USA
Dominican Sisters of Caldwell and Mount Saint Dominic Academy Students Recognized for Sustainability Efforts
The Sisters of St. Dominic of Caldwell were awarded first prize in the adult category of the Caldwell Environmental Commission’s “Partners for the Planet” contest. Sr. Jeanne Goyette accepted the award at the May 3rd Town Council meeting in the name of the Congregation and gave an explanation of the sisters’ efforts to be eco-friendly at Sacred Heart Convent. “We tried to make it as sustainable as possible, within our financial budget,” Sr. Jeanne said, adding that the convent has items such as solar panels, rainwater collection, a garden, a green roof, a monitoring system for the solar panels, a beehive, and an electric car outlet. The $50 prize money will be used for garden expenses.
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NEW ORLEANS, LA — Beginning May 29, 2016, two Dominican priests will walk over 450 miles from St. Anthony of Padua Church in New Orleans to the National Shrine of St. Martin de Porres in Memphis, Tennessee. Fr. Thomas Schaefgen, OP, and Fr. Francis Orozco, OP, are celebrating the 800th anniversary of the approval of the Order of Preachers, also called Dominicans after the founder, St. Dominic de Guzman, by reaching back to the roots of the friars preachers. The Order of Preachers (Dominicans) is a Roman Catholic religious order made up of priests and brothers that was formally approved by Pope Honorius III in 1216 with the mission of “preaching and the salvation of souls.” St. Dominic followed the example of Jesus who moved about preaching the Good News from town to town, rarely staying in one place, and having no place to lay his head. The route that Fr. Thomas and Fr. Francis will travel begins in New Orleans, takes them around Lake Pontchartrain, and then they will head North through Mississippi, ending in Memphis, TN. The pilgrimage will begin on May 29, 2016, and end on June 29, 2016.
Sister Barbara Beaumont, O.P. in Fanjeaux, France has recently had her book published, Keeping Faith with the Preachers: Pages from the History of Dominican Sisters. The book is “a collection of talks and conferences about the history of Dominican women given in various locations in recent years (USA, France, Belgium…).” The price is 10 euro ($11.33) and can be purchased online via PayPal (request instructions via email). Book can be ordered online at 
For fifty years, a total of twenty-four Dominican Sisters of Peace have served in Chimbote, Peru. On April 29, 2016, a celebration was held for the Golden Jubilee of the Sisters’ presence in Chimbote. In attendance were Sr. Mary Ann Connolly, Sr. Germaine Conroy, Sr. Catherine Malya Chen and Sr. Therese Leckert.
