By Congregational Communications Team
Our Congregational Communications Team networks with Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur (SNDdeN) internationally on many projects throughout the year. Using our SNDdeN Intranet System (FirstClass), we reach a wide audience by multiple communications. We work with our Congregational Leadership Team in Rome, Italy and Leadership Teams in 13 Provinces in 17 countries. We collaborate with co-workers in centers in Namur, Belgium and Ipswich, MA, USA. We enable communications with a strong network of stakeholders in our Mission: Sisters, NDdeN Associates, Mission Volunteers (NDMVA), partners and donors.
Communications Team, Sisters Evelyn McKenna, Angele Lewis, Teresa Anyabuike, and Anne Stevenson, SNDdeN meet at Ipswich, MA for networking on Website Projects.
As a faith-based community, we publish stories of our ministries in education, health care, community development, pastoral and social work on five continents. We encourage our world-wide Notre Dame de Namur Community in Mission to tell their ministry stories which we publicize in internal and external publications. We communicate with an external audience with our Websites, Blogs, Social Media, newsletters and Good Works, to make known the goodness of God in the “good works” of all participating with and in our international Congregation.
Global Networking
Recently, our Communications Team received an invitation to submit an application to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) Action Campaign. This consideration confirmed for our Team the reality that our SNDdeN community is accomplishing many of these goals in ministries described in our congregational communications. Our global network through technology, meetings, events, and publications disseminated internationally promotes the SDGs. With the approval of the Congregational Leadership Team (CLT), our Team, collaborating with Sisters Amarachi Grace Ezeonu, SNDdeN NGO Representative at the UN and Kristin Hokanson, SNDdeN Director of Notre Dame Virtual School (NDVS), sent an application to the UN Action Campaign in late January 2019. We applied for an award for the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur, who implement the SDGs internationally. As a Congregation, our Sisters, with Associates, NDMVA, and all participants in our Mission are making an impact by taking action on many of these goals.
Sisters Amarachi Grace Ezeonu, SNDdeN NGO Representative at the UN
Our application highlights some ministries where our Congregation gives direct service to people living in poverty and fulfills also specific SDGs. With an international Network, SNDdeN empower people at all levels in education, health care, community development, pastoral care and social work. We believe that our international communications educate for action, especially in promoting the African Photovoltaic Project, the Clean Water Project and ministries reaching vulnerable people living in poverty.
Many positive actions in process and already accomplished by our Sisters as Gospel women, impact and fulfill these goals. Our Team has been active in a global initiative of networking in all our communications. We focused initially on the UN Millennial Goals, in collaboration with Communications Team, Sisters Evelyn McKenna, Angele Lewis, Teresa Anyabuike, and Anne Stevenson, SNDdeN meet at Ipswich, MA for networking on Website Projects.
our UN SNDdeN NGO Representative. In 2015, after world leaders at the September UN Summit approved the SDGs, we decided to communicate with multiple stories on SDG actions. Now, we promote information on Websites,* three WordPress Blogs: Good Works, Justice and Peace, SNDdeN at United Nations, and on Social Media. We include action stories in printed materials, such as this international magazine, Good Works. Working with our Mission Support Office, we include many articles in Good Works and on our Websites about our African Photovoltaic Project which shows action for sustainability in two developing countries. The Lenten Project, on our congregational
site features stories of our Sisters, implementing action on specific SDGs in their ministries.
Kristin Hokanson, SNDdeN Director of Notre Dame Virtual
School (NDVS)
In 2016, we encouraged more education projects to raise awareness of SDGs on our Education Website.* Sr. Kristin Hokanson, gives major support, by posting a calendar and monthly themes of SDGs for our schools, colleges, universities, and centers in 17 countries. A brochure, entitled Sisters of Notre Dame at the United Nations, written by Sr. Amarachi Grace Ezeonu and printed in English, French, Japanese, Flemish, Portuguese and Spanish is available for our institutions and for visitors to the UN.
SNDdeN Mission is ALIVE in many countries in our world suffering in a global crisis of “people made poor in a world marked by increasing divisions and inequalities.” (Calls: 2014 General Chapter, p. 5) Analytics testify to multiple numbers of people served in SNDdeN ministries. Our Mission involves over 1100 Sisters, hundreds of Associates and Mission Volunteers, innumerable persons in parishes and all our institutions. We continue to tell our stories through multiple media. We bring the “good news” to our collaborators who work also in transformational action for systemic change.
We choose to stand with people made poor in a world marked by increasing divisions and inequalities.
*Websites: www.sndden.org and www.notredameonline
