Oblates of Notre Dame

The Oblates of Notre Dame (OND) is a religious congregation based in Cotabato City, Philippines. The congregation consists of 172 sisters as of January, 2016.

It was founded November 10, 1956 in Cotabato City, by two missionaries of Oblates of Mary Immaculate who came to Manila in 1939: Fathers George Dion and Gerard Mongeau. The First Members were: Sr. Ma. Estrella Adre,OND and Sr. Rosita Quijano,OND

Their primary apostolate is Pastoral Catechesis. Many sisters are working as parish sisters and help in diocesan offices in various local churches. They own and administer schools or help in other institutions as administrators, deans of women or campus ministers especially among Notre Dame schools in the Philippines and church-owned institutions.

The OND Sisters are also active engaged in Social Ministry which includes OND HESED Foundation, Reconciliation Center, Hospital Work, Migrants, Women, Agro-Ecology,and action and dialogue of life with Moro Communities particularly in Sulu-Tawi-Tawi, advocating alternative education and promotion of rights among indigenous peoples.

Mission

The Oblates of Notre Dame's distinctive evangelical hallmark is that of being poor and seeking to evangelize the poor at all times. We are called to live our OND Spirituality which is to strive to please God always (Jn 8:29) expressed in a lifestyle consistent with the spirit of Jesus the poor and Mary as disciple.

The OND Sisters participate in the mission of God (missio Dei) through Parish/Diocesan Ministries, Education Ministry, Formation and Retreat Ministries, Social Services through the OND HESED Foundation (Pastoral care for women, children, migrants, seafarers, Indigenous Peoples, Justice and Peace/Integrity of Creation, Culture of Peace and Interreligious Dialogue), and Resource Building Initiative

Each OND Sister is invited to take upon herself the personal responsibility to grow in self-knowledge, to move away from self-centeredness to selflessness and to recapture that sense of self-sacrifice for the sake of the marginalized and the excluded. This requires an ongoing study and an appropriation of personal prayer and contemplation.

We are called to create, nurture and sustain intentional community mindful of our common search for God and attentive to the spirit in reading the signs of the times.

We unite ourselves in praise and thanksgiving with the Church in the Liturgy of the Hours. The Eucharistic sacrifice is the source and center of our consecrated life.

We gladly join forces with all whom we work with. We cooperate and collaborate with our bishops, priests, brothers and sisters, laity and ministers of other faiths in a spirit of understanding. The love we extend to them gives striking witness to the universality of the Church.

Stages of Formation

Vocation to the religious life is a call from God. It is God who takes the initiative and extends the invitation. He calls whenever He wants, wherever He wants, whomever He wants.

1. COME AND SEE PERIOD: To seek denotes a goal determined dynamism of a person's life. What one seeks reveals one's deepest concerns. This is the time for the candidates to find out whether the Oblates of Notre Dame is the community for which they are best suited. This is the stage for nurturing the call.

2. PRENOVITIATE: to search into one's inner person and respond to the call away from the world. This period lasts for one year. It is spent in the House of Formation. After a period of probation, our postulants will be admitted to the Novitiate through a rite of initiation which is preceded by a retreat of five days.

3. NOVITIATE: For two years the sisters grow in the culture of the Religious Life-OND style-until they are ready for profession of vows. The novices are introduced to the authentic nature, spirit and purpose of the congregation. Our novices receive solid spiritual, theological and apostolic formation according to the charism of the Oblates of Notre Dame to enable them to discern and cherish their call and commit themselves to God through the Oblates of Notre Dame.

4. JUNIORATE

A. JAP (Juniors in Academic Program): Designed to develop competent and creative theological spiritual discipline needed for dynamic ministering in mission.

B. JIM (Juniors in Mission) facilitates an on-going formation of young professed sisters while they are actively involved in the various OND ministries.

C. Juniors in Renewal Program-the last phase of the Juniorate-Renewal Year-lasts for 10 months, is a period to help the Junior Sisters make an essential act of total consecration to God that will engage them to live the evangelical counsels of chastity, poverty and obedience.

5. ON-GOING FORMATION: Formation is far from finished when perpetual vows are pronounced. The sisters seek to grow daily and develop in the life of Christ and in the likeness of Mary who did all that pleased Him. OGF assists the sisters in their continuing education which extends to all aspects of religious person and in the whole institute itself and her mission.

Locations

The OND Sisters are located in these following Dioceses and Archdioceses

MINDANAO

• Archdiocese of Cotabato
• Archdiocese of Davao
• Archdiocese of Zamboanga
• Diocese of Kidapawan, Cotabato Province
• Diocese of Marbel, South Cotabato
• Territorial Prelature of Isabela, Basilan
• Vicariate of Jolo and Tawi-Tawi

VISAYAS

• Archdiocese of Cebu
• Archdiocese of Palo, Leyte

LUZON

• Diocese of Cubao
• Roman Catholic Diocese of Kalookan

FOREIGN MISSIONS

• Archdiocese of Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea
• Diocese of Daru-Kiunga, Papua New Guinea
• Archdiocese of San Angelo, Texas, USA
• Diocese of Naha, Okinawa, Japan

References

Oblates of Notre Dame