DLC Annual meeting 2006

2007 Annual Meeting Dates:
October 12-16, 2007 in Louisville, KY

2008 Annual Meeting Dates:
October 17-21, 2008 in Adrian, MI

2006 DLC Annual Meeting
Sinsinawa, WI

2006 Dominican Leadership Conference Honors
Historian and Editor, Sr. Nona McGreal, OP

SINSINAWA, WI, September 22-26, 2006 -- At their 55th annual meeting, members of the Dominican Leadership Conference celebrated a person many Dominicans consider a national treasure. Sr. Nona McGreal, OP (Sinsinawa) was honored for her extraordinary service to the Dominican Family. Sr. Nona, former director of Project OPUS, was honored by the DLC for her incalcuable contributions to Dominican Lilfe. READ MORE

Read Roberto Corral's Presidential Address (Word)

Read Toni Harris's
Homily (Word)

Read Margaret
Ormond's Homily
(Word)

Cass McDonnell, OP (Hope) newly elected DLC Vice- President

Rebecca Ann Gemma, OP (Springfield)
newly elected DLC Secretary

DLC Membership Grapples with Issues
of Future Dominican Life

SINSINAWA, WI, September 22-26, 2006 -- What do Dominicans need to do to sustain the fire and passion of Dominican Life into the future? This is one of the largest and most intriguing questions for Dominicans in the US. Members of the Dominican Leadership Conference, affiliate organizations and guests took on some of the complex questions of how to sustain the emerging energies of Dominican Life in the future at the 55th Annual Meeting of the DLC.

Gathered in the motherhouse of the Dominican Sisters of Sinsinawa, the 140 participants grappled with the diverse and sometimes tedious complexities of leadership in Dominican Life in the US today. As the group worked to identify core values for mission and clarify direction for the future, thresholds began to emerge that will shape the work of the DLC for the next few years.

The meeting's theme: Standing on the Threshold of a Brand New Day, was a hope expressed by the DLC Executive Committee who planned the agenda. Dominican Life is on the threshold of major change and the meeting tried to capture some of the energies and movements that will fuel the future. A facilitated process offered by Bryan Froehle, Ph.D and Carmelita Murphy, OP D.Min, led the group through the ecclesial, sociological, cultural and organizational trends that set a context for discussion.

They helped the participants explore the question: How can Dominican congregations and provinces best sustain themselves and the Dominican mission over the next five to ten years? What emerged from the lengthy discussion was a sense of the core values that should inform decisions about such things as funding and personnel commitments for projects that are supported by the congregations and provinces in the US.

In practical terms, the group laid a foundation on which collaborative projects such as the high school and college preaching programs, DIA, communications and volunteer programs and can be organized and funded in the future. The group deliberately avoided questions of the reconfiguration of women's congregations in an effort to remain focused on questions that impact both provinces of men and congregations of sisters.

Another signficant movement of the members was the approval of a proposal to work more intentionally with the North American Promoters of Justice, Peace and Care of Creation by receiving the Dominican Call to Justice document each year and to hear from the Co-Promoters of Justice about the work of justice. The hope of this movement is to strengthen local relationships between justice promoters and leadership and avoid DLC resolutions that parallel the work of justice already being pursued. Dusty Farnan, OP, North American Co-Promoter for Justice offered the Dominican Call to Justice to the group and gave an update on the work of justice and peace. The participants enjoyed a video presentation on the North American Justice agenda.

The international threshold provided the wider perspective as guests from around the world offered their insight into Dominican Life and the preaching mission today. The DLC members also heard a report from the Voices of the Americas delegation who met in ElSalvador, in December of 2005 to foster collaboration between North and South America.

The members elected Cass McDonnell, OP (Hope) as the new Vice-President of the conference and Rebecca Ann Gemma, OP (Springfield) as the new DLC Secretary. Anne Kilbride, OP (Columbus) became the President of DLC, Roberto Corall, OP (Holy Name) becomes Past President. Toni Harris (Sinsinawa) completed her term of service on the Executive Committee and Adrian Dover, OP (Houston) completed her service as DLC Secretary. DLC Staff members include Mary Ellen O'Grady, OP (Sinsinawa) Executive Director, Eileen Gannon, OP (Sparkill) NGO Representative to the United Nations/ New York and Anne Lythgoe, OP (Elkins Park) Communications Coordinator.

Dominican Leadership Conference
Building relationships and collaborating in the mission of preaching the Gospel
29000 West Eleven Mile Road
Farmington Hills MI 48336
248-536-3234 Contact: Executive Director