Dominican Sisters of Peace Elect New Leaders, Set Direction at Third General Chapter Themed “Love Impels our Journey”

Columbus, OH – April 25, 2022 – The Dominican Sisters of Peace convened their Third General Chapter at the Hyatt Regency Hotel April 19-25. The Chapter was delayed for one year because of the COVID pandemic.

The congregation elected new leaders for the term 2022-2028. Sr. Pat Twohill, OP, was elected for a second term as Prioress. Sr. Anne Lythgoe, OP, was elected for a second term as First Councilor. Sister Carol Davis, OP, as elected as Second Councilor, Sr. Cathy Arnold, OP, as Third Councilor, and Sr. Susan Leslie, OP, as Fourth Councilor. To learn more about the new Leadership team, visit our website at oppeace.org.

Sisters Therese Leckert, OP, Gemma Doll, OP, and Gene Poore, OP,  will complete their terms August 7, 2022.

A highlight of the first day of the meeting was a webcast launching a year-long celebration of the 200^th anniversary of Dominican women religious in the United States. On Easter Sunday, April 7, 1822, four women answered the call to serve God’s people in what was then the frontier community of Springfield, Kentucky. From those four women grew the Dominican Sisters of St. Mary Magdalen, eventually known as the Kentucky Dominicans. The Kentucky Dominicans was part of the union that created the Dominican Sisters of Peace in 2009. 

Kerry Robinson, Global Ambassador and former executive director of the Leadership Roundtable, author of Imagining Abundance and a well-known speaker on the topics of philanthropy, development, and faith, spoke on those topics in relationship to the Chapter theme.

Kerry’s exceptional presentation, “Love Impels: Toward a New Culture of Leadership in the Church,” acknowledged the human flaws of the Church, but also the Church’s power to touch the vulnerable of the world and heal the wounded. Her affirmation of the contribution of women, and in particular women religious, to the Church was inspiring. 

As part of the business of the Chapter, the members approved Direction Statements for the next six years. These commitments, corresponding to the Chapter theme of Love Impels Our Journey, will be used as a framework for the ways in which the sisters live and carry out their work.  

• Love impels us to foster and create cultures of inclusion by examining the reasons for and history of racism, with the goal of eradicating this sin against God’s people and engaging in restorative justice. 

• Love impels us to treasure and reverence the Earth by following the precepts of Pope Francis’ encyclical Laudato Si, On Care for our Common Home; acting to reduce of our carbon footprint individually and communally and acting in solidarity with others in caring for the Earth. 

• Love impels us to foster lives of prayer and contemplation by growing in and demonstrating the transformative power of Gospel living, promoting peace-making and reconciliation, and working with others to heal the wounded Body of Christ in our world. 

• Love impels us to Prophetic Preaching of the Gospel message by using the lens of Truth to discern reality, speaking Truth in our words, actions and lives, and confronting injustice. 

• Love impels us toward the future of Dominican Life by emerging forms of Dominican Life and Mission with our Dominican Sisters around the world, by working to sustain our own congregation and by promoting the call to Dominican life as vowed members and associates. 

To read the full text of the new Direction Statements, please visit OPPeace.org.

The mission of the Dominican Sisters of Peace is to bring the Gospel to the world by being peace, building peace, and preaching peace. They number more than 350 Sisters and 700 Associates. They minister in 22 states, 29 Catholic Dioceses and in Nigeria, serving God’s people in ministerial areas including education, health care, spirituality, pastoral care, prison ministry, and care of creation.