Posts by Sr. Mary Valerie Schneider

On August 14 the Sisters of Notre Dame in northwest Ohio were privileged to receive twelve new Associates as they made their covenant during the vigil Mass for the Solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Associates are men and women, single or married, who feel called to the same mission as the…

Today is a perfect day for a picnic—no humidity, a gentle breeze blowing, temperature in the high seventies. It’s been a long time since we had such a beautiful day. I just had to go on a picnic. While making a roast for a later meal, I also prepared picnic food.  The other sisters in…

Having recently celebrated one of my favorite feasts, the Solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin, I was reflecting on stories about Mary, the Mother of God. While Luke’s gospel focuses on the call of Mary to be the Mother of God and the subsequent events related to Jesus’ birth, John’s gospel introduces Mary…

Fifteen hundred years ago some people living in the Four Corners region moved onto the Mesa Verde, where they lived and flourished for 700 years. I had the privilege of touring Mesa Verde National Park that preserves artifacts and architecture from these Ancestral Pueblo people.  The cliff dwellings show the skill these people had to…

Colorado National Monument and Canyonlands National Park are just two of the national parks covering much of the West. Both are remarkable parks for their peaks, plateaus, and canyons. The diversity of the etched rock formed from volcanoes, erosion, and floods leave the viewer wondering, “How did God do that?” Boulders sit precariously on top…

Our bus driver skillfully maneuvered the hairpin turns of the Trail Ridge Road, the highest paved continuous highway in North America. This was the first of several days that my sister Cathy and I toured in Colorado. Every day we marveled at majestic mountains and deep rugged canyons. We never tired of seeing mountains—we who…

My sister and I toured Rocky Mountain National Park and Estes Park in Colorado. My favorite adventure occurred when we trekked up a path to reach 12,000 feet above sea level from the place where the bus stopped at 11,000 feet. Less than half-way up my breathing became labored, but I got a second wind…

It’s Monday. The start of another week of work. Mondays are a time to make a goal or two or three. For me, such goals give me life. Whether it’s cleaning or yard work or a project at my place of employment or a special menu, my goals inspire me to get moving. Beyond inspiring…

Today we celebrate the feast of St. Kateri Tekakwitha who was canonized in 2012. Her 23 years of life were filled with suffering—the death of both parents, smallpox causing poor vision, a trek to Montreal where she could practice her Christianity, and the denial of her request to found a convent. It is a day…

I remember as a little kid liking this line from Scripture: “And whoever gives only a cup of cold water to one of these little ones to drink because he is a disciple—amen, I say to you, he will surely not lose his reward” (Mt. 10). Great! I thought. I’m assured heaven for such a…