School Sisters of Notre Dame Sponsorship
One Mind – One Heart – One Spirit
The mission and goals of the Academy of the Holy Angels are defined by the charism and educational vision of the School Sisters of Notre Dame, the community that founded Holy Angels and continues to own and sponsor it today. The Academy is part of a global network of SSND schools in the United States and throughout the world.
The spiritual energy and moral purpose of Holy Angels is rooted in the soul and traditions of Blessed Theresa Gerhardinger, the SSND foundress. Mother Theresa elaborated a form of education that grew out of her profound grasp of what God meant to her and others and her desire to share the God she knew and loved with young people. She firmly believed in the holistic dimension of education and formation based on the vision of the potential of the human person as God envisioned. The school became her workshop for bringing God’s love to others. This is the vision that has made its way through the long history of SSND education and is evident in every dimension of life at Holy Angels.
The charism and educational vision of the School Sisters of Notre Dame permeates AHA. That vision is found in the Constitution of the Schools Sisters of Notre Dame, You Are Sent:
“For us, School Sisters of Notre Dame, education means enabling persons to reach the fullness of their potential as individuals created in God’s image and assisting them to direct their gifts toward building the earth. Like Mother Theresa, we educate with the conviction that the world can be changed through the transformation of persons. Thus, our ministry demands a Christian vision of what the human person is called to be and what the world is destined to become.” You Are Sent, #22, 1986.
As a response to the call of Christ and with the conviction that the world can be changed through the transformation of persons, Holy Angels pursues a Christian vision of what the human person is called to be and what the world is destined to become. An education at Holy Angels is characterized by the following four values:
- A conviction that educational excellence empowers those served to reach their full potential as individuals and enables them to direct their giftedness toward transforming the world
- A sense of responsibility for the world, especially the needs of women, youth, and other persons who are marginalized
- A commitment to work for unity in a divided world; unity that is evidenced by inclusivity, inter-nationality, and community building at all levels
- An openness to radical transformation, responding to issues of justice, peace, and the
integrity of creation, as well as to working for systemic change, as appropriate.
Sturdy Roots
Check out this educational resource for studying the Heritage and Spirit of the School Sisters of Notre Dame. Read More »
Feast of Blessed Theresa
Blessed Theresa of Jesus Gerhardinger, foundress of the School Sisters of Notre Dame, lived from 1797 until May 9, 1879. The day she died is celebrated as her feast day.
In 2021, Sisters from the Province of Africa, Atlantic-Midwest Province and Central Pacific Province chose to honor and remember Blessed Theresa on her feast day with a video featuring images of her from around the world combined with their favorite quotes from her many letters and other writings.
Feast of Blessed Theresa video – full version (12:30 minutes)
Feast of Blessed Theresa video – short version (4 minutes)
AHA Mission Statement (May 2020)
The Academy of the Holy Angels is an independent Catholic preparatory school dedicated to excellence in the education of young women. Rooted in the charism of the School Sisters of Notre Dame. AHA empowers each student to define and achieve the fullness of her own potential. Our students are called to be leaders who recognize the dignity of all persons and promote justice and peace and care of all of God’s creation.