Sister Sarah Cieplinski professed final vows at Mount Notre Dame on December 29, 2018

CINCINNATI – Sister Sarah Cieplinski, Sister of Notre Dame de Namur (SNDdeN), professed final vows at Mount Notre Dame in Cincinnati, Ohio, on December 29. Sarah joined the SNDdeN community in 2008, and spent the next ten years discerning a lifetime commitment to serve as a religious sister.

Founded by Saint Julie Billiart in 1804, the mission of the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur is to make known God’s goodness, especially among the most impoverished and abandoned people in the world. The unique spirit of the SNDdeN community is what attracted Sarah, “I knew that I wanted to be a teacher, but I felt called to work with women and children facing economic disadvantages and those struggling with behavior and cognitive challenges.”

In her hometown of Phoenix, Sarah met Sister Dorothy Deger, SNDdeN, who gave her a book about Saint Julie Billiart and introduced her to the SNDdeN community. Sarah, who first considered religious life after learning about the option in high school said, “I didn’t know any sisters when I was growing up, but I prayed for an openness to hear God’s call. When I met the SNDdeN, it felt right. It felt like I was home.”

Sarah now lives and ministers in South Central Los Angeles, where she runs a reading and math intervention program for impoverished and special needs children. “All children struggle in some way, and intervention is important, but being a constant presence of goodness for these children helps them grow in another way,” said Sarah. “My hope is to be a good and loving person to everyone I encounter, so that they will share that goodness with others.”

To learn more about the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur, visit: www.sndohio.org.

About the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur
St. Julie Billiart founded the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur (SNDdeN) to make known God’s goodness, especially among the most impoverished and abandoned people in the world. Recognized as outstanding educators, thousands of SNDdeN have taught children and adults on five continents. Although many Sisters continue to staff schools, others have chosen to work with refugees at the borders of Brazil, victims of human trafficking in the U.S. and worldwide, special needs children and families in Nicaragua, AIDS orphans in Zimbabwe, the homeless in Haiti… and always, with women and children, who are among the most vulnerable.