November 23, 2021

200th Anniversary of Foundation of Dominican Sisters in the U.S. Commemorated

In Kentucky on April 7, 1822, four women became the first Dominican sisters to minister as teachers of the children of the pioneer families. During the following decades, buildings were constructed to accommodate the growing number of sisters and students. Tragically, in 1904, fire destroyed everything. All that was left was a mass of ruins in a blackened field. With the help of God and generous people, the sisters rebuilt on new ground. The following spring in the blackened fields, jonquils covered the ground. To this day, the jonquils bloom every year and remain a symbol of hope and resilience.

In solidarity with Dominican congregations across the United States, the Dominican Sisters of Peace (including former members of Kentucky) sent jonquil bulbs to each congregation. The Dominican Sisters of Caldwell planted these bulbs on Wednesday, November 3rd, near the bell in front of the Motherhouse and look forward to their blooming in April. We are delighted to share in this 200-year history and celebrate this symbol of hope and new life for the Dominican family.

November 23, 2021

Sr. Mary Catherine Hilkert Honored by Aquinas Institute of Theology

Dominican Sister of Peace and Notre Dame Professor Named Great Preacher

Aquinas Board Chair, Dr. Daniel O’Brien, GPA recipient Sr. Mary Catherine Hilkert, OP, and Aquinas President Fr. Mark Wedig, OP, at the Aquinas Institute of Theology
Great Preachers Awards ceremony in St. Louis, MO.

St. Louis, MO – Dominican Sister of Peace Mary Catherine Hilkert, OP, a Professor of Theology at the University of Notre Dame and a former member of the faculty at Aquinas Institute of Theology, was awarded the Great Preacher Award by the Aquinas Institute of Theology in a November 11 ceremony held at the Institute and virtually.

A noted theologian and author, Sr. Catherine’s books include Naming Grace: Preaching and the Sacramental Imagination, Speaking with Authority: Catherine of Siena and the Voices of Women Today, and co-editor with Robert J. Schreiter of The Praxis of the Reign of God: An Introduction to the Theology of Edward Schillebeeckx.

Currently, Sr. Catherine is working on a book titled Words of Spirit and Life: Theology, Preaching and Spirituality. She has also published numerous articles on contemporary theology, spirituality, and preaching.

A former president of the Catholic Theological Society of America (2005-2006), Sr. Catherine is the recipient of four honorary degrees (Providence College, Aquinas Institute of Theology, Oblate School of Theology, and Catholic Theological Union) as well as the Washington Theological Union’s Sophia Award for Theological Excellence in service of ministry, Barry University’s Yves Congar Award for Theological Excellence, the Veritas Award from the Dominican Colloquium on Higher Education, and the Ann O’Hara Graff Award from the Women’s Constructive Theology seminar of the Catholic Theological Society of America. Sr. Catherine has preached and offered lectures, workshops, and retreats in Catholic and ecumenical contexts in the United States, Canada, Ireland, The Netherlands, Australia, and South Africa.

Sr. Catherine Hilkert preaches at the Aquinas Institute of Theology Great Preachers Awards ceremony on November 11, 2021, in St. Louis, MO.

Sr. Catherine has also served on two international preaching commissions of the Order of Preachers.

Congregational Leadership team members Sisters Pat Twohill, Anne Lythgoe, and Gemma Doll, as well as Akron Sister Janet Schlichting joined Sr. Catherine as she received this prestigious award.

Offering one of three tributes to Sr. Catherine and her ministry at the ceremony, Sr. Pat Twohill, Prioress of the Dominican Sisters of Peace, remarked, “Like our founder, St. Dominic, Sr. Cathy is a preacher of grace. Her witness, and her reception of this award, inspire us to recommit ourselves to the ministry of preaching the good news of Jesus Christ.”

In her words of gratitude for the award, Sr. Catherine expressed the hope that the church would recognize and celebrate the gifts of the many baptized women and lay men who share a call to preach the word of God as part of the church’s mission to spread the good news throughout all of creation.

Also honored at the awards ceremony was the late Father Ralph Siefert, SM.

November 10, 2021

Dominican Month for Peace: Venezuela

Zoom Webinar Opportunities

Join us on Friday, November 19th at 1:00 pm (New York) on Zoom
Please register with your name and email address for the webinar here: Webinar Registration – Zoom
Those who speak English, Spanish and French are welcome to attend.

Join us on Friday, December 10th at 9:00 am (New York) on Zoom
Please register with your name and email address for the webinar here: Webinar Registration – Zoom
Those who speak English, Spanish and French are welcome to attend.

November 9, 2021

Events & Retreats – 11.10.2021

National Vocation Awareness Week

National Vocation Awareness Week, sponsored by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ (USCCB) Committee on Clergy, Consecrated Life and Vocations, is designed to help promote vocation awareness.

This annual week-long celebration of the Catholic Church in the United States occurs during the first full week of November. NVAW is dedicated to promoting vocations to the priesthood, diaconate, and consecrated life through prayer and education. NVAW also emphasizes a renewal of our prayers and support for those who are considering one of these particular vocations.

Check out the Dominican Sisters of Springfield’s events for the week here.

Advent Retreat Focuses on our own Holiness

When most people think of the Incarnation, they think of God becoming human as Jesus Christ. But, like Jesus, we all come from the wholeness and holiness of God. What if we really believed and lived from this essential truth?

Sister Pat Kozak, CSJ, explores this theme in “Becoming Incarnation: An Advent Retreat,” scheduled from 7:00 p.m. EST Sunday, November 28, 2021, through 11:00 a.m. EST Thursday, December 2, 2021. The event is offered virtually, through Zoom.

Sister Pat is a process facilitator and consultant for religious congregations in the United States and Canada. Her interests include learning ways of engaging in brave and safe conversations that can make a difference in the world.

The cost is $160. Registration is required and is available at www.webercenter.org; click on “programs.” Registrations may also be made by calling 517-266-4000 or emailing webercenter@adriandominicans.org. Limited scholarships are available.

‘Nativities of the World’ at Sinsinawa Art Gallery

Sinsinawa Art Gallery will feature “Nativities of the World” Dec. 1-Jan. 9 from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. daily. Please check our website for current COVID protocols. This exhibit features handcrafted nativities from countries near and far. For more information, contact Mary Kay Kane at 608-748-4411 or visit our website at www.sinsinawa.org/giftgallery. Sinsinawa Mound, the motherhouse for the Sinsinawa Dominican Sisters, is located in southwest Wisconsin on County Road Z, off Highway 11, about five miles northeast of Dubuque.

Painting Class

A painting class will be held from 6 to 9 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 7, at Sinsinawa Mound Center. Please check our website for current COVID protocols. Sarah Barnes, artist and owner of Create It Art Studio in Dubuque, will guide participants in painting a Santa on canvas. People of all skill levels are welcome to attend, and painters can add their own personal touches. Materials will be provided. The registration deadline is Dec. 3, and the fee is $35. For more information, contact Arrangements at 608-748-4411 or visit our website at www.sinsinawa.org/moundcenter.

INAI Art Gallery Presents Exhibit on Cuadros

As Michigan heads toward colder weather, INAI, an art gallery adjacent to Weber Retreat and Conference Center, welcomes a colorful exhibit from Peru. The Cuadros Exhibit, featuring textile pictures from Peru, opens Friday, November 5, 2021, and continues through Sunday, February 27, 2022. A reception is scheduled from 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. Sunday, November 7, 2021.

Cuadros are textile wall hangings depicting the lives of people in barrios, or shantytowns, outside of Lima, Peru. Women in Pamplona Alta create them through embroidery and appliquéd scraps of cotton or other materials. The Cuadros are an art of survival, documenting the struggles of the women living in difficult situations marked by political instability, economic hardship, and lack of steady work. They show hope and courage, presenting the women’s stories through bright colors, decorative patterns, and lively details.

Sister Barbara Cervenka, OP, herself an artist, first visited Pamplona Alta in 1989 at the invitation of Sister Pam Millenbach, OP, who ministered there with the late Sister Mary K. Duwelius, OP. “Peru was then in turmoil: Sendero Luminoso, a terrorist group, was bombing buildings in Lima and ravaging small towns in the countryside,” Sister Barbara recalled. She came to admire the artwork of the women and brought back as many of the Cuadros as she could.

Sister Barbara prepared a small exhibition of the Cuadros at the University of Michigan. Since then, through Con/Vida (“With Life”) – a nonprofit organization in Detroit that organizes exhibits of the work of local artists in Latin America – she has shown the Cuadros at nearly 100 sites, earning thousands of dollars that have helped to support the women of Pamplona Alta and their families. Sister Barbara and Mame Jackson are Co-directors of Con/Vida.

Gallery hours are from 9:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. daily or by appointment. Masks are required and guests must be screened at the Weber Center reception desk or Weber Center Shop. Please call 517-266-4090 or 313-608-9181 for an appointment to visit the gallery.

Grief Retreat and Remembering Service

Sinsinawa Mound Center is offering those who have experienced loss in their lives ways to make the holidays a little easier while acknowledging the loss.

Grief Retreat: Journey toward Wholeness is being offered 9 a.m.–4 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 4. Throughout our life, we experience the loss of people, places and things. We will reflect on our losses and discover how loss can lead to greater wholeness and holiness with questions such as these: What have been the losses in my life? How have I dealt with the grief of the loss? Do the people who have died live on in my life? How do I find hope in the midst of the pain of the loss? Sister Mary Hopkins, OP, is a certified grief specialist and will lead you through this day. The cost is $50 per person, which includes lunch. The registration deadline is Nov. 29.

Remembering Our Loved Ones at Holiday Time will be at 1:30 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 5. This ecumenical service will honor family and friends who have died by displaying a personalized ornament on a tree. You will be invited to receive the ornament as your loved one is named. This service is a living memorial and provides an opportunity for you and your family to experience a new and meaningful ritual. To remember your loved one(s) with an ornament, please contact Janice at (608) 748-4411, ext. 811, by Nov. 26.

Please check our website for current COVID protocols. For more information, contact Arrangements at (608) 748-4411 or visit our website at www.sinsinawa.org/moundcenter. Sinsinawa Mound, the Motherhouse for the Sinsinawa Dominican Sisters, is located in southwest Wisconsin on County Road Z, off Highway 11, about five miles northeast of Dubuque.

Virtual Las Posadas

Siena Retreat Center (Racine, WI) and Verónica Esparza Ramírez, OP (Mission San José) are teaming up to offer a Virtual Las Posadas on Tuesday, December 14, 2021 (7:30pm Eastern, 4:30pm Pacific). Celebrated in Mexico and Central America, the tradition of Las Posadas recalls Mary and Joseph searching for lodging where Mary could give birth to Jesus. The Zoom gathering will include traditional and contemporary prayers, an opportunity for participants to share their prayer intentions, a celebration, and seasonal songs. Learn more and register at https://www.sienaretreatcenter.org/events/virtual-las-posadas

Cosmological‌ ‌View‌ ‌of‌ ‌Sacramental‌ ‌Life‌

How are the universe and sacraments related? Sister Linda Gibbler, OP, a Dominican Sister of Houston, explores this connection in her virtual presentation, “A Cosmological View of Sacramental Life.” Her presentation is from 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. EST on Saturday, November 13, 2021.

Sister Linda draws on scientific cosmology and Catholic tradition to discuss creation as the original source of divine revelation and the root of sacramental life. Through stories, lecture, and conversation, she explores how the incarnational presence of God extends to the ends of the universe and touches everything.

Sister Linda is the Associate Academic Dean and Associate Professor of Science and Religion at the Oblate School of Theology in San Antonio, Texas. She speaks on the significance of cosmology and evolution for Catholic theology and spirituality.

The cost is $35. Registration is required to receive the live stream link. Register at www.webercenter.org; click on “programs.” Registrations may also be made by calling 517-266-4000 or emailing webercenter@adriandominicans.org.

For information, call the Weber Center at 517-266-4000.