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ssnds celebrate 150 years of ministry at st. peter cathedral

Story and photos by LIZ QUIRIN
Messenger editor

The School Sisters of Notre Dame (SSND) will celebrate 150 years of ministry at St. Peter Cathedral in Belleville at the 10:30 a.m. liturgy Oct. 4 at the cathedral.

Bishop Edward K. Braxton will celebrate the liturgy.
For 149 of the past 150 years, the SSNDs have served as principals of the grade school.

Since 1859 more that 270 SSNDs have ministered in the parish, and more than 50 parishioners have entered the congregation. School sisters have also served in parish ministry as directors of religious education and in ministry to the elderly and homebound

At present, Sister Theresa Markus, SSND, serves as director of religious education at the cathedral.
“These words taken from our Constitution ‘You Are Sent’ best describe my life as an SSND. ‘We are called and we are sent to proclaim the good news as School Sisters of Notre Dame, directing our entire lives toward that oneness for which Jesus Christ was sent. Just as Jesus Christ was sent to show the Father’s love to the world, we are sent to make Christ visible by our very being, by sharing our love, faith and hope. We, as School Sisters of Notre Dame are educators in all that we are and do. We continually choose ways of living and serving that call to growth. Responding to varying needs, we engage in a diversity of ministries, specific services through which we work for the enablement of persons,’" Sister Markus said.

As an SSND Sister Markus has served in a variety of parishes working “each day to make Christ visible by the way I interact with students, teachers, parishioners and staff.”

Sister Markus said she learns from people she serves who strengthen her own faith in her ministry. Seeing people “live out their Catholic Christian life helps me to strive to live out my religious vocation each day, the good days and the not so good days. We are all in this together ever journeying closer to our God and our eternal destiny.”

For the SSNDs the journey began in 1859 in Belleville when Father Peter J. Baltes, then pastor at St. Peter’s, petitioned the sisters to come and educate girls of elementary and high school age.
At that time, St. Peter’s was the only Catholic parish in the city and parishioners were of German, French, Irish, Bohemian and American ancestry.

The new boarding school was called Immaculate Conception Academy.

The sisters were eventually asked to take over the school’s debt and continue making payments. In 1863 the deed was transferred to the SSNDs.

A fire in January 1884 destroyed not only the school building but also resulted in the deaths of four sisters and 22 boarders.

Rebuilding began immediately and a new building/convent was dedicated in December 1885.
Eventually the Academy for girls was moved to the west end of Belleville becoming the Academy of Notre Dame.
St. Peter Grade School moved into the building vacated by the Academy. The present building was dedicated in 1958.
Through the years, many people have been educated at Cathedral Grade School.

Phyllis Prindable Lang said the sisters influenced her life in many ways, especially in her choice of careers.
“After the SSNDs taught me in grade school, high school and some college classes, I returned to my grade school, Cathedral Grade School, to teach with the sisters,” Lang said, noting that she was one of the first lay teachers in the Belleville (Catholic) schools.

Working alongside the sisters gave Lang a real appreciation of the dedicated lives the sisters led.
Graduate Jane Stock remembers her years at the school and Sister Pacifica Funke who taught kindergarten from 1913-1971.

“Each life is impacted by this service, whether it be at baptism, first reconciliation, first Communion, confirmation, Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults, and continuing adult education, and we are all better for it,” Stock said.
The SSNDs influenced the lives of their students through the years.
“Having had School Sisters of Notre Dame for 12 years of my grade school and high school education, their influence is still a part of my life,” Cathy Becker said.

Everyone is invited to the liturgy to celebrate the anniversary of their commitment and their service to the people of St. Peter Cathedral.