Longtime Catholic educator chosen to lead Sisters of Notre Dame in the United States

For nearly 30 years, Sister of Notre Dame Dianne Rumschlag, has devoted her ministry in the Diocese of St. Augustine to helping young people discover their God-given potential.

Now she is answering a new call.

After decades serving Catholic education in Northeast Florida, including helping establish Guardian Catholic School in Jacksonville, Sister Dianne has been appointed provincial of the Sisters of Notre Dame of the United States, assuming leadership of approximately 420 sisters serving across the country.

“It is an awesome moment saying yes to an unknown and complicated reality, and that is only because I know that God in providential care has the answer,” Sister Dianne said. “Everything in my life has led to this and it is no accident that I’m here today. Only God.”

For Sister Dianne, the appointment is the latest chapter in a life marked by listening for God’s voice and responding with trust. First came her call to religious life as a Sister of Notre Dame. Then came a vocation within a vocation — serving Catholic schools and helping shape generations of students in the Diocese of St. Augustine.

Perhaps nowhere is that legacy more visible than at Guardian Catholic School.

In 2017, Sister Dianne played a key role in bringing together Holy Rosary Catholic School and St. Pius V Catholic School to form Guardian Catholic School, a unified campus serving Jacksonville’s urban core. Today, the school continues its mission of helping students attain their potential through high-quality Catholic education in a Christ-centered environment.

The school’s emphasis on “protecting potential” mirrors the educational mission that has long guided the Sisters of Notre Dame.

Founded in Germany in 1850 and established in the United States in 1874, the Sisters of Notre Dame are dedicated to proclaiming God’s goodness and provident care through education, pastoral ministry and service to those who are poor and marginalized. The congregation’s charism calls sisters to joyful simplicity, trust in God and a commitment to helping others recognize their dignity as children of God.

That mission has shaped Sister Dianne’s ministry for decades.

“Being here was like mission at its best in terms of the needs of the families, children and everyone involved,” she said of her years at Guardian Catholic School. “It was life-giving in every sense of the word. To know that you’ve truly impacted people’s lives, that is the legacy.”

Her experience leading through change will serve her well in her new role.

Six years ago, the Sisters of Notre Dame’s four U.S. provinces merged into a single national province. Today, the congregation ministers throughout the United States and around the world as part of an international community serving on five continents.

The selection of a provincial follows an extensive process of prayer, reflection and discernment involving sisters from across the country.

“Every sister in the province is involved in months of sharing Scripture, sharing readings and Zoom chats,” Sister Dianne said. “The thing about discernment is that you can feel the power of the Holy Spirit at work.”

She described the process as a gradual journey of listening — one that ultimately made it clear where God was leading.

“It was a journey and a really gradual awareness going from what you think the answer is to God and the Holy Spirit leading you to what the answer truly is,” she said. “At that point, it becomes easy to say, ‘I’m available and I can do this.’”

As provincial, Sister Dianne will help guide the congregation’s priorities for the next six years. She points to the Church’s call to synodality — listening, discerning and journeying together — as an important model for leadership.

“We want to bring everybody’s voices and experiences together to set what the new priorities will be,” she said.

She also sees the role as an opportunity to ensure the congregation remains faithful to its mission while responding to the challenges of the modern world.