The Sisters of Notre Dame have been leaders in education since their arrival in the Western Highlands of Papua New Guinea (PNG) in 1961, near the city of Mt. Hagen. Today, sisters are involved in ministries of education and catechesis, the pastoral care of AIDS patients at Shalom House, vocation awareness programs, and women’s empowerment in the Western Highlands towns of Kumdi, Banz, and Rebiamul.
Notre Dame Secondary School
Notre Dame Secondary School educates 800 girls in grades 9-12, and more than 7,000 young women have gone through the Notre Dame-sponsored school since its opening in 1969. The sisters are empowering these young women and are instrumental in developing Christian leadership in the local parishes of PNG.
SND House of Formation
The House of Formation is for young women considering religious life. The reality of the Church in PNG depends much on the indigenous people bringing the Good News to their own people. Most of the Papua New Guineans who are professed sisters have become trained teachers.
SND Maria Kwin Resource Center
Maria Kwin offers adult learning with year-round courses in Scripture, agriculture, cooking, sewing and health care.
Shalom House
Shalom House is a respite center where the Sisters help women, men and children infected or affected with the AIDS virus. The Sisters of Notre Dame have been leaders in forming a national AIDS awareness education program to communicate prevention and management of the disease.