Columbus, OH – The Dominican Learning Center has been awarded a nearly-$10,000 grant from the Dollar General Literacy Foundation to help more than 40 underserved adult learners earn their GED, or High School Equivalency degree. This local grant is part of more than 159 million in grants awarded by the Dollar General Literacy Foundation since it was founded in 1993.

“A high school diploma or GED raises median weekly earnings by almost $200,” says Lisset Mendoza, Director of the Dominican Learning Center. “This increase in wages makes a real difference in the life of a family – and in the financial health of the Central Ohio community.
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“The people of Central America face extreme hardship in our 21st Century world,” says Joan Williams, OP. “It’s up to us, those who have a voice, to speak out against systemic political, economic, and social injustice.”

In solidarity, the Congregation of the Dominican Sisters ~ Grand Rapids of Michigan blesses Joan Williams, OP on her Pilgrimage to Honduras March 18-25. The interfaith delegation hosted by the Salvadoran Humanitarian Aid, Research and Education Foundation (SHARE) will study justice issues and root causes of migration and extend messages of international solidarity through accompaniment.

In March, the Dominican Sisters ~ Grand Rapids are working to raise awareness about Central America, specifically Honduras and El Salvador.

This month, Dominican Center at Marywood in Grand Rapids, Michigan prepares to welcome Bishop Oswald Escobar Aguilar, OCD from El Salvador to West Michigan. At the same time, Sister Joan, a Grand Rapids Dominican Sister, is leaving for the Interfaith Root Causes Pilgrimage to Honduras.

Both actions are timed during the 39th anniversary of the martyrdom of Saint Oscar Romero to raise awareness about violence, repression, and economic instability in Central America.
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By Sister Anna Marie Flusche, OP

It’s not often that baby carriages mingle with the wheelchairs and walkers in the retired sisters’ dining room. But such was the case one Saturday in February, when a group of Catholics and Muslims met at St. Dominic Villa for their monthly gathering. Two of the members had had babies in the last year, and they brought their infants to the meeting. The group consists of parishioners from All Saints Catholic Church in Houston and Muslim men and women from Turkey. They came together a couple of years ago in order to foster understanding between Christians and Muslims.
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