Photos of the Week

Dominican Women Afire Younger sisters share hopes, dreams in San Antonio Nearly 130 enthusiastic women, 59 and younger or less than 10 years finally professed, from 16 congregations of Dominican sisters, fanned the flames of our Dominican charism at a multicultural, bilingual gathering at the Oblate Center for Renewal in San Antonio, Texas Labor Day weekend. We engaged in a creative process which focused mainly on deep, contemplative conversations with one another about our dreams and hopes for the future. Read article by Sister Patricia Connick, OP

Collaborative Dominican Novitiate Dominican sisters in formation Sisters Kelly Moline, OP (Springfield), Christin Tomy, OP (Sinsinawa), and Maria Chuc Thi Vu, OP (Mission San Jose) arrived at the Collaborative Dominican Novitiate (CDN) in August. They will spend 10 months at the house in St. Louis, Missouri, along with co-directors Sisters Megan Elroy, OP, and Joye Gros, OP, experiencing community life, prayer, study and ministry in the Dominican tradition. Meet the novices (PDF) | Read their blog Above from left: Sisters Kelly Megan Christin, Chuc, and Joye.

Mount Saint Mary College Students follow in St. Dominic’s footsteps A group of students and administrators from Mount Saint Mary College in Newburgh, New York, recently made a three-week pilgrimage in the footsteps of St. Dominic. Following Dominic’s missionary trail in France were Stephanie Rivera of Poughquag, New York, a mathematics major; and Ilci Valarde of Newburgh, New York, a biology/pre-med and Hispanic studies double major; along with James Phillips, assistant professor of theater; and Alexander J. LaPoint, former assistant director of Campus Ministry. “It’s our responsibility, as faculty, staff, students, and alumni, to keep Mount Saint Mary College strong and vibrant and contemporary, but also what it was the first Dominican sisters helped create, and to not lose touch with that,” said Phillips. Mount Saint Mary College was founded by the Dominican Sisters of Hope in Ossining, New York. The congregation provided some funding for the trip. Above: The Mount Saint Mary College sojourners at the Abbey of St. Mary of Lagrasse. From left: Alexander LaPoint, Ilci Valarde, James Phillips, and Stephanie Rivera.

Dominicans in Iraq
‘We have family in Iraq’

“Despite the loss and pain our community is experiencing, we rejoice in the reality that our sisters have decisively chosen to live life, never letting despair extinguish the light within them, and in the midst of overwhelming hardship, two sisters renewed their vows yesterday evening and two postulants received the habit, becoming novices… We have entered the fifth week of displacement, and people are still living the same misery, which is only worsening, it seems, as our cries are ignored, and the world turns a blind eye to our sufferings. The challenges that threaten our people are now even greater as we face homelessness.” —from the Sept. 9 letter from the Dominican Sisters of St. Catherine of Siena, Mosul, Iraq

Maryknoll Sisters
General assembly underway in New Jersey

“Embrace the Dawn; Navigate the Shifts” is the theme of the Maryknoll Sisters General Assembly, to be held Sept. 7-21 in Woodcliff, New Jersey. Convened once every six years to elect new leadership for the congregation, as well as discuss key issues related to congregational life and fulfilling their calling as missioners, the assembly will draw together 147 Maryknoll Sisters from 18 different countries including the United States. Read more

UN Briefing
Nuclear arms hindering sustainable development

The 65th Annual United Nations Department of Public Information (DPI)/NGO Conference took place last month at the UN Headquarters in New York. The conference included panel discussions, roundtable talks, and workshop sessions that focused on issues such as poverty eradication, sustainable development, human rights, and climate change. One notable workshop session, sponsored by the Maryknoll Sisters of St. Dominic and the Congregation of Notre Dame for UN Relationships, discussed how nuclear weapons are severely hindering sustainability and development. Read article by Dominican Volunteer Kelly Litt

Adrian Dominicans
Sister Patricia volunteers ‘on the border’ in El Paso

Sister Patricia Erickson, OP (Adrian) writes of her experience working with refugees in August at Nazareth House, a shelter for families run by the Sisters of Loretto at their convent in El Paso. Read more

Amityville Dominicans
Read ‘Sister Stories’ online

The Amityville Dominican Sisters recently launched a new web site. One of the features is “Sister Stories.” Sister Selena Wilson, OP, writes the first story about her experience helping out at a vacation Bible school in Fairbanks, Alaska. Read more

Racine Dominicans
St. Catherine’s High School celebrates 150 years

In 1864, the Sisters of St. Dominic of St. Catherine of Siena (Racine Dominicans), Racine, Wisconsin, opened St. Catharina’s Female Academy in 1864. Today, St. Catherine’s High School is celebrating its sesquicentennial. Read article in the Racine Journal Times

UN/NGO Update
Sisters Margaret and Anne report from New Zealand

Sister Margaret Mayce, OP (Amityville), NGO Representative for the Dominican Leadership Conference at the United Nations, is visting the Dominican Sisters in New Zealand at their invitation. Sister Anne Lythgoe, OP (Peace) is travelling with her. They have put together a blog to chronicle Margaret's visit and speaking engagements with various organizations. Photo: Sister Margaret at right with Sister Mary Ana Baird, OP (New Zealand). Read blog

Blauvelt Dominicans
Florida man recalls sister principal’s positive influence

Juan Pablo Gomez, former student of Incarnation Catholic School in Sarasota, Florida, recently wrote about meeting Sister Monica Paul Fraser, OP (Blauvelt) when he was a 10-year-old student and she was his principal. “I still remember the enthusiasm with which Sister Monica introduced us to Incarnation, infused with the love she had for her school and her students. It was in Sister Monica that my parents found what they envisioned Catholic education to be: a desire for teaching centered in Gospel values.” Read more

Faith and Film
Calvary, Guardians of the Galaxy

“Calvary” is an intense and disturbing film. A priest in a small Irish town (well played by Brendan Gleeson) has his life threatened during a confession. Writer-director John Michael McDonagh shows a good feel for the joys and strains of pastoral ministry. Even though the question of Fr. James’ potential killer is always before us, the movie does not play out like an ordinary whodunit. “Guardians of the Galaxy,” reminiscent of Star Wars, is good-natured but lacking in substance. Reviews by Tom Condon, OP

Previous updates: