News

From the book's back cover: An exceptional introduction to Judaism from its key point, its point of completion: the Shabbat. Contrary to popular belief, the Shabbat, a human and divine reality, can neither be reduced to nor compared with the Lord's Day, Sunday. It is...

19 March  Sr Margaret Shepherd, NDS, has written a commentary on this Sunday's liturgy, on the theme:   Light over darkness   If you would like to read the commentary, it is available on the website of the ISPS-Ratisbonne Bat Kol-Christian Centre for Jewish...

ConSagraE – Conheça a Sagrada Escritura has just launched a second year of biblical courses in Portuguese. Like last year, the 2023 programme, which started on 6 March, offers paths to deeper insight about texts in both Testaments of the Bible.     The programme...

For the first semester this year, CERJUC (Centro de estudios bíblicos y relaciones judeocristianas) offers a series of weekly courses in Spanish on biblical themes.   To attend via Zoom, please contact CERJUC: cerjucsion@ice.co.cr (+506) 89241103    ...

  The 20 January, our feast day, is always special for the sisters of Our Lady of Sion. This year there was a second reason to celebrate, as sister Victoria Nabil pronounced her final vows in the village of Berba in rural Upper Egypt. It was a lively and joyful...

Registration is open for three courses at the Center for Biblical Formation (CBF) in Jerusalem.   The courses combine classroom study with field-based learning and excursions. Accommodation and full board are provided at the Ecce Homo convent in the Old City of...

This February, CERJUC (Centro de estudios bíblicos y relaciones judeocristianas) launches its 2023 programme with the 2nd Annual Judaism and Interfaith Dialogue Lecture series.   The event, to be held on 15 and 21 February, will feature two speakers: Prof....

  On 21 January in the Diocese of Iași, Romania, Sunday of the Word of God was celebrated by a Biblical Symposium with an ecumenical and Jewish-Christian slant.     It was the second annual edition of the event, organised by the Diocese of Iași’s...

    Today, 27 January, we observe International Holocaust Remembrance Day. This year, we are invited to place the people who were the millions of victims of Nazism at the centre of our attention: people leading normal lives until they were violently stripped...

  " The Mighty One has done great things for me - Holy is His Name."              (Lk 1, 49)     Every year, on the 20th of January, we particularly remember our founder's brother Alphonse Ratisbonne's entry into the mysteries of faith. His encounter...

  After starting the year with an onsite course in Jerusalem developed in collaboration with the Sion CBF centre, CERJUC (Centro de estudios bíblicos y relaciones judeocristianas) returns home to Costa Rica in February to offer two online biblical courses. The...

Reading these words from Isaiah 9,6 and reflecting on the birth of Jesus Christ, our founder Théodore Ratisbonne asked himself: “Why does He appear under the traits of childhood?” And the answer he found was: “So that we may love Him and not fear Him!”...

11 December  Sr Margaret Shepherd, NDS, has written a commentary on this week’s Sunday liturgy, on the theme:   Rejoice, the Lord will come!   If you would like to read the commentary, it is available on the website of the ISPS-Ratisbonne Bat Kol-Christian...

13 November  Sr Margaret Shepherd, NDS, has written a commentary on this week’s Sunday liturgy, on the theme:   “Your endurance will win you your lives”   If you would like to read the commentary, it is available on the website of the ISPS-Ratisbonne Bat...

The Sisters of Our Lady of Sion are coalition partners of UNANIMA International, a non-governmental organization that advocates at the United Nations on behalf of women and children, homeless and displaced, migrants and refugees, and the environment. The latest issue...

9 and 30 October    Sr Margaret Shepherd, NDS, has written commentaries on the Sunday liturgy of these weeks, on the themes:   The God who gathers the outcast and the nations of every language and You spare all things, LORD, lover of life   If you would like...

30 September   Sr Rita Kammermayer, NDS, has written a commentary on this week’s Parasha Readings, on the theme:   “God will not fail you or forsake you”   If you would like to read the commentary, it is available on the website of the ISPS-Ratisbonne Bat...

18 September  Sr Margaret Shepherd, NDS, has written a commentary on this week’s Sunday liturgy, on the theme:   Justice and injustice   If you would like to read the commentary, it is available on the website of the ISPS-Ratisbonne Bat Kol-Christian Centre...

The Centro de Estudios Bíblicos y Relaciones Judeocristianas (Sion-CERJUC, Costa Rica) and the Sion Biblical Formation Centre (CBF, Jerusalem) are offering a course in Israel on:   THE LAST DAYS OF JESUS IN JERUSALEM   Dates: 4-18 January 2023 Venue: Ecce...

  It was with joy in their hearts that Sion sisters returned from Rome to their communities all over the world after their General Chapter: a month of prayer, discernment and celebration, whose aim was to outline a roadmap to orientate congregational life and...

From August to November 2022, CERJUC (Centro de estudios bíblicos y relaciones judeocristianas) offers a series of weekly courses on biblical themes. All courses are in Spanish. The times shown are Central American time. To attend via Zoom, please contact CERJUC:...

The theme of “Opening doors” offers a prompt for sisters and lay associates of the Family of Sion as they enlarge the space of their tents for the 2022 General Chapter. They have travelled to Rome from other parts of Europe, Asia, Africa and North, Central and South...

The Sisters of Notre Dame de Sion are honoured to announce that Sr. Bernadette O’Reilly and Sr. Margaret Hughes have been nominated to become Members of the Order of Canada for their work and ministry with Indigenous Peoples in Winnipeg.   For over 40 years the...

On 7 June, the Notre-Dame de Sion Evry Grand Bourg school honoured the memory of one Religious and seven Sisters of Our Lady of Sion who were involved in saving Jews during the Second World War.   “Righteous Among the Nations” is a title granted by the Yad Vashem...

The CERJUC Centre for Jewish-Christian Study and Relations in San José, Costa Rica is offering a 4-part course about Jesus’ parables in the month of July.   Guest lecturer Prof Amy-Jill Levine, Rabbi Stanley M. Kessler Distinguished Professor of New Testament and...

The Feast of Pentecost, which fell this year on 5 June, was a notable day for the Sisters of Our Lady of Sion as they witnessed one of their sisters committing herself forever to God.   Sr. Arlyne Del Valle Casas pronounced her final vows at the Institute of...

19 June  Sr Diane Willey, NDS, has written a commentary on this week’s Sunday liturgy, on the theme:   Discipleship   If you would like to read the commentary, it is available on the website of the ISPS-Ratisbonne Bat Kol-Christian Centre for Jewish Studies....

10 June   Sr Rita Kammermayer, NDS, has written a commentary on this week’s Parasha Readings, on the theme:   “God’s Love and Call of Moses”   If you would like to read the commentary, it is available on the website of the ISPS-Ratisbonne Bat Kol-Christian...

Two Sisters of Notre Dame de Sion joined staff, pupils, parents and external guests at the Collège Notre Dame de Sion Grenoble, to commemorate the day the school’s first stone was laid 80 years ago. The two-day programme was created by the school in a spirit of...

The SCDE in London (UK) invites you to a rich programme of talks in May and June. All sessions will be conducted via Zoom, in English. For further details, please visit the SCDE website. To receive a Zoom link, please write to sioncentrefordialogue@gmail.com. The...

The global ecological crisis we find ourselves in today urgently demands a new way of seeing, thinking and acting. God’s creation is there not purely to serve our needs. We humans are an integral part of nature and the ecosystems we live in. It is a mindset of...

Heads, teachers and staff from the six French institutions in the International Sion School Network gathered at the NDS Evry Collège/Lycée from the 28 to the 30 March, to discover the history and charism of the Congregation.   Usually an annual occasion, this...

10 April  Sr Rita Kammermayer, NDS, has written a commentary on this week’s Sunday liturgy, on the theme:   Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!   If you would like to read the commentary, it is available on the website of the ISPS-Ratisbonne Bat...

20 March   Sr Diane Willey, NDS, has written a commentary on this week’s Parasha Readings, on the theme:   “Merciful, Gracious, Steadfast Love”   If you would like to read the commentary, it is available on the website of the ISPS-Ratisbonne Bat...

13 March  Sr Therese Fitzgerald, NDS, has written a commentary on this week’s Sunday liturgy, on the theme:   God’s presence in the ‘between’ places of our lives   If you would like to read the commentary, it is available on the website of the...

Three Sister of Our Lady of Sion have invited other scholars to join them in presenting a new online biblical formation programme in Brazil. ConSagraE – Conheça a Sagrada Escritura aims to offer biblical foundations to people who wish to deepen their knowledge and...

The Congregation of Sisters of Our Lady of Sion is united with all in prayers and actions for peace in Ukraine.  We echo Pope Francis’s words: “Put down your weapons!” and “Let us not stop talking; indeed, let us pray to God more intensely”. And we join him in his...

13 February  Sr Margaret Shepherd, NDS, has written a commentary on this week’s Sunday liturgy, on the theme:   How happy are you   If you would like to read the commentary, it is available on the website of the ISPS-Ratisbonne Bat Kol-Christian Centre for...

Sion sisters Collette O'Donnell and Victoria Nabil were interviewed by the Christian Media Center in Jerusalem for their video "Consecrated life, light in the world". The video was made to celebrate for the World Day of Consecrated Life on 2 February. The date marks...

For the first semester this year, CERJUC (Centro de estudios bíblicos y relaciones judeocristianas) offers a series of weekly courses on biblical themes. All courses are in Spanish. The times shown are Central American time. To attend via Zoom, please contact CERJUC:...

This 27 January, anniversary of the liberation of the Nazi concentration camp Auschwitz-Birkenau, we commemorate International Holocaust Remembrance Day. Our prayer, this year, is inspired by the theme designated by the United Nations: “Memory, Dignity and Justice”....

On the 25 January, Prof. Amy-Jill Levine will present an online lecture entitled: “Lecturas judías y lecturas cristianas de la Biblia: encuentros y desencuentros” (Jewish readings and Christian readings of the Bible: convergences and divergences) at the CERJUC-Sion...

21 January   Sr Therese Fitzgerald, NDS, has written a commentary on this week’s Parasha Readings, on the theme:   “Blessed be the Lord”   If you would like to read the commentary, it is available on the website of the ISPS-Ratisbonne Bat Kol-Christian...

Sr Ania Bodzińska, NDS, will pray with Jewish and Christian leaders in Krakow on 17 January. The event is part of a rich programme to mark the 25th Day of Judaism in the Catholic Church in Poland. Between 10 and 20 January talks, readings and interreligious prayer...

7 January   Sr Diane Willey, NDS, has written a commentary on this week’s Parasha Readings, on the theme:   The Lord’s Night of Vigil   If you would like to read the commentary, it is available on the website of the ISPS-Ratisbonne Bat Kol-Christian Centre...

17 December   Sr Diane Willey, NDS, has written a commentary on this week’s Parasha Readings, on the theme:   Insights in Exile   If you would like to read the commentary, it is available on the website of the ISPS-Ratisbonne Bat Kol-Christian Centre for...

The CBF in Jerusalem is entering the year of its 40th anniversary with a mix of online and in-house courses. In January and February, Dr. Mary Ann Beavis will help Zoom participants gain a better understanding of the Apostle Paul, in six installments. In April, the...

12 December  Sr Rita Kammermayer, NDS, has written a commentary on this week’s Sunday liturgy, on the theme:   Rejoice, sing aloud for joy!   If you would like to read the commentary, it is available on the website of the ISPS-Ratisbonne Bat Kol-Christian...

Two Sion Centres, CERJUC in Costa Rica and the CBF in Jerusalem, have teamed up to bring a new online course about the accounts of Jesus's childhood in Matthew and Luke. The weekly sessions will be led by Prof. Hanzel Zúñiga Valerio in Spanish, and will begin at 7pm...

23 November   Sr Diane Willey, NDS, has written a commentary on this week’s Parasha Readings, on the theme:   Two Very Different Strands of Jacob’s Line    If you would like to read the commentary, it is available on the website of the ISPS-Ratisbonne Bat...

17 October  Sr Margaret Shepherd, NDS, has written a commentary on this week’s Sunday liturgy, on the theme:   The Suffering Servant   If you would like to read the commentary, it is available on the website of the ISPS-Ratisbonne Bat Kol-Christian Centre...

Click on the session titles to watch the recordings of Sion Cerjuc's Bible Month programme (in Spanish):   THE REIGN OF GOD: CENTRAL MESSAGE OF JESUS  Dr. Juan Alberto Casas, Javeriana University of Colombia   ABJECT BODIES: A STUDY OF THE GOSPEL OF MARK...

Thursday 21 October 4:30pm – 6:00pm  (Melbourne time) The Sisters of Notre Dame de Sion in Australia are hosting a webinar in English on the theme: Difficult texts regarding “The Jews” in Matthew's Gospel: A socio-political framework.     [button...

The Sion Centre for Dialogue and Encounter in London (UK) is pleased to reopen its Conference Centre for an in-house course this Autumn, while continuing to welcome participants to online programmes. Inhouse: "Sing a new song to the Lord: The Psalms" Online:...

To celebrate the 50th year of Bible Month in Brazil, the Archdiocese of Aracaju is holding a series of talks on the topic:   Study of the Letter to the Galatians   Sisters Cristiane Dos Santos, NDS, and Ivete Holthmam, NDS, will lead sessions on September 4...

  In this 500th year of Christianity in the Philippines, the Sisters of Sion are holding a webinar on an interfaith theme.   Monday September 13 4:00 - 6:00 pm (Philippine time)   "Gifted to give" In the spirit of Indigenous, Jewish, Christian and...

22 August  Sr Diane Willey, NDS, has written a commentary on this week’s Sunday liturgy, on the theme:   The Church: mystery and intimacy   If you would like to read the commentary, it is available on the website of the ISPS-Ratisbonne Bat Kol-Christian...

All courses and workshops will be in Spanish, and will be available via Zoom. The times shown are local to Central America. To take part, please write to the Centre's secretary, Seidy Chaves, either by email to cerjucsion@ice.co.cr / seidychaves@gmail.com, or by...

In these difficult and challenging times, here is an account of a recent happening: a small gesture whose substance could so easily pass unnoticed. What happened was that a small stipend for a Bibliodrama workshop, led by Peta Pellach and Yael Unterman in Jerusalem,...

20 and 27 July   Sr Rita Kammermayer, NDS, has written commentaries on the Parasha Readings of these weeks, on the themes: The Voice of God and The Lord, your God is faithful   If you would like to read the commentaries, they are available on the website of the...

11 July  Sr Diane Willey, NDS, has written a commentary on this week’s Sunday liturgy, on the theme:   Mission with Meaning   If you would like to read the commentary, it is available on the website of the ISPS-Ratisbonne Bat Kol-Christian Centre for Jewish...

In Canada the month of June has been full of heartbreaking news. The discovery of the remains of 215 Indigenous children and 751 Indigenous children in two unmarked grave sites at two former Indian Residential Schools has revealed to Canadians a tragic and sad piece...

13 June  Sr Diane Willey, NDS, has written a commentary on this week’s Sunday liturgy, on the theme:   From Small Beginnings   If you would like to read the commentary, it is available on the website of the ISPS-Ratisbonne Bat Kol-Christian Centre for Jewish...

Building on the success of the CBF-CERJUC virtual bible course in January and February this year, the two Sion study centres in Jerusalem and Costa Rica are joining forces again to propose a new course in Spanish on The beginning of Christianity: the Acts of the...

The MSK (Basic Christian Community) in Barangay Kiloloron, Real, Philippines, has begun holding a weekly Community Pantry: a service that provides food directly to local people suffering from food insecurity. Pantries like this are popping up all over the Philippines...

    Sr Cristiane Dos Santos, NDS, has been interviewed by Hora News, a Brazilian digital newspaper, on the subject: The importance of ecumenism for Christianity and its relationship in a divided society   [button...

9 May   Sr Rita Kammermayer, NDS, has written a commentary on this week’s Sunday liturgy, on the theme:   I call you friends!   If you would like to read the commentary, is available on the website of the ISPS-Ratisbonne Bat Kol-Christian Centre for Jewish...

The Sisters of Our Lady of Sion grieve the loss of life at Mount Meron during the celebration of Lag B'Omer. Our thoughts and prayers go to the injured and the families of those who died. We pray for them, and for all victims of tragedies, disasters and illness around...

The SCDE invites you to join them via Zoom for the three sessions in their May programme. The sessions will be conducted via Zoom. To book a place on one of them, please contact sioncentrefordialogue@gmail.com. All courses are in English, and the times indicated are...

      We pray that the power of the risen Lord makes us bearers of a "contagion of hope"  (Pope Francis)

20 March  -  Sr Rita Kammermayer, NDS, has written a commentary on this week’s Parasha Readings, on the theme: The Call to Holiness   If you would like to read the commentary, it is available on the website of the ISPS-Ratisbonne Bat Kol-Christian Centre for...

    The NDS Centre for Biblical Formation (CBF) offers a rich programme of courses that are currently being held via the Zoom platform. Registration is required for all sessions, through the CBF. Courses planned for later in the year can be found on the CBF...

Sister Anne-Marie Brittain has been teaching bibliodrama in the Philippines for several years and is one of the newer members of the national network. She sees it as a way of making the Word of God active in people’s lives. What is bibliodrama? In bibliodrama,...

21 and 28 February   Sr Therese Fitzgerald, NDS, has written commentaries on the Sunday liturgy of these weeks, on the themes: Living with hope and Withholding nothing from God   If you would like to read the commentaries, they are available on the website of the...

  The Centre for Biblical Studies and Jewish-Christian Relations (Cerjuc-Sion) continues to promote a critical, committed and communal biblical study of the Scriptures, and especially a deeper understanding of the Jewish tradition and its richness for the...

14 February  Sr Diane Willey, NDS, has written a commentary on this week’s Sunday liturgy, on the theme: “The Early Church: Jewish and Gentile”   If you would like to read the commentary, it is available on the website of the ISPS-Ratisbonne Bat Kol-Christian...

  The Sion Centre for Dialogue and Encounter in London (UK) welcomes participants to its Spring Programme. All sessions will be conducted via Zoom. If you would like to book a place on one of the workshops, please send an email to sioncentrefordialogue@gmail.com....

26 January - Sr Therese Fitzgerald, NDS, has written a commentary on this week’s Parasha Readings, on the theme: “… you have only to keep still.”   If you would like to read the commentary, it is available on the website of the ISPS-Ratisbonne Bat Kol-Christian...

This week we observe International Holocaust Memorial Day. A day that makes us pause and remember. We commemorate the millions of victims of Nazi Germany’s genocidal policies especially against the Jewish people at the time and during World War II. The International...

10 January  Sr Margaret Shepherd, NDS, has written a commentary on this week’s Sunday liturgy, on the theme: “The Lord the strength that animates us”   If you would like to read the commentary, it is available on the website of the ISPS-Ratisbonne Bat...

3 January - Sr Rita Kammermayer, NDS, has written a commentary on this week’s Sunday liturgy, on the theme: “And the Word became flesh and lived among us”   If you would like to read the commentary, it is available on the website of the ISPS-Ratisbonne Bat...

21 December - Sr Diane Willey, NDS, has written a commentary on this week’s Parasha Readings, on the theme: “Jacob blessed Pharaoh”   If you would like to read the commentary, it is available on the website of the ISPS-Ratisbonne Bat Kol-Christian Centre for...

Sister Marianne Dacy traces the Congregation’s role in Jewish-Christian relations in Australia over the past 60 years in her 32-page book: Winds of change – the contribution of the Sisters of Our Lady of Sion to Jewish/Christian relations in Australia: 1960s – 2020+....

  In a moving virtual ceremony, Sr Celia Deutsch was honoured as recipient of the Eternal Light award bestowed annually by the Centre for Catholic Jewish Studies (CCJS) of the St Leo University in Florida (USA), in recognition of her work in Jewish-Christian...

  Christian-Jewish Dialogue of Toronto (CJDT) presents “Laying Foundations for Peace in the Holy Land: Young Voices from Jerusalem”. Sunday, 6 December, 12:30 - 1:30 pm (Toronto time) Israeli and Palestinian teenagers will share with us about their involvement in...

An exploration of systemic racism through a multi-faith lens       The Speakers are members of the Jewish, Christian and Muslim communities of Toronto: Jonathan Hamilton-Diabo Akilah Allen-Silverstein Imam Yasin Dwyer     [button...

  A celebration of the spirituality of communion, new evangelisation, and a call to human solidarity.   Speakers: Dr. Deborah Weissman The first Jewish woman President of the International Council of Christians and Jews and a highly respected spokesperson...

ONLINE EVENT  -  SUNDAY, NOV. 8th, 2 - 4 pm On Sunday, November 8th, from 2pm - 4pm, Saint Leo University's Centre for Catholic Jewish Studies (CCJS - Florida, USA) presents a special livestreamed panel of scholars, entitled The Sisters of Our Lady of Sion and Nostra...

22 October, 7 pm (Toronto time)   In partnership with the Sisters of Our Lady of Sion and Fraser Centre for Practical Theology (Regis College), the Christian Jewish Dialogue of Toronto (CJDT) presents an online event that explores systemic racism through a...

  Abrahamic faiths in dialogue – building harmony in today’s challenging context   October 21, 2 – 4 pm (Philippines time) Speakers:   Dr. Deborah Weissman The first Jewish woman President of the International Council of Christians and Jews and a highly...

The story of the Sisters of Our Lady of Sion in the Philippines is brought together in a comic that celebrates the 30th anniversary of the Congregation there. The comic reaches out to young people in the Philippines and neighbouring countries, and tells of how the NDS...

In this video, Sister Oonah O'Shea speaks about how the Sisters of Sion came to be in the Philippines, and how the community has developed there over the past thirty years.   https://youtu.be/YT9K46NiXQM

The Sisters of Notre Dame de Sion will host a webinar in Australia led by art historian Dr. Claire Renkin to explore how Jews have been depicted in Christian art over the centuries. The talk will be in English and will start at 4.30 pm, Melbourne time, on Tuesday 8...

  In celebration of the special year, “The God who Speaks – the Year of the Word”, most courses on the SCDE Autumn programme are based on Scripture. The first four events on the calendar will be via Zoom or Webinar. To book a place on these, please write to...

“The Future of Dialogue Beyond the Screen” is the theme of an online conversation (in English language) involving Sion Sister Lucy Thorson, Chair of the Christian-Jewish Dialogue of Toronto, on Sunday August 2 at 7.00 pm (Toronto time). The webinar, also featuring...

The Sion Centre for Dialogue and Encounter in London is opening the virtual doors to its workshops, via Zoom videoconferencing. The pilot programme will be led by: Rabbi Dr Michael Hilton, Rabbi Emeritus of Kol Chai, Scholar in Residence of the Liberal Jewish...

Sister Celia Deutsch has been selected as recipient of the next Eternal Light Award by the Advisory Board of Saint Leo University’s Center for Catholic-Jewish Studies (CCJS) in Florida, USA. The award is presented annually to an individual who has made outstanding...

The Sisters of Our Lady of Sion are giving aid to those most in need in the communities we serve in the Philippines, to help them get through lockdown during the coronavirus crisis. Some donations have gone towards assisting people in rural neighbourhoods, such as...

Notre Dame de Sion Sister Marianne Dacy took part in a panel at the recent 32nd Conference of the Australian Association for Jewish Studies (AAJS) attended by about 150 people at the the Sydney Jewish Museum. The theme of the conference was “Imagining Jews: Jewish...

Thanks to the efforts of Prof. Waclaw Wierzbieniec and the Jewish History and Culture Department of University of Rzeszów’s Institute of History, and with the support of local authorities and institutions, over 30 towns of Poland’s Podkarpackie Province honoured the...

In recognition of last week's International Holocaust Remembrance Day, we, the Sisters of Our Lady of Sion, reaffirm our solidarity with all victims of persecution and discrimination.  At this time, as we remember the 75th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz...

Every January 20th, since 1842, we remember and give thanks for the extraordinary and life-changing experience of grace, mercy and love granted to Alphonse Ratisbonne through Mary at a side altar of the church of Sant’Andrea delle Fratte. Alphonse’s experience with...

    The ANAWIM MISSION, participated by the Sion Philippines community, is hosting a day-long conversation with indigenous people in the run-up to the year of Ecumenism, Interreligious Dialogue and Indigenous Peoples declared for 2020 by the Catholic...

 A three-part course (in Polish) entitled "The basics of Judaism and Hebrew" will be held between November and January at the Krakow house of the Sisters of Sion to explore the roots of Christianity. The three sessions will take place on the second last Thursday of...

The annual gathering of Polish people who have taken part in the Service in Sion programme will be held on Saturday November 23, 2019 at 5.00 pm in Krakow. This year, Klaudia, Aga, Ola, Kinga and Marta will tell of their experiences in Ein Kerem, Israel, and Paris,...

The Autumn Programme at the Sion Centre for Dialogue and Encounter (SCDE) in London, UK, is well underway. This season's events are inspired by the Catholic Bishops’ Conference and the Bible Society's campaign The Year of the Word: The God Who Speaks.  Join the...

From 21 to 27 September, 86 delegates representing 48 countries met at the UISG Headquarters to discuss the future of Talitha Kum, an international network of consecrated life against human trafficking. During the week, they presented the work done by the women...

The Sisters of Sion are following with great interest the Special Assembly of the Synod of Bishops for the Pan-Amazon Region called by Pope Francis between 6 and 27 October 2019. The theme of the assembly is: new paths for the Church and for an integral ecology. It’s...

Sister Beth Burgo pronounced her perpetual vows on Thursday 12 September at St. Raphael Parish in the Municipality of Real, Philippines, reaffirming her commitment to the Church in the presence of her family, other Sion Sisters, and members of Saint Raphael’s Parish....

An initiative supported by the NDS Congregation to celebrate the rights of the child. November 20, 2019 marks the 30th anniversary of the International Convention on the Rights of the Child. For the occasion, the association L’enfant et la Shoah – Yad Layeled France,...

This year the Centre for Biblical Studies and Jewish-Christian Relations (Centro de Estudios Bíblicos y Relaciones Judeocristianas – CERJUC) in Moravia, Costa Rica, sponsored and co-ordinated by the Sisters of Our Lady of Sion, celebrates 30 years of pastoral work. To...

“The Earth is the Lord’s: Environmental Spirituality in Judaism and Christianity” is the title of a course to be led by Sion Sister Margaret Shepherd and Orthodox Jewish scholar Jonathan Gorsky at the Ammerdown Centre near Bath, UK, between 19 and 21 August. The...

A delegation of sixteen Family of Sion members, including nine sisters, represented the Sion congregation at the annual conference of the ICCJ (International Council of Christians and Jews), in Lund, Sweden, whose theme was: “Transformations within and between: How...

From 13-26 June, two Sion sisters took their itinerant mission to Nairobi, Kenya, with the aim of helping seminarians of the Franciscan Missionaries of Hope deepen their appreciation of the Jewish people and their knowledge of the Scriptures. It turned out to be an...

“An interesting and challenging read that provides insights into our experience of Trinity that allow us to develop our understanding.” This is how Sr Therese Fitzgerald describes the book entitled The Unity of the Trinity: Listening to the Tradition of Israel by Br....

The Pauline Letters were the theme of the Sisters of Sion’s itinerant training program held in June for seminarians and lay people at ITEPES (Instituto de Teologia, Pastoral e Ensino Superior da Amazônia) in Manaus, capital city of the state of Amazonas in the North...

After five years of collaborative effort and patience, a new church has finally opened its doors in the village of Berba in rural Upper Egypt, where the Congregation of the Sisters of Sion have been present for 25 years. Sister Jackie Chenard, who lives in Berba, was...

This April, three members of the Sisters of Sion Canada/US Vocations Team took part in a five-day initiative organized in collaboration with Notre Dame de Sion School in Kansas City. The purpose was to reflect on the charism of Sion and the theme of vocation: the many...

The May 7-9 conference at the Gregorian University, entitled “Jesus and the Pharisees: an interdisciplinary reappraisal,” aimed to challenge negative stereotypes that have built up over the centuries about the Pharisees, inviting Christians to take a more appreciative...

The power of interfaith leadership in bringing about positive change in global challenges was the focus of the panel Sister Lucy Thorson from Canada took part in at the international Education for Action conference in Rome. The event, attended by over 150 people,...

On 29 April Sister Therese Fitzgerald, Irish Sion member, gave a talk on how right relationships lie at the core of both dialogue and justice, at the annual conference of SEDOS (Service of Documentation and Studies on Global Mission) in Ariccia, Italy. The five-day...

After four decades of opening their hearts and home to neighbours in Winnipeg, Canada, Sister Bernadette O’Reilly and Sister Margaret Hughes made a 800-kilometre journey at the end of April, to join the Saskatoon community of the Sion Congregation. For 40 years the...

Twelve to eighteen-year-old Sion students from four continents gathered between the 6 and the 14 of April in Costa Rica to reflect together on the charism of Sion and the different realities of Sion youth across the globe. The aim was to create bonds and fraternity...

Sister Jean Quinn’s first meeting with homeless Jennifer happened outside a cinema in Dublin and marked the beginning of a long and meaningful friendship. At the following link to the Global Sisters Report website we share Sister Jean’s moving story: My encounter with...

After a yearly break, Sisters of Notre Dame de Sion are starting again to provide biblical courses for those who want to deepen  their understanding of Scriptures in Iasi, Romania. The three proposed courses are: one from the Old Testament, one from the New Testament...

The last week of January, I spent in Poland in Podkarpacie Region (formerly Galicia and where I come from), where from the 27 of January, until 3 of February in 70 villages and towns various meetings and events took place to mark the Holocaust Memorial Day in Poland....

Le Centre de Formation Biblique de la Congrégation Notre Dame de Sion organise une nouvelle session de 2 semaines, centrée sur le thème de l'Espérance dans la Bible, dans l'expérience juive et chrétienne. « Je sais, moi, les desseins que je forme pour vous, oracle du...

“Today is the anniversary of the founding of our Sion. It was on this day that the thought of Sion was brought down to earth, not by an angel, not by an archangel, not by the apostles, but by the Mother of God herself. Today we can consider this marvel in its fruits...

The Council of Centers on Jewish-Christian Relations (CCJR) is “an association of centers and institutes in the United States and Canada devoted to enhancing mutual understanding between Jews and Christians” (https://www.ccjr.us/). Celia Deutsch (Brooklyn, N.Y.,...

Compiled by Sr. Lucy Thorson, NDS and Murray Watson With its 1965 declaration Nostra Aetate (On the Church’s Relationship to Non-Christian Religions), the Catholic Church inaugurated a historic and wide-ranging transformation in its thinking about, and relating to,...

  May God’s coming among us lead us to daring hope and abounding love for one another and all. Blessed Christmas.  Mary, Adriana, Clare, Marie Lise   

Message of Pape François 29/10/2019 Dear brothers and sisters, I express my closeness to the city of Pittsburgh, in the United States of America, and in particular to the Jewish community, which was struck yesterday by a terrible attack in the synagogue. May the Most...

Sisters of our Lady of Sion St Margaret’s Close Prestwich Manchester M25 2LY United Kingdom I am writing on behalf of the Sion Jewish Christian development Team of the Sisters of the Congregation of Our Lady of Sion. I am based in Manchester, the United Kingdom and we...

Les sœurs de la région UK/Irlande se sont réunies à Bayswater, la maison des sœurs de Sion de Londres, pour la transmission de l'Assemblée de Congrégation de Paris en septembre 2018. Deux sœurs du conseil général...

Le jardin de Sœur Emmanuelle, Callian, le17/10/2018. Au nom de l’association Asmae-sœur Emmanuelle, je remercie la Mairie de Callian, de baptiser ce parc de jeux pour enfants, le jardin sœur Emmanuelle. Vous avez eu la délicatesse de donner le nom de sœur Emmanuelle a...

  We, Alejandra, Andrea, Clara and Nancy went to Guatemala to participate in the First Congress of New Generations of the Mesoamerican Region from July 27th to 29th. We were 80 religious men and women from various congregations and countries and we gathered to...

Dos dias 22 a 28 de julho de 2018 alguns Religiosos, religiosas, formandos e uma associada de Sion, se reuniram na Paróquia Nossa Senhora da Consolata dos Religiosos de Sion, no Rio de Janeiro para a realização de mais uma missão Sionense. Já é o terceiro ano que...

I had heard from Srs. Clare, Margaret and Kathy, NDS about the International Jewish Christian Bible Week for a number of years and they had given me the impression that it was a programme that marks memory for a long time. Finally, this year, I was able to take part...

Statement from sr. Pat NDS from the Philippines concerning the Bureau of Immigration's Deportation Order against her: 'After attending a Fact-Finding Mission and telling some Coca Cola workers that the social teachings of the church support them in their formation of...

7 juillet 1968 - 7 juillet 2018 : messe d’action de grâce pour le jubilé de Sr Marie François en La Chapelle de La Solitude de Grand Bourg. En guise de renouvellement de ses vœux solennels, notre Sœur sort de sa poche un texte qui dit toute son authenticité. De...

  Sisters Anne Lee, Brenda Dorrian and Margaret attended the Leavers Service on the last  day of term in Sion School Worthing, UK – Friday 6th July.  This took place in Arundel Cathedral – a beautiful venue.  The service was a beautiful mixture of music, poetry,...

Sr. Margaret NDS attended 2018 National Meeting of the Inter Faith Network for the UK which took place at Derby City Football ground, London.

A Wonderful Celebration Our final First Communion Celebration this year was on 17th June. It was an opportunity for all the children who had received the Sacrament, to come together and celebrate with each other. What a joy, to have children from 16 countries and many...

  We rejoice with sr. Phil who has celebrated her Silver Jubilee this month.  She had a beautiful gathering of Sisters and Brothers of Sion in Jerusalem as well as friends and family who had travelled from Ireland.  We were pleased that Anne Mc was able to go to Ein...

Six of UK/Ireland region attended the conference of the ICCJ in Budapest.  A report will follow so we will not give lots of details here, but just a few thoughts.  There were 15 participants from Sion, 6 from our region, as well as Jilvaneide from Brazil, Ania from...

Sr. Wafaa Shehata NDS grew up in the village of El Berba in the diocese of Minya in Upper Egypt. During the time when Sr. Juliana and Sr. Darlene lived in Berba, she was the first young women finding her way to the congregation of “Notre Dame de Sion”. After her...