The Sisters Notre Dame de Namur marked the congregation's 175th year of service in the United States on October 31, 2015.

View a special video celebrating our 175-year history and legacy.

The first group of eight Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur came to this country in 1840 from Belgium, at the invitation of Cincinnati's Bishop John Purcell. He wanted the Sisters' help to build a strong Catholic school system in his young diocese and across the country.  Within a couple of years, the Ohio Sisters had started 17 Notre Dame schools around Cincinnati, eight in Dayton, five in Columbus, and they were teaching in another dozen schools in the state. Their work soon spread to schools all along the eastern seaboard.

Over the course of the order's 175 years in this country, the Sisters have taught in more than 200 schools in 22 states, shaping the lives of millions of students. Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur have also built more than 100 schools including Notre Dame University in Belmont, California; Emmanuel College in Boston, and Trinity College (now Trinity Washington University) in Washington DC.