May 29, 2013

Adrian Dominicans INAI Studio celebrates 40th anniversary

adrian_INAI — Display of INAI Studio sacred space interior design photos and awards in the lobby of Weber Center Retreat and Conference Center, Adrian, Michigan.

The Adrian Dominican Sisters will celebrate the 40th anniversary of INAI Studio, founded by Sisters Barbara Chenicek, OP, and Rita Schiltz, OP, on June 2. The event—marking the exact date that INAI was opened—will begin at 1 p.m. with a visual presentation of their award-winning sacred space design in the auditorium of Weber Retreat and Conference Center. An open house tour of INAI Studio will follow, with refreshments provided.

Through INAI Studio, Sisters Barbara and Rita have spent the past 40 years designing worship areas for a number of parishes and institutions in the United States an abroad, including the Dominican Chapel of the Plains, in Great Bend, Kansas; the Oratory at Jubilee Centre in Rome; Carmelite Monastery Chapel in Baltimore, Maryland; and the Chapel of Hope at Holland Community Hospital in Holland, Michigan, among others. They also served as consultants for the design and construction of the Monastery and Basilica at Prouilhe, Fanjeau, France.
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May 29, 2013

Province of St. Joseph Six new priests ordained May 24

The Dominican Friars, Province of St. Joseph celebrated the ordination of six brothers to the priesthood at St. Dominic Church in Washington, DC: Fr. Dominic Joseph Bump, OP; Fr. Bernard Marie Timothy, OP; Fr. Matthew Carroll, OP; Fr. Albert Duggan, OP; Fr. Reginald Mary Lynch, OP; and Fr. Ambrose Mary Little, OP. From the province web site. Read story, view photo slideshow

May 29, 2013

Photos of the Week – Formation communities gather together for event

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Lands of Dominic Armchair Pilgrimage

By Jennifer Schaaf (Blauvelt, Collaborative Dominican Novitiate)

The Dominican novices and formation directors from the Dominican Friars of the Province of St. Albert the Great (Central) and Dominican Friars, Province of St. Martin de Porres (South), as well as the Collaborative Dominican Novitiate, joined three Dominican sisters from Africa studying in the United States for the recent Armchair Lands of Dominic Pilgrimage. Led by Sister Ann Willits (Sinsinawa), the pilgrimage began at Aquinas Institute of Theology with a meditation on the spirituality of being pilgrims: “The Communal dimension of pilgrimage is going to make it Dominican. That is why we ate together and prayed together before anything else. The Dominican dimension of the pilgrimage will make it unique.” As a pilgrimage, this particular one was unique in that it is the first Lands of Dominic experience to include both male and female novices exploring Dominican Life together.

Beginning with the landscape of Caleruega, a place that may look desolate, Sister Ann shared some of the factors that influenced Dominic’s spirituality. Arid, rocky land, which is difficult to farm, speaks of the hope that Dominic and his family must have had in order to remain living in the area. Determination and steadfastness, despite obstacles, influenced Dominic throughout this life as the Order of Preachers developed.

Dominic was sent away from his home to study at a young age. As a Canon, he was called out of the Cathedral to travel by his friend Diego. Dominic learned itinerancy through the needs of the people. Ann challenged the group to look at our own view of itinerancy, “If you find yourself comfortable, don’t stay there. Go where it is uncomfortable… where you are a stranger… where you don’t want to go… because you can always come home.”

lands_dominic_mass Fr. Jim Barnett (Central Province) joined Ann in co-directing the pilgrimage through his presiding and preaching at Eucharistic celebrations throughout the week. Drawing on many of the experiences he had serving in Latin America, Jim provided a model of integrating the story and life of Dominic with his own life. Jim began a presentation on Dominic as Contemplative Preacher with the statement that, “Dominic was first called ‘Brother’ by Diego. It was the only title that Dominic accepted.” Both Ann and Jim emphasized the fact that we are first called to the Order of Preachers and called to be brother and sister to each other—Family—no matter what other titles we may have in life. As Br. Brent Bowen (Central Province) shared, “The Armchair Lands of Dominic has been especially formative for my participation in the Order. The fact that I was able to have this experience in the midst of the rest of the Dominican Family only made the experience more fulfilling. I would recommend it to anyone, but especially to those in initial formation.”

lands_dominic_hands The presence of Sisters Kate Okolocha (Nigeria), Lucy Mwesa (Zambia) and Grace Malama (Zambia) broadened the experience of Family for the group. As professed sisters studying in the United States, Kate, Lucy and Grace have unique challenges and blessings, but are witnessing and being Dominican Family within the context of their living and educational settings. In sharing their own experiences of formation, they were moved by the collaboration that exists among the Congregations and Provinces in the United States. In the last day together, the group shared their own hopes for the future. They dreamed of ways in which the experience of Dominican Family shared during the week can be continued.

Fr. Scott O’Brien (Southern Province) summed up the experience with, “It was a renewed opportunity to come together as Family, which hasn’t happened in many years. It represents a new beginning as Family, with its renewed recognition of our shared charism. Jim and Ann, as well as the formation directors will continue to reinforce the experience of Dominican Family through our own modeling.”

May 24, 2013

Springfield Dominican Congregation welcomes 17 new associates

In a Eucharistic celebration on Sunday, May 19 at Sacred Heart Chapel in Springfield, Illinois, 17 candidates formalized their relationship with the Dominican Family by making a public commitment to witness Gospel values as Springfield Dominican Associates. In doing so, they join more than 300 women and men in the United States and Peru who accompany the Dominican Sisters of Springfield, Illinois on a life-long journey of prayer, study and preaching. This year’s class included candidates from Springfield, Dunlap, Evergreen Park, Lafayette, Indiana, Gridley, Palos Heights, Jacksonville, Carlinville, Charleston and Decatur.

The Springfield Dominicans have been welcoming Dominican Associates into their family since 1990. Candidates engage in a nine-month formation program in which they learn about and discuss such topics as Catholic Social Teaching, a Call to Prayer and Preaching, Living the Liturgy, St. Dominic and St. Catherine, Mission and Ministry, Living a Balanced Life and the History of the Springfield Dominicans. Associate candidates also discern how they will use their talents, abilities and circumstances to serve God in the best way possible.

Dominican Associates, graced by their membership in the Dominican Family, witness the Gospel daily in their workplaces and relationships. Many say their prayer life has deepened as a result of the formation process and they flourish when surrounded by the love and support of fellow Christians. The Dominican Associate program enhances relationships, not just with the Dominican Sisters of Springfield, Illinois, but also with God and God’s people.

For more information about the Dominican Associate program, contact Sister Paul Mary Janssens, OP at 217-787-0481. Learn more about the Dominican Sisters of Springfield, Illinois by visiting their web site at www.springfieldop.org.

May 24, 2013

Sinsinawa Dominicans Sister Priscilla Torres makes final profession of vows

sinsinawa_torres_lg — Sister Priscilla Torres (right), makes her final profession of vows with the Sinsinawa Dominican Congregation to Prioress Mary Ellen Gevelinger (left) while Sister Mary Ann Nelson witnesses the event.

Sister Priscilla Torres, OP, made her final profession with the Sinsinawa Dominican Congregation April 13, 2013. The ceremony was held in the Immaculate Conception Chapel at Oblate School of Theology, San Antonio, Texas. Weeks later, she said, “I’m still basking in the glory of God!” In making her final profession, Sister Priscilla committed to life as a woman religious “unto death.” “It’s what I’ve been waiting for. Now I can live it to the fullest. I feel contentment, joy, Alleluia! This is the greatest blessing God could have given me.”

Sister Priscilla began opening herself to God’s call as she worked in high school youth ministry at St. Albert the Great Parish, Austin, Texas. While coming back from a retreat with students, she realized she needed more. “God invited me,” Sister Priscilla said. One day, she heard the word “nun” in her mind. “I just put it off,” she said. She eventually saw an invitation in the diocesan paper for a “Come and See” weekend with the Sinsinawa Dominican Sisters in San Antonio. She went and found these Sisters gathered as one group of faithful women and yet completely different from one another. Priscilla discovered she was looking for a place to belong and where she could be herself. The Sisters and the women attending the weekend prayed, talked, and shared experiences about religious life.

The women who attended the weekends were all in different stages of discernment. Priscilla recalls as she left the gathering, Sister Maryann Lucy, OP (Maria Georgia), a Sinsinawa Dominican and the woman who would later become her first formation director, whispered in her ear, “I think you’re ready to step in the boat.” Priscilla entered in 2006.

Sister Mary Ann Nelson, OP, has walked with Sister Priscilla in her discernment as the Sinsinawa Dominican director of initial membership programs. During her formation, Priscilla ministered at St. Francis Center, Redwood City, Calif., for a year; at the Collaborative Dominican Novitiate in St. Louis, Miss., for a year; as a student at Oblate School of Theology, San Antonio, for four years; and at Divine Mercy House, Jacksonville, Fla., for the past year.

Sister Mary Ann sees Sister Priscilla as one with great energy, a compassionate heart, and a great sense of humor. “She has a willingness to do what is needed. Sister Priscilla has a great ability to love and accept everyone. Her love of life is contagious. This is a vow for life. Sister Priscilla made profession with great confidence and enthusiasm. It’s not an easy thing for a woman to do today.” The Blessed Mother has given Sister Priscilla courage. “She has travelled with me,” said Sister Priscilla. “Her witness, her fiat, was and is a model for me.”

Sister Priscilla expects to continue to grow into her vocation, saying in religious life you are always in formation. “God continues to reveal to and form me,” she said. “There are lots of sacrifices in religious life as well as blessings. I ask for God’s grace and focus on Jesus and the cross.” She feels blessed to be able to experience the joys and sorrows on people’s journeys. Living in community with her Sinsinawa Dominican Sisters and her prayer life are central to sustaining her vows.

Divine Mercy House, a Christian maternity home for women over age 18, will continue to be Sister Priscilla’s ministry. She serves as the assistant resident director, promoting God’s gift of life by journeying with young mothers and their babies and providing a loving and nurturing environment to meet the needs of each mother and child, resulting in solid foundation for their future well-being. “We provide the love and compassion of Jesus. I am blessed to tell women they are not alone, God is with them,” she said.

Growing up in Big Spring, Texas, Sister Priscilla was a member of the Immaculate Heart of Mary and Sacred Heart Parishes (now Holy Trinity Parish). Her parents, Alicia Ruiz Torres and Victor Pardon Torres, still live there. She said, “To know where God has called you is a gift and a blessing.”

Sister Priscilla is inspired by St. Catherine of Siena, who said, “If you are what you should be, you will set your whole world on fire.” She is guided by a quote from Father Samuel Mazzuchelli, OP, the founder of the Sinsinawa Dominicans, “Let us set out for any place where the work is great and difficult, but where also with the help of the One who sends us, we shall open the way for the Gospel.” Tradition is important to Sr. Priscilla, too. As a follower of St. Dominic, she lay prostrate at her final profession. “It was one way that Dominic prayed,” she said. With her final profession made, she moves forward with great enthusiasm, saying, “Now I can live my religious life to the fullest, even unto death.”

A video of Sister Priscilla’s final profession is available online at www.sinsinawa.org/live. Click on the “On Demand” tab and click on “Watch” next to the profession video.

For more information about the Sinsinawa Dominican Sisters, visit www.sinsinawa.org.