Jane “Anne St. Henry” McAndrews

Sister Jane McAndrews, SNDdeN was born in December 1932 at St. Elizabeth’s Hospital in Boston and grew up in a loving family with four sisters and one brother. From first through twelfth grade, she attended St. Gregory’s primary and secondary schools, which were staffed by the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur. In a Dorchester neighborhood near St. Gregory’s, Sister Jane would meet her dearest friend Anne Stapleton, who also became an SNDdeN. They remain forever friends to this day. Her only other contact with religious sisters was an aunt, a Sister of Charity of Convent Station, New Jersey, who came to visit every summer for 10 days. She never became attracted to this order and was not particularly fond of their habit!

When Sister Jane was in fifth grade, her older sister entered the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur. Soon after, Sister Jane also felt called. From Grade 7 on, she felt particularly drawn to SNDdeN. She wanted to be a teacher and someday a missionary. She learned a lot about the spirit of St. Julie and most of all, she loved the Sisters who taught her.

“My parents always encouraged us to follow our dreams and supported us in our decisions,” says Sister Jane, noting that she entered Notre Dame on August 1, 1951, and made her profession of vows in 1954.

She continued her education and obtained her bachelor’s degree from Emmanuel College. She taught first and fourth grades in Boston, New Hampshire and Lawrence for 17 years. After this, she attended Fairfield University, where Jane received a master’s degree in Religious Studies. As a Religious Education coordinator, Jane worked in Lawrence, Weymouth and Boston. During the time Sister Jane was a religious education coordinator, she was engaged in Notre Dame formation ministry.

In 1985, Sister Jane had the extraordinary opportunity to mission to Kenya and in 1988 to Sudan. The second part of her vocational dream was fulfilled. Her ministry in both countries varied from parish work, teacher, Notre Dame formation work and refugee assistance programs. In 1997, she returned home.

In 1998, Sister Jane began ministering at the Notre Dame Education Center in South Boston. As a teacher working with immigrants, she Jane prepared people for citizenship. In 2009, she started a new field of ministry as a coordinator at our Notre Dame Health Care Center in Worcester. Because of health issues, she retired from this ministry in June 2018.

In 2019, she wrote: “I have loved every place, work and situation that I have been involved in over the past 68 years. All my dreams of becoming an SND have been fulfilled. I have lived a wonderful life and have never regretted my choice of vocation. People have taught me more than I ever learned from books. I am grateful for all the many and varied experiences that I have had by living my life as a Sister of Notre Dame. God is GOOD.”

Now a member of the Notre Dame de Namur community in Dorchester, Mass., she loves to sew, be creative, read, exercise, and, of course, have more time for quiet prayer and reflection. In 2021, Sister Jane celebrated her 70th Jubilee as a Sister of Notre Dame de Namur.

 Updated in 2025