Catholic Review

Inspiring the Archdiocese of Baltimore

Sister Delia Dowling, a Baltimore native, has been elected to serve a four-year term as a provincial councilor for the School Sisters of Notre Dame, Atlantic-Midwest Province. (Courtesy SSND)

Baltimore native Sister Delia Dowling elected to SSND provincial council


By
Catholic Review Filed Under: Consecrated Life, Feature, Local News, News

Sister Delia Dowling, a Baltimore native, has been elected to serve a four-year term as a provincial councilor for the School Sisters of Notre Dame, Atlantic-Midwest Province. 

The new five-member council was installed in a liturgical ceremony Dec. 8 at Stella Maris in Timonium, officiated by Father Joseph Muth.

The daughter of John and Mary Dowling, Sister Delia was born in Baltimore and grew up in Westowne, in now-closed St. William of York Parish. She attended St. William of York School and Seton High School. She earned her bachelor’s degree from what is now Notre Dame of Maryland University; her master’s in Mathematics Education from The Ohio State University; and her doctorate in Mathematics Education from Ohio State.

Her ministries have taken her as far afield as Washington, but she has served primarily in education in Baltimore, and from 1977 to 1996, at Notre Dame of Maryland, first as a faculty member, and later as academic dean. Sister Delia then served as president of Sisters Academy of Baltimore from 2004 to 2023.

Sister Delia received the Medal of Honor in Education in 2023 from the Archdiocese of Baltimore.

“I’m beginning my new ministry as I celebrate my 60th Jubilee as a School Sister of Notre Dame,” Sister Delia said in an SSND media release. “While I loved serving as teacher and educational administrator over the past 50-plus years, I look forward to this new chapter. What a wonderful opportunity to serve the community that has given me so much.”

After previously serving as councilor, Sister Nancy Gilchriest, SSND, now will serve as provincial leader of the province. 

Other newly installed provincial council members include: Sister Paula Dukehart (Councilor/Vicar); Sister Celeste Reinhart (Councilor) and Sister Mary Roy Weiss (Councilor).

The School Sisters of Notre Dame are an international community numbering more than 1,700 Catholic sisters in 27 countries. The Atlantic-Midwest Province includes four major areas: Baltimore, Chicago, Canada, and Bridgeport, Conn.

Read More Local News

Copyright © 2025 Catholic Review Media

Print Print