MERE MARIE ALOYSE
Georgina VAN LAERE
1907-1912
Mère Marie Aloyse was the first Superior General to visit the United States. She established the Confraternity of Prayer and of Penance in honor of the Sacred Heart.
MERE MARIA JULIENNE
Clotilde GOFFIN
1912-1934
Mère Maria Julienne founded missions in Japan in 1924, in China in 1929 and in Italy in 1931. The first canonical General Chapter took place in 1922. Mère Maria Julienne undertook a revision of the Constitutions and divided the Congregation into Provinces. Julie’s house in Cuvilly was restored after its destruction during World War I.
MERE JOSEPHA DES ANGES
Maria BARBENEUBERG
1934-1937
Julie’s house in Cuvilly was blessed September 8, 1934. A mission was founded in Maryland (USA) in 1934.
MERE MONICA DE LA PASSION
Valentine CURSTERS
1937-1950
As Superior General during the Second World War, Mère Monica of the Passion had to face many difficulties, in particular the destruction of the Motherhouse in Namur and the death of 9 sisters (6 in Namur, 2 on the road to France and 1 in Bastogne).
Sisters began serving in Hawaii in 1946. Mère Monica of the Passion was the last Superior General to wear the medal and the large rosary of Julie. She was also the last Superior General to be elected for life. She resigned in 1950.
MERE JOSEPHA de SAINT-FRANCOIS
Augusta VAN DEN EEDE
1951-1963
Elected for a term of six years, Mère Josépha de Saint-François moved the Generalate to Rome in 1951. In 1955, a French congregation “The Sisters of the Birth of Our Lady” of Romorantin became members of the Institute of the Sisters of Notre Dame. Several missions were opened in Brazil in 1962 and in Nigeria in 1963.
SISTER LORETTO JULIA
Clare CARROLL (Province of Massachusetts)
1963-1969
Mother Loretto Julia, the first non-European superior general, opened a mission in Kenya in 1965. She led the Congregation in the renewal called for by Vatican Council II.
SISTER MARY LINSCOTT
Margaret LINSCOTT (British Province)
1969-1978
Mere Julie was canonized on June 22, 1969. Through her own writings, Sister Mary Linscott contributed to a greater understanding of the teachings of Mère Julie, and she made the letters of Julie accessible to all the sisters. She established a mission in Peru in 1970. As President of the International Union of Superiors General,UISG, she was able to reinforce the sense of internationality among the sisters. Thanks to her, the Congregation developed a closer relationship with the universal Church and with religious life in the world. A Symposium involving the three Congregations of the Sisters of Notre Dame of Namur, Coesfeld and Amersfoort was held in Namur in 1977.
SISTER MARY DANIEL TURNER
Margaret TURNER (Province of Maryland)
1978-1984
General Government Group (GGG): Sisters Elizabeth Michaels, Francis Ellen Henry, Margaret Loftus, Marlene de Nardo
She was the first Superior General to introduce the team form of government. Sister Mary Daniel Turner began the revision of the Constitutions, and developed a project in Nicaragua in 1981. The generalate moved from Via della Giustiniana to Via Monte Altissimo in Rome. Offices for Communications, Peace, Justice and Education were established.
SISTER CATHERINE HUGHES
Kathleen Margaret HUGHES (British Province)
1984-1990
General Government Group(GGG): Sisters Elizabeth Bowyer, Emmanuel Heylen, Margaret Loftus, Mary Cecilia McCallion
Sister Catherine Hughes and her Team began continental formation programs in Africa and Latin America, and they worked toward the approval of the Constitutions. They ratified the division of the Maryland Province. Generalate personnel had offices in Namur, Boston, Washington and Rome.
SISTER ELLEN GIELTY
Ellen Bernadette Gielty (British Province)
1990-2002
General Government Team (GGT) 1990-1996: Sisters Jan Bohn, Emily Mullen, Marna Rogers, Keiko Suzuki
1996-2002: Sisters Terry Davis, Marie Kelly, Mary McClure, Honorine Yamba
The Constitutions were approved. Sister Ellen Gielty and her Team worked with the three provinces of mid-Atlantic, USA. New forms of communication began. In Rome, the movement of the Generalate to the house of the Sisters of the Good Shepherd was implemented. Numerous gatherings were arranged with our cousins of Amersfoort and Coesfeld. The Congregational Committee of Resource Planning created a Jubilee fund for the living needs of the Sisters in the south. The Congregation became a Non-Governmental Organization, an NGO member of the United Nations in 2001.