Kathleen O'Brien entered the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur in 1960, taking the name Sister Mary Terrence. On the occasion of her 60th Jubilee as an SNDdeN in 2020, Sister Kathleen wrote the following reflection:
"I first met up with Sisters of Notre Dame in Kindergarten at Our Lady of Miraculous Medal School in Ridgewood, New York…that was okay. In the seventh and eighth grades I met up with Sisters Frances Therese and Corinne Manzi … that was pretty good. During my high school days, I often returned to “help” the good Sisters and met up with Sisters Catherine Shanahan and Catherine Charles …something clicked and I decided I wanted to BE like those Sisters.
"So, on August 14, 1960 with my family, relatives and friends in my cheering section, we rented a bus and headed for Ilchester, Maryland and a whole new World! That day along with forty-two other brave souls we began a journey of reflection, training, action and loads of fun!
"During that journey, I met up with Sisters Mary Reilly, Marguerite Schaefer and Rosalie Murphy….it was then I knew that I was in for the long haul. But not too sure what they thought!
"Since the time of my 50th Jubilee, I have been in ministry among the sisters, always something I enjoyed doing. We worked well together and they were good years for me.
"Having completed that ministry, I now find myself in a time of transition, looking ahead to new horizons at a slower pace with gratitude for the many wonderful opportunities I’ve had in Notre Dame.
"In her book, Circles of Grace, Jan Richardson writes…
'Within the joy, pain and delight that attend our life, there is an invisible circle of grace that unfolds and encompasses us in every moment. Blessings help us to perceive this circle of grace to find our place of belonging within it and to receive the strength the circle holds for us.'
"I have found my place of belonging, within the Circle of Grace of the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur. Each day I feel blest to receive the strength and joy that Circle holds for me.
"As I celebrate sixty years as a Sister of Notre Dame, I thank God for you, my family, friends, co-workers and the many young people and elders from whom I have learned so much."