Marie Ann Prefontaine

“Go on moment by moment for this is the surest way of doing God’s will.”

-St. Julie Billiart

Sister Marie Prefontaine, SNDdeN was born and raised in Dorchester, Mass., with a younger sister and brother. She attended St. Brendan Elementary School with the Sisters of St. Joseph, and St. Gregory High School with the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur. While at St. Gregory’s, she enjoyed being part of the CYO Band and working in the library. She also worked to help pay for her tuition after her father was injured in a severe car accident.

While attending the University of Massachusetts in Boston, Sister Marie began discerning religious life. She applied first to the Sisters of St. Joseph, only to find out they were not accepting candidates. Sister Marie believed that the hand of God then brought her to Notre Dame, and she loved that they are an international order.

Sister Marie began her postulate with seven others at Ipswich, Mass., and her training prepared her for her future ministries. Her early teaching years in Massachsuetts at Blessed Sacrament School in Cambridge, Notre Dame Academy in Tyngsboro and St. John’s in Peabody enhanced her life as well as the lives of her students.

A new door opened for her when she became involved in Youth Ministry. She entered wholeheartedly and, through research and visits to homes and churches, developed lifelong skills. This experience also led her to spend time in Nigeria.

Sister Marie holds a BA in Theological Studies from Emmanuel College, Boston; an MA in Religious Studies from LaSalle University, Philadelphia; and a Licentiate of Sacred Theology from Weston Jesuit School of Theology, Cambridge, Mass.

Sister Marie serves part-time as the Executive Assistant to U.S. SNDdeN Leadership and part-time as Coordinator of Irish Apostolate USA providing pastoral support to Irish Center chaplains and serving incarcerated Irish citizens in the United States. Previously, she ministered in the Archdiocese of Boston, the Diocese of Worcester, Mass., and the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops in the Office for the Pastoral Care of Migrants and Refugees in Washington, D.C., to provide coordination for pastoral, educational and legal outreach among immigrants, refugees and migratory populations served through parishes and other Catholic institutions. She continues to assist the Congregation with immigration petitions for SNDdeNs working in the United States and serves on the Notre Dame Mission Volunteer Board of Directors. She has a passion for interculturality experienced among migrant communities both in the United States and worldwide.

Following the spirit of St. Julie, Sister Marie has throughout her life responded to the signs of our times. As she ponders her more than 50 years at Notre Dame, gratitude is foremost in her list of blessings. A survivor of a severe heart attack a few years ago, she is indeed grateful to be alive and, in much-improved health, celebrated her Golden Anniversary.

“I am the vine, and you are the branches. Without me, you can do nothing.”

-John 15:5