“Continue to love one another… and remember always to welcome strangers, for by doing this, some have entertained angels without knowing it.”
(Hebrews 13:2)
Reflecting on her sixty-plus years as a Sister of Notre Dame de Namur, Sister Jeanette (Marie Pierre) Braun, SNDdeN, sees a common thread woven through all of her ministries.
Her loving spirit of welcome was a gift from her parents while growing up with her four brothers. There was always room at the Braun’s table for a lonely neighbor or someone in need, so it’s not surprising that Sister Jeanette’s favorite scriptural passage is: “Continue to love one another… and remember always to welcome strangers, for by doing this, some have entertained angels without knowing it.” (Hebrews 13:2)
From the beginning of her teaching ministry, Sister Jeanette created an inviting space for young children to learn. She continued that same spirit as a co-founder of the San Francisco Mission Reading Clinic, where she nurtured immigrant students from many different cultures.
Because of her background in special education, Sister Jeanette was asked to lead a project at Catholic Television Network. Using live, interactive broadcasts, she built a community of special-education teachers from Catholic and public schools.
Later, she applied this experience, along with her creativity and communication skills, as a producer at KGO-TV in San Francisco. Her Sunday morning TV program focused on issues of peace and justice.
In the 1980s, Sister Jeanette became immersed in the Sanctuary movement. Her knowledge of Spanish was an asset as she accompanied individuals and families through the sometimes-agonizing process of gaining political asylum. The bonds made with these people she welcomed into her home and supported have endured. She worked at Hewlett-Packard Company during this period, coordinating worldwide training broadcasts via a video network.
Sister Jeanette welcomed the first Notre Dame AmeriCorps volunteers to California during the 1990s to work in San Francisco and Redwood City, California. Some volunteers helped staff Kids in Partnership, a non-profit cross-generational tutoring program Jeanette directed.
Corporate community relations manager and friend Rachael Bertone met her through Kids in Partnership.
“Jeanette set the standard with a high-quality program that was not only very effective, but created a loving, enriching environment for all participants," says Bertone. "Since then, I've come to know Jeanette's love of beauty in all its forms and her deep capacity for empathy."
Hospitality was at the heart of her ministry at the House of Prayer in Carmel, where Sister Jeanette helped create a prayerful environment for the community and guests. Her artistic gifts frequently grace the Province Center in Belmont, California, where she was integral in selecting the furnishings and decor when it became our new home.
For ten years, Sister Jeanette served as co-coordinator of the Notre Dame Associates and assisted with their formation, retreats and activities that connected our Associates with the Notre Dame mission around the world.
For ten years, Sister Jeanette was director of the Table of Plenty, a non-profit organization that provides a weekly supper for the elderly, struggling families and homeless members of the Half Moon Bay Community. As she and volunteer helpers welcomed and nourished the many attendees, they lived out Jeanette's favorite quote from St. Julie:
“Our charity must not be limited by the love we have for one another. We must have hearts as wide as the world.”
In March 2022, Sister Jeanette received the Jefferson Award for Public Service for her work at the Table of Plenty.
At the time of her Jubilee in 2017, Sister Jeanette said, “Looking back over these 60 years, I am most grateful for my family, my Notre Dame Sisters, Associates and friends who have loved, supported and challenged me. My many ministries have brought me in touch with diverse groups of people who taught and inspired me – some by their courage, faith and joy despite hardships and adversities, others by their compassion and dedication to create a more just community and world.”
Sister Jeanette adds, “While working alongside our Notre Dame AmeriCorps members, our Notre Dame Associates and the many volunteers at the Table of Plenty, I have witnessed tremendous generosity and compassion. This gives me hope and great joy.”
By Sister Yvonne Bondi