Yearly Archives: 2019

March 31, 2019

Dominican Charism Initiative

Submitted by Gloria Marie Jones, OP

Evolved from “Futuring Dominican Charism for Mission: Sisters and Lay Partners Together”

How do we pass on the Dominican charism at this critical moment in our history?

How do we create new, relevant expressions of the Dominican charism to ensure its ongoing vitality through the formation of the present and future generations of sisters and lay partners?

Feb. 21, 2019 saw the kickoff of the Dominican Charism Initiative. Twenty-seven Dominican sisters and lay partners engaged in energetic dialogue and creative planning in response to these questions during the three day Charism Dialogue. The participants included educators, theologians, formators, charism animators, associate directors, the Dominican Association of Secondary Schools (DASS), the Dominican Youth Movement and 3 Dominican Missionary Sisters of the Sacred Heart from Zimbabwe, Zambia and Kenya along with their Zambian Congregational Prioress from England. Sr. Catherine Bertrand, SSND, facilitated the event.

The Dialogue focused on the relevancy of the Dominican charism and how best to capture and communicate critical charism messages in the context of our present reality. The energy, commitment, vision and diverse backgrounds and cultures of the participants provided a rich experience of our lived charism as well as great direction for the work of the Charism Initiative.

Charism Initiative Focus

Three Actions shape the Initiative:

1) Developing user-friendly, contemporary, interactive online learning modules centered on themes of the Dominican charism. Each module will engage the participants in the OP charism through focused input, prayer, scripture, videos, art, and music, both individually and/or in group settings.

Themes currently shaping the various modules are:

The Life, Spirit and Mission of St. Dominic; Dominican Prayer: to Praise, to Bless, to Preach; The Call to Preach; The Call to Truth; The Call to Action; Our Global Dominican Family; The Legacy of St. Dominic

2) Gathering, organizing, and expanding quality, easily-accessible Charism resources to support charism education/planning in the Dominican family.

3) Engaging in two specific areas of justice outreach: U.S.-led work on the Dominican call to seek truth, specifically through understanding and engagement in disputatio, and African-led study of Laudato Si to further education in and promotion of sound ecological practices, particularly related to small farms and gardens.

Next Steps

In the coming months, module teams will create the content for the learning modules. Work on reviewing the content and organizing resources will occur simultaneously. The goal is the creation of four modules in year one and three in year two. The US and African Planning Team members directing this work are: Mark Butler, Rita Cutarelli, Gloria Marie Jones OP, Vimbai Mavuka OP, Angela Mwaba OP, Jenn Schaaf OP, Agnes Chipo Tererai OP, Andrea Wirgau.

Diana Marin is serving as the Project Manager. Sister Kamfwa Mutale, Congregational Prioress of the Dominican Missionary Sisters of the Sacred Heart, and the DSC Executive Committee are overseeing the Initiative. The Initiative is under the auspices of the Dominican Sisters Conference and strongly endorsed by Dominican Sisters International.

Sisters and lay partners interested in serving as editors, artists, planners, as well as those able to assist with resource work are invited to contact opfuturingproject@gmail.com.

Backstory

The Dominican Charism Initiative grew out of the collaborative planning project Futuring Dominican Charism for Mission: Sisters and Lay Partners Together funded by the GHR Foundation.

Beginning in 2017, the collaborative planning project brought together 604 sisters and lay partners in the US and Africa. Regional Discernment Circles studied the emerging insights to recommend significant areas for action. Further study and discernment by Visioning Teams in the US and Africa resulted in the proposed implementation plan calling for the three areas of action. Participants in the Visioning meetings included:

Mark Butler, Rita Cutarelli, Dusty Farnan OP, Pat Farrell OP, Arlene Flaherty OP, Rebecca Ann Gemma OP, Toni Harris OP, Gloria Marie Jones OP, Carla Kovack OP, Barbara Lawrence, Nathalie Meyer OP, Donna Pollard OP, Gene Poore, Terry Rickard OP, Jenn Schaaf OP, Pat Twohill OP, Tarianne de Yonker OP, Angela Mwaba OP, Agnes Chipo Tererai OP, Chama

Mwila OP, Catherine Wanja OP, Catherine Chirozvani OP, and Vimbai Boromo OP. Dr. Catherine Sexton oversaw the development of the planning process and analysis of the input.

We give thanks to the International Coordinating Committee which oversaw the development and implementation of the Futuring Planning work: Sisters Kamfwa Mutale, Angela Mwaba, Agnes Chipo Tererai, Chama Mwila, Gene Poore, Pat Twohill, Marie Therese Clement and Gloria Marie Jones. The team met in Sussex, England May 28 – June 1^st 2018 to determine the final Implementation Plan which had been shaped by the visions and recommendations that emerged through the African and the US visioning meetings.

Participants in Charism Dialogue, February 21-23, 2019, Houston Dominican Motherhouse: Andrew Abberton, Cathy Arnold OP, Mark Butler, Rita Cutarelli, Gina Fleming OP, Janet Hockman MM, Gloria Marie Jones OP, Mary Lach, Colleen Mary Mallon OP, Vimbai Mavuka OP, Diana Marin, Carol Mayes OP, Kathleen McManus OP, Kamfwa Mutale OP, Angela Mwaba OP, Mary Ann Nelson OP, Mary Ellen O’Grady OP, Colette Parker, Mary Therese Perez OP, Donna Pollard OP, Megan Rupp, Jenn Schaaf OP, Connie Schoen OP, Mary Soher OP, Agnes Chipo Tererai OP, MaDonna Thelen, Andrea Wirgau.

For a short video, please see below:

March 19, 2019

Photo of the Week: ‘Kathleen Woods Formally Accepted as Adrian Dominican Associate’

Associates Dee Joyner, left, and Kathleen Woods are all smiles after Kathleen was formally accepted into Associate Life March 1, 2019.

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March 19, 2019

Dominican Sisters of Peace: ‘The Dominican Learning Center Receives $9900 Grant’

A recent graduate from the Dominican Learning Center’s GED program celebrates with her tutors, from left, Sr. Mary Angela Dean, Cathy Lamb, graduate Freweyni, and Sr. Shawn Fitzgerald.

Columbus, OH – The Dominican Learning Center has been awarded a nearly-$10,000 grant from the Dollar General Literacy Foundation to help more than 40 underserved adult learners earn their GED, or High School Equivalency degree. This local grant is part of more than 159 million in grants awarded by the Dollar General Literacy Foundation since it was founded in 1993.

“A high school diploma or GED raises median weekly earnings by almost $200,” says Lisset Mendoza, Director of the Dominican Learning Center. “This increase in wages makes a real difference in the life of a family – and in the financial health of the Central Ohio community.
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March 19, 2019

Dominican Sisters of Grand Rapids: ‘We Raise Our Voices for the People of Central America’

“The people of Central America face extreme hardship in our 21st Century world,” says Joan Williams, OP. “It’s up to us, those who have a voice, to speak out against systemic political, economic, and social injustice.”

In solidarity, the Congregation of the Dominican Sisters ~ Grand Rapids of Michigan blesses Joan Williams, OP on her Pilgrimage to Honduras March 18-25. The interfaith delegation hosted by the Salvadoran Humanitarian Aid, Research and Education Foundation (SHARE) will study justice issues and root causes of migration and extend messages of international solidarity through accompaniment.

In March, the Dominican Sisters ~ Grand Rapids are working to raise awareness about Central America, specifically Honduras and El Salvador.

This month, Dominican Center at Marywood in Grand Rapids, Michigan prepares to welcome Bishop Oswald Escobar Aguilar, OCD from El Salvador to West Michigan. At the same time, Sister Joan, a Grand Rapids Dominican Sister, is leaving for the Interfaith Root Causes Pilgrimage to Honduras.

Both actions are timed during the 39th anniversary of the martyrdom of Saint Oscar Romero to raise awareness about violence, repression, and economic instability in Central America.
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March 19, 2019

‘Catholic-Muslim Group Meets at Dominican Sisters of Houston Retirement Home’

By Sister Anna Marie Flusche, OP

It’s not often that baby carriages mingle with the wheelchairs and walkers in the retired sisters’ dining room. But such was the case one Saturday in February, when a group of Catholics and Muslims met at St. Dominic Villa for their monthly gathering. Two of the members had had babies in the last year, and they brought their infants to the meeting. The group consists of parishioners from All Saints Catholic Church in Houston and Muslim men and women from Turkey. They came together a couple of years ago in order to foster understanding between Christians and Muslims.
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