Photos of the Week

Dominican Young Adults Molloy College Chapter welcomes new members On Sunday, Jan. 19, 13 students from Molloy College joined the Amityville Dominican Sisters for Mass and a day of prayer, culminating in a commitment ceremony for the Dominican Young Adults Molloy College Chapter. Read article by Sister Gina Fleming, OP

Aquinas Institute of Theology Annual lecture focuses on end-of-life care On Jan. 26, Aquinas Institute of Theology held its 31st Annual Aquinas Lecture, featuring Dr. Daniel P. Sulmasy, M.D., Ph.D., as speaker for “Hanging On and Letting Go: Ethical Issues in Care at End of Life,” at St. Francis Xavier College Church Ballroom (Saint Louis University). Approximately 175 people attended the free presentation. Read more Above: Fr. David Caron, OP, AIT president, engages with the audience during the Q&A session following the presentation.

Dominican Sisters Conference Area meetings spark dialogue on climate change Sisters and associates across the country are gathering over the next few months to continue the conversation on global climate change initiated at the 2012 DSC convocation (“What is Earth asking of the Order?”), and to explore together how the Dominican Sisters’ Conference would like to move forward. The meeting schedule and reflection materials are available on the DSC web site. Above from left: Sisters Jen Schaaf, OP (Blauvelt) and Eleanor Uhl (Caldwell) exchange thoughts during the area meeting Feb. 1 in Amityville, New York.

Houston Dominicans
Sisters, community celebrate Angela House dedication

On Sunday, Jan. 26 residents and staff welcomed friends, volunteers and former residents to the dedication of Angela House at its new location. Founded in 2001 by Sister Maureen O’Connell, OP (Adrian), Angela House is a transitional, residential facility for women upon release from incarceration. Among the 400 people in attendance for the dedication were Houston Mayor Annise Parker and His Eminence Cardinal Daniel DiNardo, Archbishop of Galveston-Houston. Read more

Dominican Institute for the Arts
Summer gathering: ‘Art & Spirituality’ July 23–26

Dr. Frances Belmonte, an Emerita Professor on the Graduate Faculty at Loyola University in Chicago, will set the tone for this summer’s DIA gathering July 23–26 at Weber Center in Adrian, Michigan. She will give a keynote presentation and lead group activities on the theme “Spirituality and the Arts.” Other events and workshops include Spirituality in Movement, Multimedia Card Designs, How to Create a Digital Newsletter, Drum Studio, Tour of PermaCulture, and a look at original artwork in Holy Rosary Chapel that was uncovered during recent renovation. Download registration packet

Peace Dominicans
Associate honored with Servant of Justice Award

Barbara Budde, an associate of the Dominican Sisters of Peace, was honored with a Servant of Justice Award from Roundtable, the association of Catholic Diocesan social justice directors, during the organization's 29th Annual Symposium in Washington, D.C. The award honors a Roundtable member or former member who has made unique contributions to the achievement of the Catholic vision of social justice in her/his diocese or region. Read more

Dominican Sisters in Committed Collaboration
Sister Didi Madden hired as part time justice promoter

The Dominican Sisters of Amityville, Blauvelt, Caldwell, Hope, and Sparkill have announced that Sister Didi Madden, OP (Blauvelt) has been selected as the part-time promoter of justice for the Dominican Sisters in Committed Collaboration (OPSCC). Sister Didi has been an active member of the OPSCC Earth Council and has served on the Blauvelt Justice Committee. She will coordinate efforts in justice, peace and integrity of creation among the five participating congregations, with a view toward enabling the OPSCC to speak with a stronger voice on critical local, national and international social justice issues.

Sinsinawa Dominicans
Fr. Samuel Mazzuchelli remembered at special Mass

Fr. Samuel Mazzuchelli, OP, the Dominican missionary and founder of the Sinsinawa Dominicans, will be remembered on the 150th anniversary of his death. A Mass and other activities will be held at St. Patrick Catholic Church in Benton, Wisconsin, on Feb. 23. The public is invited to attend. Fr. Mazzuchelli’s life and ministry will be commemorated by several events in 2014. To learn more about this remarkable priest, visit the Sinsinawa Dominicans’ web site.

Dominican School of Philosophy and Theology
Philosophy and theology colloquium July 16–20

The Province of the Most Holy Name of Jesus (Western U.S.A.) and its center of studies, the Dominican School of Philosophy and Theology, will host a colloquium to discuss the intersection of philosophy and theology, titled: “What has Athens to do with Jerusalem? Dialogue between Philosophy and Theology in the 21st Century.” Scheduled for July 16–20 in Berkeley, California, the event will gather scholars from academia and from the Dominican Order throughout the world. Read more

Mount Saint Mary College
Philosophy workshop June 5–8: ‘Aquinas on God’

Mount Saint Mary College in Newburgh, New York, will host the fourth annual Thomas Aquinas Philosophy Workshop June 5–8. Sponsored by the Mount’s Catholic and Dominican Institute, The Thomistic Institute of the Dominican House of Studies in Washington, D.C., and The Notre Dame Center for Ethics & Culture in Indiana, the workshop will explore the philosophy of St. Thomas Aquinas of the 13th century. Read more

Dominican Center at Marywood
Pilgrimage to the Holy Land

The Dominican Center at Marywood, Grand Rapids, Michigan, offers a Pilgrimage to the Holy Land Oct. 27–Nov. 7, hosted by Sisters Diane Zerfas, OP and Nancy Brousseau, OP. Walk where Jesus walked, cruise the Sea of Galilee. See Jerash, the Pompeii of the Middle East. Enjoy a day in the Rose Red city of Petra. Visit Nazareth, climb the Mount of Olives, and view the old city of Jerusalem. Walk the Via Dolorosa to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. Visit Bethlehem's Church of the Nativity. For more information or to register, download brochure or call 616-514-3325.

Faith and Film
Inside Llewyn Davis, Her

“Inside Llewyn Davis” explores the folk music scene of Greenwich Village in 1961. Llewyn Davis (Owen Isaac) is a folk singer trying to make it on his own after his partner commits suicide. In “Her,” Spike Jonze does a clever job of exploring the aspects of love. Can one fall in love with a non-human voice? While this idea may seem farfetched, people currently have virtual relationships with others they have never met. Is it such a stretch to think someone could develop an emotional attachment with a voice programmed to respond to the operator’s needs? Reviews by Tom Condon, OP.

Previous updates:

The next Dominican Life | USA update will be published on Wednesday, February 19, 2014. Deadline for submission of articles/photos is Friday, February 14.