Houston Dominicans

by Ceil Roeger, OP

December was a month of Christmas and Advent celebrations for the Dominican Sisters of Houston. The first celebration was provided by the Knights of Columbus from St. Michael Parish. The relationship between the knights and the sisters started with a phone call from Darryl Shields, Knights of Columbus, to Laura Henderson, Houston Dominicans Advancement Director. The knights were interested in projects that would assist the retired sisters. After visiting the grounds, they decided to help with the spring cleaning of the landscape around the Villa. This included trimming hedges, sago palm bushes and mulching around the trees. They also provided new easy off/on faucets in the sisters’ rooms, and in the fall added more security lighting to the Villa’s front and back entrances. (The staff coming and leaving in the dark really appreciate this gift.)

When the projects were completed, the Knights weren’t finished giving, and wanted to treat the sisters to dinner out. Considering that this would entail transporting, canes, walkers, and wheelchairs in addition to the sisters, the Knights brought the party to the sisters. On Dec. 6, several Knights and their ladies transformed the community room into a fashionable dining room. That evening, a catered meal was served on china (provided by the caterer). The evening was enjoyed by all, especially when Santa came to call.

On Sunday, Dec. 14, the “Spirit Cookers” came to celebrate with the sisters. For many years, these dedicated men and women have been come in December to celebrate Christmas with the sisters and provide Sunday dinner. The celebration began with a reception in the community room where hors d’oeuvres are served. This gave the men time to fry the fish and set up the steam tables with the remainder of the meal. Following dinner, gift bags were handed out to each sister. This annual visit from the Spirit Cookers gives the sisters and cookers time to reconnect and catch up on the events of the previous year.

The following Tuesday, it was time to celebrate the staff and volunteers. The party started with dinner in the dining room. In an effort to free up the kitchen staff, food was catered in from Taco Cabana. Council led the cleanup in the dining room as everyone was invited to the community room for dessert. Sister Carol expressed words of appreciation on behalf of the community and Sister Eleanor distributed gifts of appreciation to the staff and volunteers.

The sisters were joined by members of the Dominican Family for Morning Prayer on Dec. 20 and their annual Advent Prayer and Brunch. Sister Adrian Dover led prayer. Debbie Sieck, member of the Dominican Family, reflected on the importance of self-compassion, reminding us that we need to take care of ourselves if we want to truly be compassionate with others. Sister Carol presented the Pauline Gannon Award to Hunter Nelson. Hunter is the nephew of Sister Davidica Nelson, who died in 1998. Hunter recalled that his aunt was fond of traveling. To honor her memory, several years ago he set up a “vacation” fund for the sisters. Several sisters present were happy to express their appreciation. Brunch and conversation followed as holiday greetings and plans were shared.

On Sunday, the sisters again gathered at the Villa for dinner and the annual “prayer partners” dinner. Volunteers helped transport the sisters from St. Dominic Village nursing home. Gifts were exchanged and a good time was had by all. Fr. Mary Iott, OP joined the sisters on Christmas morning to celebrate Eucharist and the reason for all of the celebrating “The Greatest Gift of All”—the birth of Jesus.

Dominican Young Adults

By Gina Fleming, OP (Amityville)

The week of Jan. 4–8, eight members of the Dominican Young Adults Chapter at Molloy College came together to participate in a service project on Long Island, New York, to help repair damage caused by Hurricane Sandy. This year’s build was a three-way collaboration among United Baptist Disaster Relief Services, United Methodist Disaster Relief Services, and Dominican Young Adults. Two associates from the Dominican Sisters of Amityville also participated, along with two others from the local community.

The week began with arrival on Sunday evening, settling into bedrooms, a short tour of the house, dinner, and an overview of the plan for the week. This was followed by an opening prayer service.

Much to their dismay, the students had to rise each morning (sometimes with some prompting) at 7:15 a.m., prepare their breakfast, make their lunch (which they needed to bring to the site each day), and be ready to leave by 8:15 a.m. Quite a challenge for young people who were on break… but they were real troopers and were ready to go.

Usually because of the number of participants, we would have to break up into two groups, but not so this time. We all had the opportunity to work and experience everything together. At the sites, the students had the opportunity to engage in all types of work.

Our initial task was to build a floor in one of the basements in Long Beach that had been wiped out by the storm. All that remained of the basement were the two by fours and about three feet of beach sand. I must admit, we were a little taken back when we entered and realized our project. But with the help of an experienced carpenter who worked alongside us, the floor was laid in two days. There was a lot of measuring, cutting, hammering, and nail driving that had to be done in a very confined area, but we felt very good when the floor was done.

We worked at four other sites during the week. The students had a variety of odd jobs which included cleaning , mudding, sanding, and priming the bare walls. There was much to do, but we were determined to do what was necessary to speed up the resettling of the families that once lived in these homes. The young people working alongside those of us who are a bit older hit it off right away, and the work, though exhausting at times, was done in a wonderful spirit of laughter and fun.

At each work site, we had the opportunity to meet the people who owned the home we were working on. With tears in their eyes, they spoke of their gratitude to these young volunteers. Before we left any of the sites, we promised that we would pray for the residents of each home and ask God to help make their dream of finally “coming home” a reality.

To make the service project more meaningful and to have opportunity to reflect on our daily experiences, the Amityville Dominican Sisters’ Dominican House of Hospitality housed all of the volunteers for the entire week. Each evening, the core community of the house, along with the Dominican associates, had dinner on the table ready for us when we returned home. We are truly indebted to their generous spirit of hospitality and service. On one of the evenings, we had pizza and prayer with the sisters at St. Ignatius Convent. The sisters were so gracious to our young people and very interested in their experiences thus far. Another great experience for these young Dominicans of Dominican hospitality and “Family.”

After dinner, the young people gathered to pray and speak about their day. What or who touched them, and where might they have encountered God in their experience. As you might guess, the prayer and reflection were powerful each night.

This entire experience was a true expression of what we mean by “Dominican Family.” Different parts of the family (vowed religious, associates, and Dominican Young Adults) all worked together to make this week a positive experience for all. No one of us did it all, but all of us did our part.

Soon it was time to say goodbye. It was a good feeling knowing that we left the houses in much better shape than they were in when we arrived. It was also a good feeling knowing that each of us in our own small way assisted in “Continuing the Preaching ” in our own lives and the lives of those we met in Long Beach, Massapequa, Bayshore, Valley Stream, and North Woodmere.

Sister Gina Fleming, OP (Amityville) is director of Dominican Young Adults USA, and director of the Dominican College Preaching Conference.

Sparkill Dominicans

On Dec. 12, 2014, Dominican Sisters of Sparkill welcomed guests from St. John Chrysostom parish, Bronx, New York, to Dominican Convent for a celebration in honor of the 100th anniversary of St. John’s School. The Dominican Sisters of Sparkill have staffed this school from the start, ministering as teachers and principals there for its entire century of service. The principal of St. John Chrysostom has always been a Dominican Sister from Sparkill. Read story, view photos