Keynote Speaker: Sister Patricia Chappell, SNDdeN

Mariandale is proud to host the fifth annual St. Martin de Porres Day at the center, with Sister Patricia Chappell to lead a day of reflection on the Black Catholic heritage, inspired by bold leaders such as St. Martin de Porres and Servant of God Sr. Thea Bowman.

Sr. Patricia Chappell, SNDdeN is a member of the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur and a licensed social worker in the District of Columbia. She earned her bachelor’s degree in psychology from Saint Joseph College (now the University of Saint Joseph) and holds a master’s degree in Social Work from The Catholic University of America. She is accredited by the Academy of Certified Social Worker’s Ins.

From 1981-89, Sister was employed with Shalom, Inc. located in Philadelphia, PA doing extensive work in the field of substance abuse intervention. Her work emphasized providing services to African American youth and their families. Later she served as a family therapist at the Philadelphia Child Guidance Clinic. Sr. Patricia served as full-time President of the National Black Sisters’ Conference (NBSC) from 1995-2001. In 1997, she received the Harriet Tubman Award from the National Black Sisters. Conference. Under her leadership, the NBSC sponsored the inaugural National Gathering for Black Catholic Women. In 2001, she was elected to the Provincial Leadership Team of the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur in the former Connecticut Province- becoming the first African American to serve in this role. In 2011, she became the first African American Executive Director of Pax Christi, USA, the National Catholic Nonviolent Peace and Justice Movement, based in Washington, DC.

Trained by Crossroads, Sr. Patricia has since taken on a pivotal role in anti-racism work. She currently serves as co-chair of the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur, USA Anti-Racism Team, working with religious congregations across the country to dismantle racism and promote justice. In 2019, she was elected to the Leadership Team of the US-East-West Province of the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur. She has also served on the Board of Trustees of Trinity University (Washington, DC), the Board of Directors of the National Black Sisters’ Conference; and is an active member of Sisters in the Spirit in the Archdiocese of Washington, D.C. She currently serves on the Board of Directors of Support Our Aging Religious (SOAR).

Sr. Patricia has received numerous honors, including the Outstanding Leadership Award from the Leadership Conference of Women Religious (LCWR) in 2011, the Ambassadors of Peace Award from Pax Christi USA in 2022 and in 2025, the Sister Mary Rosa McDonough Distinguished Alumni Award, University of Saint Joseph, (West Hartford, CT) Sister is a Lady of Grace in the Women’s Auxiliary of the Knights of St. Peter Claver and is a member of the Women’s Auxiliary of St. John, Archdiocese of Washington, DC.

Conference Schedule:

10am Welcome
10:15 am Choir and Dancers
10:45 am Presentation
11:30 am Dialogue
1:00 pm Sharing and Reflection

Cost:

$40 for all day session: Keynote plus lunch and afternoon session.
$20 for students: Keynote plus lunch and afternoon session.
$20 online rate for morning address.

Please arrive by 9:45 am to provide time for check-in and coffee.