Emmanuel College Celebrating 21st Anniversary of Founders’ Day
January 24, 2013
Founders' Week, the College's celebration honoring the legacy of St. Julie Billiart and Francoise Blin de Bourdon, the founders of the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur (SND), will take place January 27th-February 2nd. Sponsored by Emmanuel's Center for Mission & Spirituality, the weeklong series of events begins on Sunday, January 27th, with an 11:00 a.m. Liturgy and commissioning ceremony for the new members of the 1804 Society, a student leadership organization dedicated to continuing the tradition of mission at the College and promoting the charism of the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur.
The 21st annual Founders' Day events will occur on Thursday, January 31st, with the celebration of Mass in the morning, followed by an address by Sr. Lorraine Connell, SND, General Treasurer of the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur, at 12:15 p.m. in the Janet M. Daley Library Lecture Hall. Sr. Lorraine will speak on her initiative, "Power of the Sun: The African Photovoltaic Project," an environmental development by the SNDs, which provides electricity, clean water and internet access, using solar energy, for their schools, hospitals and clinics in Nigeria and the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Later that evening, the Class of 2013 will gather in the Fenway Room for the traditional "100 Days: a Founders' Day Celebration," during which the Emmanuel College Chapel bells will ring 100 times in recognition of the number of days the senior class has left until graduation. Class officers will speak about the impact the SNDs have had on the soon-to-be graduates.
Additional highlights of Founders' Week include a screening of the award-winning documentary "They Killed Sister Dorothy," which profiles the life and murder of Sister Dorothy Stang, SND and her work on behalf of the indigenous people of Brazil and in the Amazon rainforest, the Competition for a Cause, which will raise money for SND ministries in the Boston area and various dinners, discussions and service opportunities.
Visit the College's events calendar for more on Founders' Week.
