Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur at East 

Since its founding in 1961, East Catholic High School has been associated with the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur. The SND community continues to have a presence in the school today with three sisters actively working in the teaching and guidance ministries. In addition, a member of the Connecticut SND leadership team serves on the school board. Each year, East Catholic honors the Sisters of Notre Dame on February 2, their Congregational Feast Day. On that day in 2007, the school proudly named its chapel the Notre Dame Chapel in their honor. Thousands of East Catholic students have benefited from the goodness and generosity of the SND community. In appreciation, a senior religion class provides hospitality and service to the retired sisters at Julie House in Windsor, CT. The school is deeply grateful for the service given by the SND community  

The Charism of the Sisters of Notre Dame

"How good is the good God!" is the congregational mantra of the Sisters of Notre Dame. The phrase is imprinted on the back of the SND cross and is a constant reminder to all of the many ways in which God blesses us each and every day. The Sisters of Notre Dame have always been active Catholic educators and advocates for the poor and disenfranchised of the world, especially young women and children. To learn more about the SND Charism and their ministries around the world, please visit their congregational website (http://sndden.org)

SND Network & Collaboration

The Sisters of Notre Dame have begun an international network of sponsored and affiliated schools.  East Catholic is participating in the network and hopes, over the next five years, to begin collaborating with SND schools around the globe. The USA Sisters of Notre Dame have begun an on-line virtual school (http://www.ndvs.org/) that will serve as a platform for on-line collaboration internationally. In the spirit of networking and collaboration, East Catholic owes a huge debt of gratitude to their friends at Chaminade-Julienne High School in Dayton, OH who generously allowed East to join them in January 2007 to initiate the Kairos Retreat for seniors in the SND tradition. Go Eagle Kairos!

Notre Dame Learning Community Hallmarks

• We proclaim by our lives even more than by our words that God is good.
• We honor the dignity and sacredness of each person.
• We educate for and act on behalf of justice and peace in the world.
• We commit ourselves to community service.
• We embrace the gift of diversity.
• We create community among those with whom we work and with those we serve.
• We develop holistic learning communities which educate for life.

(Developed by the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur, California Province 2005)