Sisters, students enjoy opportunity to interact

Top (from left): Aquinas Student Cayleigh Bucyk, Sister Marlene Edwards and Sister Donna Brown. Middle: Aquinas Student Mackenzie Glaros and Sister Ottilia Schaub. Below (from left) Aquinas Professor Julie Schatz-Stevens, student Emily Stark, and Sister Michael Ellen Carling.
Top (from left): Aquinas Student Cayleigh Bucyk, Sister Marlene Edwards and Sister Donna Brown.
Middle: Aquinas Student Mackenzie Glaros and Sister Ottilia Schaub.
Below (from left) Aquinas Professor Julie Schatz-Stevens, student Emily Stark, and Sister Michael Ellen Carling.

Grand Rapids Dominicans

Aquinas College Professor Julie Schatz-Stevens, PhD, arranged for her students to have an “intergenerational conversation” with Grand Rapids Dominican Sisters at their Marywood campus in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Some of the thought-starter questions included: What’s something that you have done that surprised even you? How do you distinguish God’s voice from your own thoughts? What was the most significant day of your life, and why? Participants ranged in age from 19 to 99 years, and the responses varied as widely as the ages. In this Year of Consecrated Life, this dynamic exchange was especially meaningful.

Aquinas College was founded by the Dominican Sisters ~ Grand Rapids. In addition to teaching and attending Aquinas College, the Grand Rapids Dominicans helped launch intergenerational programming 40 years ago, and sisters continue to attend courses at the college’s Osher Lifelong Learning Institute.