Sisters of Notre Dame postulants, Mayra Martinez from the California SND province, and Nicole Varnerin from the Cleveland SND province entered the novitiate of the Sisters of Notre Dame on February 20. A simple ceremony was held at the Covington province during community Evening Prayer.
Mayra and Nicole have been in formation with the Sisters of Notre Dame since 2014, first as Candidates and then as Postulants in their respective provinces. This past August they moved into the national SND formation house in Covington to complete their postulancy and begin their novitiate.
According to the Church, the time of novitiate allows for a greater and more intense understanding of one’s vocation to religious life and one’s vocation with the Sisters of Notre Dame.
During the ceremony, Mayra and Nicole received their congregational crucifix and constitutions and took on their religious names—Sister Mayra Marie and Sister Nicole Marie. They will continue in the novitiate for several years before professing their temporary vows.