December 1939, the oldest of three children. She entered the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur after graduating from Maryvale Preparatory School in 1957. She made her first vows in 1960 and final vows in 1965. She was a teacher of English literature for forty happy years: two years at Notre Dame High School, Moylan, near Philadelphia; four years at Trinity College, and thirty-four years at The Catholic University of America, both in Washington DC.She now lives with Jewish, Protestant, and Catholic residents at The Homestead in Baltimore, Maryland.

Feast of Mary’s Assumption – Sr. Esther Adama, SNDdeN

August 15, 2026

Luke 1: 39-56

The declaration of the dogma of the Assumption of Our Mother Mary by Pope Pius XII in 1950, in his apostolic constitution, Munificentissimus Deus was/is to meant “make our belief in our own resurrection after death stronger and render it more effective.” The dogma contributes significantly to our benefit as it reflects the glory of the Most Blessed Trinity, to which the Blessed Virgin Mary is bound by such singular bonds. It was promulgated to encourage all God’s people to develop a stronger devotion toward our Blessed Mother and that those who meditate and emulate her examples will be led to her Son our Lord Jesus Christ where they too will inherit the Kingdom of God.

On this day the church celebrates a remarkable woman, our Blessed Mother’s assumption both body and soul into heaven through her victory over death. Mary our Mother has been connected with the ark of the covenant right from the early patristic epoch. She is bears Christ who is the fullness of God’s new covenant and to achieve this, God in His infinite goodness prepared and preserved a body for Himself, not just that of Jesus but His blessed Mother as well. The church refers to her as the container that contains the uncontainable (Jesus). She is the only creature endowed with that grace and privilege.  Only Mary, born without the stain of original sin, could give birth to Christ (new Adam), fully God and fully human. Due to her role in God’s salvation plan, she does not suffer from the effects of sin, rather; She, enjoys God’s absolute protection from every form of evil despite the tribulation and suffering encountered as described in the first reading.

Now that the Blessed Mother is enthroned in heaven what next? Mary is not simply enjoying all the blessings of God meant for her in the heavenly realm rather as the Queen mother of the all humanity, she remains in heaven taking the role of a great intercessor who is constantly praying for her children. She is praying that our faith stays strong, loving, enduring and faithful to her Son our saviour to whom she leads us daily. We are privileged to have such a perfect Queen in heaven performing this wonderful and all-important role for us.

Having said this, I will like us to reflect on what it takes to be an intercessor, it means constantly working, watching, over us, and thinking of the wellbeing of the other. It means to empathize with the other; it is not a self-centered position but selfless way of life which Mary exemplified from her fiat all through her life to the period before and after the annunciation as she journeyed immediately to the hill country to visit and share the goodness God with her cousin Elizabeth.

This feast calls us something special and extraordinary today, by praying for someone we will not ordinarily bring before God on a normal day. Today let us ask Mary to teach us what to do when our faith is beginning to falter and when things are difficult. Let us also bring the needs of our families, communities, the sufferings of the poor and marginalized, those held captive by kidnappers, children who are deprived of the freedom of childhood and turned into adults while still children due to the war, hunger, death and the constant increased in the systemic poverty confronting our world.

As children of God dear friends, we have Mary as our Mother, who showers us with her maternal protection, love, peace and care, therefore, when we pray the rosary, let us move beyond the recitation of the words and be more pro-active to becoming the persons our loving Mother wants us to be for the greater glory of God. St. Julie reminds us in her letter 156 on this feast day to ‘imitate our Blessed mother in her humility, in her great love for the good God’ in our daily live.

Finally, this feast invites us to recall that holistic nature of the salvation of God. As Mary is assumed both body and soul into heaven, so does God desires that every human race should be in heaven with Him after our earthly life is over. This can be attained if we put conscious efforts into developing daily a deeper relationship with God by asking our Mother Mary to assist us do it as she did. So let us live for God as we reclaim and rekindle our believe in the tremendous intercession of our Mother as Queen of heaven and earth by laying our petitions, those of others and the entire world to her maternal mantle.

Luke 1: 39-56

Mary set out and traveled to the hill country in haste to a town of Judah, where she entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth.

When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the infant leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth, filled with the Holy Spirit, cried out in a loud voice and said, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb. And how does this happen to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? For at the moment the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the infant in my womb leaped for joy. Blessed are you who believed that what was spoken to you by the Lord would be fulfilled.”

Meet Sister Esther Adama, SNDdeN

Esther Jumai Adama comes from Odagbo in Ankpa L. G. A. of Kogi State in Nigeria. She was born on the 27th March, 1970 to the family of the late Mr. Adama Ameloke and Mrs. Alice Adi Adama, both from the same Local Government Area. She is the second child in a family of ten children. Esther had her primary education at Ja’faru Estate Primary School Kabala-Doki in Kaduna State. The last part of her secondary education was at the Government Girls’ Secondary School in Bida, Niger State. Her desire and inspiration to become a religious started as far back as 1988. This burning desire prompted her to embark on teaching catechism to children both in the main parish and the out-stations of St. Benedict’s Catholic Church in Kagara, Niger State. The parish priest, Fr. Oliver O’Reilly, inquired about her future ambitions. She said that she would love to work for God through service to the poor, as a Sister. When her parents learned about her desire, they were not pleased. In response to God’s call, she joined the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur on January 7th 1995. After her postulancy and Novitiate program, Sr. Esther made her first profession on November 15,1997 in Kulende, Ilorin, Kwara State, Nigeria. Her first mission was to Uzairue, Edo State to teach at St. Philip’s N/P school. In 1998, she gained admission to the Federal College of Education, Kontagora and graduated with her N.C.E qualification in 2001. Then, she was missioned to practice her field at St. Peter’s N/P school Ndeabor, Enugu State. On June 4, 2002, Sr. Esther was sent to the United States to study in a theological and formation programme at the Catholic Theological Union in Chicago, IL. On her return to Nigeria, she worked as Assistant Novice Directress for about two years in Ilorin, Kwara State. Later, she went for her Tertianship in preparation for final vows which she made on September 17, 2005.in October same year she was appointed to be the directress of Postulants in Nigerian, a position she held for six years after which she proceeded to study theology at the Catholic University of Eastern Africa in 2012 to 2016. Upon her return she taught theological curses in both postulate and Novitiate in Nigerian for one year. In 2020, Sr. Esther accepted a mission call to Kenya where she currently works as Postulant Directress and coordinator of Sisters in Initial commitment at the Sisters of Notre Dame in Kenya. With openness and generosity, Sr. Esther says that the journey so far has not been easy, but it has been inspiring, interesting, enriching, transforming and challenging. She comes from a typical Muslim background where embracing religious life is regarded as counter cultural. Amidst the current situation in Nigeria, she added, the witnessing to the gospel values remains very important. She attributes all to the good God for his love, compassion and companion on the journey and prays that our God who began this work in her will bring it to perfection.