
“I came that ALL may have life to the fullest.” – John 10:10
Sister Anne-Louise Nadeau, SNDdeN was born in Springfield, Massachusetts, to Camille Louis Nadeau and Adelaide Ida Talbot. Raised alongside her sister, Mary Camylle, she experienced a childhood steeped in her family's French heritage, evident in their language and traditions.
Sister Anne-Louise's early family life shifted dramatically when her father died, leaving her mother widowed at a relatively young age. She had to learn responsibility rather quickly as her mother went to work to support the family. Sister Anne-Louise was fortunate to attend a Catholic elementary school in Indian Orchard, Massachusetts, and Cathedral High School in Springfield, Massachusetts.
She entered the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur in 1974 after spending ten years in another congregation. She has found meaning and growth in her many ministries, beginning as a religion teacher at Central Catholic in Norwalk, Connecticut. Her ministries have included serving as case management supervisor at My Sister’s Place Women's Center, a day shelter for homeless women and children in Baltimore, Maryland, and as director of programs at Pax Christi U.S.A.
Her 23-year ministry at Sacred Heart University in Bridgeport, Connecticut, remains near and dear to her heart. She started there in campus ministry, which led to a role with the counseling center, and then as the associate dean of students. The University's mission to provide quality education to local residents who otherwise could not afford to attend college was very important to Sister Anne-Louise. With an appreciation for the racial and ethnic diversity at the school, she treasures having watched unfocused teenagers become young adults and supporting the adult learners going for a degree.
Sister Anne-Louise served on the Connecticut Leadership Team for five years and is a member of Sisters of Notre Dame/USA Anti-Racism Team, which has been a gift and transformative experience for her.
At her 50-year jubilee, Sister Anne-Louise says she has seen and experienced many examples of God’s goodness in the women and men she’s met. Sister Anne-Louise is most grateful for the learnings from the many women with whom she has lived and shared our mission. She shares, "The more willing we are to embrace diversity as a way of life gives me hope. It is not a function of age but of the heart."