“Our charism flows from our spiritual heritage,
especially the gifts of Mother Caroline Friess, who, through courageous leadership, adapted the congregation to life on another continent, perceptively reading the signs of the times, risking innovative response to the needs of the new world.”
You Are Sent, Prologue
 

On July 22, we remember the death of Mother Caroline Friess, considered by many to be co-foundress of the SSND congregation in North America. In 1847, at the age of 23, Sister Caroline Friess set sail for America with Mother Theresa, three sisters, and a novice. In 1850, Mother Caroline opened the first American motherhouse in Milwaukee. That same year, she was appointed Vicar General of the School Sisters of Notre Dame in America. Six years later she would become an American citizen.

For more than forty years, Mother Caroline led the sisters in North America. Traveling throughout the United States and Canada, she established missions, educated children, and encouraged women to enter religious life, always sharing her gifts of strength, courage, and compassion with every person she encountered. Like Mother Theresa, Caroline Friess trusted firmly in God. When she died in 1892, all who knew her honored her as a “blessing to the Church in America.”

May Mother Caroline’s spirit encourage us to use our gifts to continue responding to the needs of the world today.
 

 
 




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