Mission Fund Grants

These grants were featured in the Winter 2025 edition of our  Sowing Goodness magazine:

Creating Enduring Pathways Out of Poverty

The cornerstone of the St. Julie Haiti Project is a community-led bakery in Les Cayes, launched in 2018.

Preparing for bread distribution

The bakery employs 70 people in the production, distribution and sale of bread and water, offering jobs and training. Workers bake 600 bags of bread multiple times per week, providing affordable nutrition and safe water for the community. The Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur contribute funds to offset bakery and water supply costs and help with workers’ earnings. When asked what they needed most amid economic instability and civil unrest, the Haitians responded that they needed jobs. Your generous gifts enable these opportunities to work and nourish the community.

Serving Immigrant Families

St. Patrick School and Education Center is a culturally and religiously diverse school that was founded in 1852 by the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur. It remains constant in its original mission to meet the educational, spiritual and human needs of the children of Greater Lowell, especially those who are economically poor or new to this country. The Sisters’ grant provides tuition assistance for families in need, with particular attention to refugee families, newly arrived immigrants and families impacted by loss of employment.

“I have much love and gratitude f
or St. Julie and the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur.
I believe my life has come full circle
because of the ongoing relationship.”
—2024–2025 Donor

Connecting to and Caring for the Earth

Through educational programs and community-building addressing ecological justice, the Cuvilly Arts and Earth Center inspires people of all ages, preschool through adult, to explore their creativity and connect to the Earth. The Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur are expanding the lifelong learning program for young children, which includes outdoor activities such as gardening, hiking, pond exploration and farm chores.

“I want to support the spread
of the values
and love our world needs
so much.” —2024–2025 Donor

Nourishing Families and Strengthening Community

With the help from a grant awarded by the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur, River City Food Bank (RCFB) is working to alleviate hunger and foster hope in Sacramento County, California. RCFB is Sacramento’s oldest, continuously serving food bank. The Sisters’ grant supports RCFB’s Emergency Food Distribution Program, which provides healthy, culturally meaningful groceries to more than 30,000 people each month, including many families seeking food assistance for the °rst time. By offering not only food but also referrals and resources, RBFC helps families stabilize and move toward greater self-su±ciency. The Sisters’ support extends the reach of this vital program, ensuring that children, seniors, refugees and individuals experiencing homelessness or economic hardship are met with dignity, compassion and respect.

“[I donate because of] the wonderful Sisters I have come to know,
the wonderful education they gave me
and continue to provide for students today.”

—2024–2025 Donor

Dear Friends and Benefactors of Notre Dame de Namur,

With full hearts, we offer our deepest thanks for your enduring support of the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur. Your generosity allows God’s goodness to flourish—in caring for the Earth, in serving one another and in nurturing hope where it is needed most.

Through your gifts, you help us live out the legacy of St. Julie Billiart, who taught that “the good God is so very good!” Because of you, we can provide scholarships, vital resources and opportunities for education and advocacy that uplift those most in need. You are helping communities around the world experience the transforming power of God’s goodness—in clean water initiatives, in classrooms °lled with possibility and in acts of compassion that sustain life and creation.

As we look back on this past year, we are profoundly inspired by the loyalty of our friends, families and alums. Your steadfast partnership strengthens our mission and allows goodness to grow—from one heart to another, from one generation to the next. Together, we are tending both the Earth and the human spirit. Your care, faith and generosity help us light the way forward, offering hope and inspiration to all.

With gratitude in St. Julie,
Sister Kathryn Keenan, SNDdeN
For the U.S. East-West Leadership Team