During this Lenten season, the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur, U.S. East-West Province (SNDdeN EW Province) are collaborating with other congregations to take concrete steps to strengthen our collective capacity for civil dialogue.
“Civil dialogue” refers to communication about controversial or complex topics that is based on listening, empathy, and the exploration of different viewpoints.
The program we’ll be participating in, Practicing Respect Across Difference, is a series of reflections and events for women religious that aligns with the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur’s mission-centric priority to foster justice and peace in an often-contentious world.
This new program builds on the momentum of the SNDdeN EW Province’s successful Series of Hope virtual gatherings hosted by the office of Justice, Peace and Integrity of Creation (EW JPIC) in 2025. During the November session, themed “Faith in Action,” we invited participants from other congregations to join us in a civil dialogue. Several Notre Dame Sisters from Omaha, Nebraska, joined to reflect on how their faith traditions shape their social and political perspectives.
The responses were rich and heartfelt. Participants of various ages, ministries and regions offered insights that revealed a shared longing for deeper listening and mutual respect. Many expressed gratitude for a virtual space that felt safe, thoughtful and spiritually grounded.
“Even among Sisters, these conversations can be challenging,” said EW JPIC Director Kathryn Yanik. “But many of them have also been leaders in dialogue for decades. Many of our Sisters served in countries where they did not speak the language, led small groups during the synod process, and delivered talks in our churches. These discussions about civil dialogue might seem new, but they have been central to our faith traditions and especially women religious since the very beginning.”
As a result of these fruitful exchanges, both the SND Omaha congregation and the Leadership Conference of Women Religious (LCWR) will be part of the campaign this Lent to expand the network of congregations committed to practicing civil dialogue together.
“It’s also important to remember that civil dialogue is not meant to moderate our values. An authentic attitude of respect across difference calls us to continued civic engagement and advocacy for justice. It also calls us to take this road together with a spirit of listening and discernment,” said Yanik.
We look forward to sharing the journey with you! Each week during Lent, we will post a thought-provoking reflection challenging us to learn conversation skills that prioritize understanding and respect over winning. The goal is to build community and find common ground.
This Lenten campaign is only the beginning. Later this spring, Yanik will join a webinar panel with the Franciscan Peace Center to reflect on the program’s broader impact.
Learn more about our JPIC work at https://snddeneastwest.org/our-work/jpic/.
For more information about this program:
Also, for your consideration:
Weekly Lenten Reflections
Throughout the season of Lent, in collaboration with other women religious across the country, we are participating in a campaign for Practicing Respect Across Difference. Each week, we will share a reflection on best practices for civil dialogue. What can you learn and put into practice to bring more peace into the world?
First Week of Lent
Respect across difference begins with reverence for each person.
The Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur were founded as an international congregation, beginning with our movement from France to Belgium in 1809. Today, Sisters live and work across five continents. Respect for other cultures, experiences, and ideas is central to our work and service to the most vulnerable. This week, take some time to pray for members of your family or community with whom you disagree, even on the most fundamental issues in our world today. Pray for a deeper understanding of their perspectives, but also a deeper recognition of their creation in God’s image.
“Dialogue is born from an attitude of respect for the other person, from a conviction that the other person has something good to say. It assumes that there is room in the heart for the person’s point of view, opinion, and proposal. To dialogue entails a cordial reception, not a prior condemnation. In order to dialogue, it is necessary to know how to lower the defenses, open the doors of the house, and offer human warmth.”
-Pope Francis, On Heaven and Earth, Sudamericana, 2011