Dominican Sisters' Conference New executive director takes helm

We welcome Sister Pat Farrell, OP, as the new Executive Director of the Dominican Sisters’ Conference (DSC). She will be in this role (part-time) concurrently with her position on the leadership team of her congregation, the Dominican Sisters of San Rafael. After the congregation’s chapter in June, a newly elected team will take office, and Sister Pat will assume the DSC executive director role role full-time. This summer, she will move from San Rafael, California, to River Forest, Illinois, and set up the DSC office there.

Sister Pat is taking on this position after three years on the DSC Executive Committee, where she served as treasurer, and is enthusiastic about this opportunity. “Ever since my days of formation at the Collaborative Dominican Novitiate, I have desired to serve the Dominican Family in both a broader and more focused capacity. I have a passion for preaching, and enjoy using technology… I hope that more effective use of the media available to us will help the conference as it moves into the future, especially as we discern together, What is Earth asking of the Order?”

As she begins this new role, Sister Pat also expressed gratitude for the work of outgoing DSC executive director Sister Mary Sue Kennedy, OP, over the last three years.

“I would like to thank Mary Sue Kennedy for her shepherding of this fledgling organization, the Dominican Sisters’ Conference. It has been no easy task to bring together two organizations, the DLC and the Federation, into one new and different entity. And she has accomplished this with grace. It has been my privilege to work with Mary Sue for the past three years while I was part of the Executive Committee. She has demonstrated her great love of the conference and of the sisters, as well as great faithfulness to its life and goals. Personally, I have appreciated her attention to every detail in making my transition to this new position as smooth as possible.”