A Letter from the Editor of DomLife.org

Dear Readers:

Yes, the news is true, my congregation, the Dominican Sisters of St. Catherine de’ Ricci, recently called me to leadership at our Chapter of Life and Mission.  It is an enormous privilege and I am deeply honored by the trust and confidence of my sisters who called me to serve in this way.

I am also very sad to say, that my days as editor of Dominican Life | USA will soon be coming to an end. A search will begin for a new Communications Coordinator; one who I believe can take this wonderful preaching instrument to new places.  The Dominican Leadership Conference Executive Committee, and in particular our Executive Director, Mary Ellen O’Grady, OP (Sinsinawa) have been very supportive during the last few months, knowing that the possibility of election would bring changes for DLC and for me.

Being the editor of DomLife.org has been an exciting ministry, a demanding role, that has kept me on my toes. It means always looking for the next important story and working to get the news out in a timely and interesting way. To say it has been a privilege is an understatement.  The truth is: I love it. It has been a great match to my gifts and I love being at the heart of so much that going on among Dominicans in the United States (and the world) today.  

DomLife does not happen because I update and post the news. It happens because there is so much to tell and there are so many people who submit stories and share the preaching.  DomLife would not happen without your communicators, the members of the OPCOMNET who regularly submit stories about you.  It would not happen without the Lay Dominicans around the country who share news and events and newsletters.  It would not happen without the friars keeping us posted on the work of evangelization.

There is a text in Isaiah 22:23:  “I will fix [her] like a peg in a sure spot” DomLife has felt like this to me. And God blessed me in bringing to the Dominican Family a way to share our lives, our faith and our preaching.  DomLife is about belonging to something larger than a local community or even a province or congregation. It is about all of us being part of a worldwide movement: the Order of Preachers.

I must confess, the call of my congregation feels the same way for me as that peg in a sure spot.  This is a new moment for us.  We are seeking to enhance and continue our preaching mission in a larger context, in a way that joins us to other Dominicans.  We have been discerning our future for some time now and have set our feet on a path and with a process that may lead us to a merger.  Our task is to explore that pathway believing that the Holy Spirit is leading us.  The task and call of leadership is to be a companion on that journey and a guide to the undiscovered country before us.

Please keep all of us in your prayers.  And encourage the DLC Executive Committee as they seek out the next editor to guide this instrument of preaching.

with my deepest affection and appreciation,

Sr. Anne Lythgoe, OP
Editor
August 28, 2009