Approves
Corporate Stance on Nuclear Disarmament
Dominican
Sisters USA Holds Representatives Meeting
ADRIAN,
MI – April 3, 2009 -- The Federation of Dominican Sisters
USA held its Annual Federation Representatives Meeting the weekend
of March 20th. About 35 members attended.
The meeting includes representatives of both leadership and membership
of Federation congregations. Thirty out of the 48 representatives
attended representing 19 of the 24 Federaton congregations.
At the Friday night opening session Michaela Connolly, OP (Blauvelt)
offered an historical perspective on the Federation
from May 1999 to the present. The first representative meeting
was held in April 2002 where a corporate stance against the death
penalty was proclaimed and the website initiated. Over the
years corporate stances were initiated, goals and objectives were
formulated, and meetings with other Dominican groups were held. She
called us to look to the future and where the spirit might be leading
us.
![](Images/Federationmtg.jpg)
Carol Mays , (Houston) Honora Werner, OP (Caldwell) and Mary
Ellen O'Dea, OP (Sinsinawa)
![](Images/Federationmtg3.jpg)
Judy Golden, OP (Amityville) and Barbara Schwarz, OP (Amitytville)
mug for the camera |
At
present there are 24 member congregations with 8,000 members. When
the Dominican Sisters of Peace are founded April 13, 2009, there
will be 17 congregations with about 5,000 members.
Keynote speaker Donna Markham, OP, prioress of the Adrian Dominicans,
challenged participants to live out their religious profession,
and move toward collaborative, national and international engagement
with one another. In her address Donna
asked: “What does Dominican Life call us to? What impact
do we make in the world? What gets in the way of taking radical
steps?”
Using the post-resurrection scriptures where the disciples are locked
in fear and closed in with safe company, Sr. Donna brought that scene
to us and asked: Are we locked in? And if we are, what hold us there? How
can we move beyond the pull of comfort and security? We are
squandering a great possibility. Let go and be called
into something new. We have very little to lose on a journey
of faith-driven risks. We’re on a journey to move out
of what has been secure and successful, and place everything in the
hands of Christ.
The Federation website has
been updated by Scott Steinkerchner, OP (St. Albert) Promoter of
the Internet for the Order. He is working with us to upgrade our
connectivity. The site offers an upgraded directory of members.
Mary Ellen O’Grady, OP, (Sinsinawa) Executive Director of
the DLC gave an update on the work of the Vision 20/20 Task Force.
At present congregations are participating in a process that explors
structuring new ways of being together for Dominican life and mission. This
process will be completed by June 1, 2009.
Mary Soher, OP (Adrian) represented Kaleidoscope, a networking
organization of newer sisters whose goals are to develop
relationships and foster leadership for the future. Participants
are 55 years of age or finally professed less than ten years.
The representatives agreed that holding Convocation 2011 is an
important way to connect our members; however, there was much discussion
as to how the convocation can be organized so that more Dominican
groups can be present. The Coordinating and Planning Committees
along with some members of the DLC Executive Committee will meet
in August to assess the feasibility of such an undertaking.
Corporate Stance on Nuclear Disarmament
Representatives were very happy to announce a corporate stance
on nuclear disarmament. For several years Dominican congregations
have been researching, studying and advocating actions on behalf
of this issue.
The corporate stance reads as follows:
- The Federation of Dominican Sisters USA calls upon the United
States government to lead the way for the global abolition of
nuclear and all weapons of mass destruction by adopting a plan
to lock down, dismantle, reduce and eliminate nuclear and all
weapons of mass destruction.
- We call for immediate development, adoption and implementation
of a plan that will ensure that there will be no new nuclear
weapons, no new materials for nuclear weapons, and no testing
of nuclear weapons.
- We will work with all people of goodwill until there is no
chance that a nuclear weapon or other weapon of mass destruction
can come into the hands of anyone wishing to do harm.
Newly elected members to the Coordinating Committee include Jo
Ann Timmerman OP (Sinsinawa) and Marie Michelle Hackett OP (Springfield).
The other three members of the Coordinating Team are Rose Celeste
O'Connell, OP (Adrian) Margaret Mary Kennedy OP (Columbus)
and Francine Schwarzenberger OP (Great Bend). The Federation
is grateful to Michaela Connolly OP (Blauvelt) and
Carolyn Wolfbauer OP (Sparkill) who completed their terms.
![](Images/FederationCoordinatingCommittee.jpg)
Federation Coordinating Committee LEFT: Marie Michelle Hackett
OP (Springfield), Margaret Mary Kennedy OP (Columbus), Rose Celeste
O'Connell, OP (Adrian), Jo
Ann Timmerman OP (Sinsinawa) and Francine Schwarzenberger OP (Great
Bend)
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