Investing in Our Children – Expand Your Horizons


In this conversation, speakers examined childcare issues faced by parents and providers like access, affordability, and workforce pay. See the conversation above to learn about recent updates on current research that uncovered disparity and lack of equitable chance of future success and opportunity for children of color. Take…

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A prayer on 9/11 from Sr. Joan Polak, ND

God of the Universe,

We call upon you in these troubling times of our world.

We unite in prayer especially for the people of Afghanistan whose lives are in turmoil and danger,

For the armed forces who supported them,

For the people affected by Hurricane Ida and the responders working to meet…

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Poems by Sr. Joan Polak, ND

While she was born in Brainerd, Nebraska, Sr. Joan Polak, ND, travelled far from the Midwest, making her Central and South American ministries some of the most impactful in her life. Celebrating 70 years of religious profession, Sr. Joan is  daughter of the deceased Ivan and Frances Polak…

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Teaching a friend about Temporary Protective Status and what we can do in Omaha

By Sr. Marie Alice Ostry, ND

One time while a friend and I were sharing about some of the events in our country the issue of immigration came up. 

We started talking about the effects our immigration laws have on both newcomers to our borders and those who have lived…

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Independence Day prayer to start your 4th of July off right!

 
Loving God,
We greet this Fourth of July with grateful hearts as we call to mind the vision of freedom and justice for all upon which our country was built.
We give thanks for those who imagined this vision.
We are grateful to those who continue advocating for and pursuing a…

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Hope for Honduras

By Sr. Mary Kay Meagher, Notre Dame Sisters Social Justice Coordinator

For many years, the news coming out of Central America always seemed to be bad news – national tragedies, natural disasters, ongoing crises that affect millions.

Honduras has been experiencing hardship. A larger Central American country with a long…

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All Roads Lead Home: A Ministry Update

By Marlana Miller, Content Editor of Westside Cedar Rapids Catholic Neighbors 

Sister Mary Frances Michalec begins her day with prayer and meditation asking for God’s blessing on all she will do each day. This has led her many places during her life of ministry, but all roads seem to…

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Fathers Day Prayer for Refugees

Heavenly Father, Father of all and Creator of all, we come to you today asking you to bless all fathers here on earth — fathers caring for and loving their children. 

We remember also the fathers who fled their homeland for safety and a better life. We trust you will find…

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Our mission work in Talcuahano, Chile, 1964-1970 

“We do not have surplus Sisters, but we think that God will bless our entire Congregation if we make the sacrifice.”
The Pontifical Commission for Latin America sent a special envoy to Notre Dame University in South Bend, Indiana in August, 1961, to make an appeal before the Conferences…

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Volunteering at the US/Mexico Boarder: takeaways from a crisis


Sr. Rita Ostry and Sr. Mary Kay Meagher, Notre Dame Sisters, each took trips to El Paso, Texas this spring to support efforts in assisting new migrants to the US. Above is a live conversation with these Sisters along with St. Pius X parishioners Margaret and Tom Hoarty…

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