The Kyoto connection: Students and sisters celebrate a shared history
In 1948, four sisters from St. Louis made the journey from Missouri to Kyoto, Japan, to help re-establish Christian education for Japanese students. World War II had only recently ended, and the sisters needed not only passports, but also military permits to enter the country. The sisters navigated a long trip and many challenges but were successful in building a presence in the country, which now includes Kyoto Notre Dame University, Notre Dame Elementary School and Notre Dame Jogakuin Jr. and Sr. High School.
All these years later, their work set the stage for a special visit by students from Notre Dame Jogakuin Jr. and Sr. High School to spend a day connecting with their St. Louis-based counterparts. While the visit was brief, with the Japanese students touching down in St. Louis the morning of March 6 and then taking back off only some 24 hours later, sisters and students at Notre Dame High School did their best to share an agenda of educational experiences and historical context, alongside some St. Louis sightseeing.
Upon their arrival from the airport, the 45 students from Japan joined Notre Dame High School students for a well-deserved break via lunch in the cafe. From there, they were able to sit in several classes and witness a little more in “day in the life” of U.S. students.
After that, the group moved on from the school to Sancta Maria in Ripa for a prayer service and tours, which included a visit to the Heritage Room with Sister Carol Marie Wildt.
“I was able to show them the heritage painting and the model of the School Sisters of Notre Dame seal, which reads Virtus et Scientia – Virtue and Knowledge,” said Sister Carol Marie. “I could indicate to them that the pins they were wearing and the buttons on their jackets were of that same seal, and how that shows that we are all one, as was Mother Theresa’s vision.”
Sister Carol Marie is the local archive contact at Sancta Maria in Ripa and frequently tours guests through the Heritage Room, sharing the history of the School Sisters of Notre Dame (SSND).
“With high school students, their experience of history is relatively short. I enjoy helping to broaden that understanding by showing how extensive and important this work is,” said Sister Carol Marie. “Every time I share the history, I am so grateful to share our charism and our education of girls, how that has empowered women all over the world.”
From there, the group ventured downtown for a must-see view of the Arch and dinner and treats at a soda-fountain themed restaurant.
Later this summer, students from St. Louis will be taking a trip to Japan, continuing to build and strengthen the long-time connection between the two countries first established by SSND more than 75 years ago.
Read more on our special ministry relationships in Japan: