Springfield Dominicans Sister Elyse Marie Ramirez receives NRVC award

Sister Elyse Marie Ramirez, OP (Springfield) was honored by the National Religious Vocation Conference (NRVC) during its recent convocation in Plano, Texas. NRVC presented its 2012 Recognition Award to two of its members, Sister Elyse Marie and Sister Josita Colbert, SNDdeN. Sister Elyse Marie is coordinator for religious vocations ministries for the Archdiocese of Chicago.

Sister Elyse entered the Dominican Order in 1982 and made her first profession in 1985. She holds a B.A. in history with a certificate in education from Quincy University and a master’s of theology with an emphasis on scripture and a certificate of preaching from the Aquinas Institute of Theology in St. Louis, Missouri.

Sister Elyse served as vocation director for the Springfield Dominicans from 2000 to 2006. In 2008, she began her ministry with the Office for Religious in the Archdiocese of Chicago.

The NRVC described Sister Elyse’s accomplishments with these words:

“In her four years as the director of the Chicago Archdiocesan Vocation Association (CAVA), Sister Elyse has increased the organization’s membership and promoted greater ownership of the organization through increased board membership and committee participation. With the support of CAVA, she helped to initiate several innovative vocation programs in the Archdiocese, including the Nun Run, the Called to Holiness Series, the Renewing Your Call program and a Summer Evenings of Prayer for Praise, Worship and Listening. Sister Elyse has broadened CAVA’s outreach to include the Young Adult Ministry Office, local parish young adult ministry programs, Catholic educators, campus ministry programs and Hispanic young adult groups… Because of her efforts, several men and women entered religious life through the CAVA programs, and she is frequently called upon by other dioceses for consultation.”

The Dominican Sisters of Springfield, Illinois are a congregation of vowed Catholic women who have dedicated their lives to prayer, studying and proclaiming the Word of God and leading simple lives in community with one another. Springfield Dominican Sisters minister in various locations in the United States and Peru, South America, primarily in the areas of healthcare, education and pastoral care, and corporately sponsor four institutions: Marian Catholic High School in Chicago Heights, Ill.; Sacred Heart-Griffin High School in Springfield, Ill.; Rosary High School in Aurora, Ill., and St. Dominic Health Services in Jackson, Miss., as well as the ministry of Jubilee Farm, a center for ecology and spirituality in New Berlin, Ill. Their missions and ministries are enhanced by more than 300 Dominican Associates, laypeople who are called to witness Gospel values and share the Dominican charism. For more information, visit www.springfieldop.org.