100 years of Faith, Service and Community

Celebrate the Centennial of Notre Dame Campus
September 12–13, 2026 | Omaha, Nebraska

For 100 years, this place has been more than a building.

It has been a school.
A home.
A place of belonging.

It has shaped lives, formed leaders, and held countless stories. Your story may be one of them.

This September, we invite you to Come Home to Notre Dame!

Walk the halls once more.
Reconnect with friends.
Meet the Sisters who continue this mission today.

Celebrate not just where we’ve been, but where we are going.

Meet the dynamic community that now calls Notre Dame home

Centennial of Notre Dame Campus

The sisters came to Omaha in 1917 having come to the United States in 1910 to serve Czech immigrants who were eager to preserve their faith and culture in a new world. They began staffing schools in Iowa and Nebraska. Their first mission in Omaha was to the boys at Father Flanagan’s Boys’ Home where they were the first teachers and caregivers.

SIsters’ first home in florence

In November 1920, while visiting the Notre Dame Sisters who worked at the Boys’ Home, Sr. M. Qualberta Krivanec learned that Father Flanagan planned to sell the ten acre farm in Florence and buy a larger one. She was looking for a suitable place for a novitiate. At Father’s invitation, Sr. Qualberta and Sister Ludmila Panek, who worked at Boys’ Home, went to see the farm in Florence. Despite the unfavorable weather and the falling snow, the Sisters judged the “Seven Oaks Poultry Farm” to be a suitable location for a novitiate and possible motherhouse for the Sisters. The farm located on a high hill had enough ground for foliage and vegetables, several well-kept buildings, and a nice residence equipped with city water, electricity and a furnace. Its accessibility to the street car and the proximity of a parish church were added benefits.

Notre Dame Academy 1926

As the Congregation of the Notre Dame Sisters grew in the United States and Omaha, they continued their work in meeting unmet needs, and in 1926 the Sisters opened Notre Dame Academy under the leadership of Sr. Mary Qualbertina Vanek. The school opened with 15 students, and by the end of the first academic year, attendance had grown to 26 students from around the Midwest.

Notre Dame Academy 1936

In 1936, a new wing was added to Notre Dame Academy, creating the prominent front entrance seen in this photo. The addition contained a chapel and served as the main entrance to Notre Dame Academy. From this building the Sisters went out to serve parish schools in Iowa, South Dakota, Nebraska, and Kansas.

Another Addition – 1950 – New Motherhouse

In 1950, another major addition was constructed at Notre Dame Academy, further expanding the campus and creating additional space for the growing Notre Dame Sisters community. This new wing, created additional space for the Sisters and served as a place of prayer, leadership, formation, hospitality, and daily community life. The addition reflected both the continued growth of the Academy and the increasing presence and ministry of the Sisters throughout the region. The sisters returned here from their missions each summer to renew their bonds and further their education.

Notre Dame Academy 1964

By 1964, enrollment at Notre Dame Academy had grown significantly, welcoming an increasing number of students from Omaha and the surrounding communities. To meet the needs of this growing student population, a major addition was constructed, expanding classroom space and modernizing the campus. The new addition reflected both the Academy’s strong reputation for academic excellence and the continued commitment of the Notre Dame Sisters to providing a faith-centered, well-rounded education for young women.

A New Chapter in Catholic Education

The Sisters’ Academy merged with the Christian Brothers’ Rummel High School in 1974 to form Roncalli Catholic High School and expand educational opportunities in North Omaha. Roncalli Catholic High School continues to thrive today!

The academy building became a center for community events, adult education, spirituality, social justice work, and hospitality.

A New Mission for the Notre Dame Campus Today

In 1997, after careful evaluation of local needs and prayer for guidance the Sisters decided to address an acute need for affordable housing for their elder neighbors. They began the process of converting the Academy into safe, affordable housing for seniors, now Notre Dame Housing.

Today -45 units are housed in two new buildings and an additional 62 units in the original Notre Dame building. The renovation was done withing the guidelines for historic preservation and preserved the look and feel of the original building. By December of 201 the renovation was completed providing 107 units of safe, affordable housing for seniors in Florence.

Currently the motherhouse offices, chapel, and many of the sisters’ apartments are located here. From here the sisters, their affiliated Associates, and friends have taken on human trafficking, addressed domestic violence, and reached out to immigrants and refugees.

Weekend Highlights

Notre Dame Academy Alumnae Reunion
Saturday, September 12

~ Mass celebrated by Archbishop Michael G. McGovern in the Notre Dame Chapel at 4:00 pm

~ A special blessing of the building and grounds led by the Archbishop, and a reception with hors d’oeuvres.

We will be celebrating milestone reunion classes including: 1946, 1951, 1956, 1961, 1966, and 1971; however, all alumnae are welcome and encouraged to attend!

Register now & provide your update

Sunday, September 13

~ Community Breakfast for all Notre Dame Housing Residents

~ Open House at Notre Dame Housing from 2:00 pm – 4:00 pm

~ Guided tours, stories, and connection

Register for Open House

Share Your Notre Dame Story

As we celebrate 100 years of faith, friendship, learning, and community, we invite you to help us tell the story of Notre Dame through the memories and moments that matter most to you.

We’ve created a special Centennial Story Wall where alumnae, Sisters, residents, families, and friends can share:

Photos
Memories and stories
Videos
Messages
Favorite moments from Notre Dame

Whether your connection goes back decades or began more recently, your story is part of our history.

How to Participate

Click the plus (+) button on the Padlet below to add your post
Upload a photo, video, or write a memory
Click Publish

It’s that simple!

We can’t wait to celebrate these memories together!

Our History

What began as a military land grant and later became a struggling farm was transformed by the Notre Dame Sisters into a thriving motherhouse, novitiate, and center of ministry that continues to serve others today. Read more about the early history of the Notre Dame Campus.

When the Notre Dame Sisters built Notre Dame Academy in 1925-1926, they invested their entire savings and borrowed nearly $100,000 to make their dream a reality.

When construction costs exceeded even those resources, the Sisters appealed to the Czech Catholic community for support.

Their faith, sacrifice, and determination laid the foundation for a campus that has served generations for 100 years. Read the history.

Notre Dame Academy and Convent was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on March 5, 1998. This designation came about for two reasons. The first reason is the Architecture of the building itself. The second reason is the contribution the Notre Dame Sisters made to Czech culture in Nebraska. Read more about the historic architecture of Notre Dame Academy & Convent.