About Notre Dame de Namur University · Belmont, California
Notre Dame de Namur University (NDNU) is a private Catholic university in Belmont, California, on the San Francisco Peninsula. Founded by the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur in 1851 as the Academy of Notre Dame in San Jose, it is the third-oldest college in California and the first institution in the state authorized to grant the baccalaureate degree to women (1868). The university moved to its current 46-acre Belmont campus in 1923, centered on the historic Ralston Hall mansion. NDNU is the only four-year accredited university in San Mateo County and offers Catholic higher education rooted in the mission of St. Julie Billiart. The university chapel, Cunningham Chapel, hosts community Masses that are open to the wider public.
- Established
- 1851
- Patron
- Our Lady (Notre Dame); the founding congregation's patron is St. Julie Billiart
- Diocese
- Archdiocese of San Francisco (Belmont lies in San Mateo County)
Why belong here
NDNU's chapel community welcomes students, faculty, staff, and the wider public to two weekend Masses celebrated in the historic Cunningham Chapel, situated in the historic Ralston Hall mansion on a 46-acre peninsula campus. The community actively invites participation in liturgy — as Eucharistic Ministers, lectors, greeters, or members of the music ministry team — and encourages students to help plan the liturgies themselves, making worship here a living expression of the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur's mission of prayer, study, and service.
Mass times at Notre Dame de Namur University
Weekly Mass schedule
History of Notre Dame de Namur University
NDNU traces its roots to 1851, when Sisters Loyola and Marie Catherine of the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur came to the San Francisco Bay Area from Oregon with limited means and great faith. They opened the Academy of Notre Dame in San Jose, which was chartered in 1868 as the first college in California authorized to grant the baccalaureate degree to women. By 1923 the San Jose campus had outgrown its footprint, and the Sisters purchased Ralston Hall — the country estate of Bank of California founder William Chapman Ralston — in what would become Belmont. Classes for the college, high school and elementary school began on the new site that fall, with the Sisters and boarders moving into Ralston Hall itself. The institution became co-educational in 1969, added master's degrees in 1972, evening undergraduate programs in 1987, and was renamed Notre Dame de Namur University in 2001.
- 1851 — Academy of Notre Dame founded in San Jose
- 1868 — Chartered as first California college to grant the baccalaureate degree to women
- 1923 — Campus moves to Belmont into Ralston Hall
- 1928 — High school and elementary building completed
- 1953 — Becomes a four-year college
- 1957 — Elementary school relocates up the street
- 1955 — Evening classes introduced
- 1965 — Teaching credential programs begin
- 1969 — Becomes co-educational
- 1972 — First master's degrees offered
- 1987 — Evening undergraduate programs initiated
- 2001 — Renamed Notre Dame de Namur University
- 2009 — Becomes a Hispanic-Serving Institution
- 2012 — Online programs begin
- 2013 — Launches one of the first U.S. PhD programs in Art Therapy
- 2015 — Tracy campus established
- 2021 — Begins transition to graduate-only; Stanford purchase agreement announced
- 2022 — First West Coast university to house Afghan refugees
- 2024 — WSCUC reaffirms accreditation with a notice of concern
- 2025 — Stanford backs out of campus purchase
The Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur
NDNU was founded by, and continues to be sponsored by, the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur, a religious congregation rooted in the vision of St. Julie Billiart (1751–1816). The Sisters' mission — summed up in their motto 'Ora et Labora' ('Pray and Work') — emphasizes education, social justice, and care for those living in poverty or on the margins. After arriving from Oregon in 1851 to address educational gaps created by the Gold Rush, the Sisters established what would grow into the oldest institution of higher learning for women on the West Coast. The Sisters continue to maintain a presence at the Belmont campus, with their Province Center located in the historic Ralston Hall mansion. Their California ministries span elementary, secondary and collegiate education, plus pastoral and liturgical work.
- Sisters Loyola and Marie Catherine — first Sisters to establish the school in California
- St. Julie Billiart — foundress of the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur
- Belmont Province Center — located at Ralston Hall mansion
- Provincial motto: 'Ora et Labora' (Pray and Work)
Cunningham Chapel & Campus Ministry
Cunningham Chapel, the principal Catholic worship space on the NDNU campus, is set among the historic buildings on the hillside above the main parking lot. The university's Center for Spirituality / Campus Ministry oversees liturgical life and pastoral care. Community Masses are celebrated in the Chapel on Saturday evenings at 4:00 PM and Sunday evenings at 7:00 PM; weekday Mass is listed at 7:30 AM Monday through Friday on third-party directories. The Chapel is also used for musical productions and the annual university commencement Mass.
- Cunningham Chapel — principal worship space on campus
- Center for Spirituality / Campus Ministry — office overseeing liturgical life
- Weekend Community Masses: Saturday 4:00 PM, Sunday 7:00 PM
- Weekday Mass: Monday–Friday 7:30 AM
- Chapel also hosts commencement Mass and musical productions
Liturgical Ministries & Student Participation
The NDNU campus ministry welcomes student participation in all aspects of the liturgy. Students are invited to help plan liturgies and to serve as Eucharistic Ministers, lectors, greeters, or members of the music ministry team. This collaborative approach reflects the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur's commitment to forming young people not only academically but spiritually.
- Eucharistic Minister
- Lector
- Greeter
- Music Ministry (liturgical choir)
- Liturgy planning team
Ralston Hall & the Historic Campus
The NDNU campus in Belmont is anchored by Ralston Hall, a California Historical Landmark built shortly after William Chapman Ralston purchased the property in 1864. Ralston, a pivotal figure in the California gold and silver bonanzas and founder of the Bank of California, built the country estate that became the center of the campus when the Sisters purchased it in 1923. The 46-acre suburban campus combines historic buildings with modern academic facilities and serves as the only four-year accredited university campus in San Mateo County.
- Ralston Hall — California Historical Landmark
- Built 1864 by William Chapman Ralston
- Purchased by the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur in 1923
- 46-acre suburban campus on the San Francisco Peninsula
- Located in Belmont, San Mateo County
Academic & Community Identity
As a private Catholic, co-educational institution, NDNU combines a residential and commuter undergraduate program with evening programs for working adults at both undergraduate and graduate levels. It is affiliated with the Association of Catholic Colleges and Universities (ACCU) and the Association of Independent California Colleges and Universities (AICCU). Following financial difficulties and the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, NDNU transitioned beginning in 2021 to focus primarily on graduate programs, with online and hybrid degree-completion options broadening access across California.
- Religious affiliation: Roman Catholic (Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur)
- Motto: 'Ora et Labora' (Pray and Work)
- School colors: Blue, Gold, White
- Member of ACCU and AICCU
- Hispanic-Serving Institution since 2009
- Current focus: graduate and online/hybrid programs