Sister Mary Katherine Palisin, Sisters of Notre Dame nun.

ABOVE: March 18th, 2011 photo of Sister Mary Katherine Palisin in front of the Tabernacle at Saint James Catholic Cathedral in downtown Orlando.

Sister Mary Katherine Palisin, Sisters of Notre Dame nun, remembers how her parents had a “living love for this country,” the United States of America, which they passed on to her and her siblings.

ABOVE: 1953 Christmas photo of Sister Mary Katherine Palisin with her family in the home her parents built in Lakewood, Ohio. Pictured from left to right are Anna and Michael Palisin with their children Margaret, Mary Katherine, Michael, Georgine and Annie. (Paul born in 1955 and Therese born in 1956 are not pictured.)

In this excerpt from an oral history interview at St. James Cathedral on March 18th, 2011 she describes how their love for our country along with her experiences teaching in Washington, DC and diverse areas of the United States brought her to treasure America. As a teacher these are values she has tried to hand on to the children in her work in Catholic education. “We pray and we pledge…. We honor our God and we honor our country. All the ideals it stands for and all that we try to strive to do in our lives to make it the country we were meant to be.”

LISTEN  (2:21) Love of Country

Sister Mary Katherine Palisin, Sisters of Notre Dame nun, remembers how her parents had a “living love for this country,” the United States of America, which they passed on to her and her siblings. In this excerpt from an oral history interview at St. James Cathedral on March 18th, 2011 she describes how their love for our country along with her experiences teaching in Washington, DC and diverse areas of the United States brought her to treasure America. As a teacher these are values she has tried to hand on to the children in her work in Catholic education. “We pray and we pledge…. We honor our God and we honor our country. All the ideals it stands for and all that we try to strive to do in our lives to make it the country we were meant to be.”

LISTEN (13:33) Part I – St. James Cathedral Pastoral Ministry 

From Germany to America, from Arlington to Altamonte, the educational heritage of the Sisters of Notre Dame enriches the lives of individuals throughout the world.

In this 13 minute excerpt from an oral history interview on March 18th, 2011 at Saint James Cathedral in downtown Orlando, Sister Mary Katherine Palisin, Sisters of Notre Dame nun, traces the history of the Sisters of Notre Dame from their religious persecution in Germany in 1875 to their welcome in the United States as educators of German immigrants.

She details the educational foundations they contributed to our country as teachers, principals, educational leaders and founders of organizations such as Notre Dame College as well as their origins in Florida.

In the 1970’s teachers were needed in Florida and pastors heard from bishop friends, “If you want good teachers get the Sisters of Notre Dame.” The first places in Florida that the Sisters of Notre Dame began to teach were Our Lady of Lourdes in Dunedin, Saint Mary Magdalene in Altamonte Springs and St. Joseph’s in Winter Haven. Listen to this fascinating account of history and culture from Sister of Notre Dame nun, Sister Mary Katherine Palisin, Pastoral Minister at Saint James Cathedral in downtown Orlando.

LISTEN (7:34) Coming to Florida

Sister Mary Katherine Palisin, Sisters of Notre Dame nun, shares how she came to Florida to serve in the field of education. She details the communities in Florida where she taught and the transition she made to become Pastoral Minister at St. James Cathedral in downtown Orlando in this excerpt from an oral history interview on March 18th, 2011.

LISTEN  (12:02) The Future of St. James Cathedral

Director of Pastoral Ministry for St. James Cathedral, Sister Mary Katherine Palisin, Sisters of Notre Dame nun, reflects on the future of Saint James Cathedral in downtown Orlando in this excerpt from an oral history interview on March 18th, 2011.

LISTEN  (12:59) Life of a Minister

Sister Mary Katherine Palisin, Director of Pastoral Ministry at St. James Cathedral in downtown Orlando, shares how serving our community has affected her life in this excerpt from an oral history interview on March 18, 2011.

LISTEN  (5:09) Easter Memories

In this excerpt from an oral history interview March 18th, 2011 Sister Mary Katherine Palisin, Sisters of Notre Dame nun and
Director of Pastoral Ministry at Saint James Cathedral in Orlando, shares her childhood memories of Easter.