Sister Jean Graffweg Receives Veritas Medal from Dominican University, New York

L-R: Sr. Mary Eileen O’Brien, OP, President, Dominican University New York, Sr. Jean Graffweg, OP, Steven Sabatini, Chairperson, Dominican University New York Board of Trustees.

We congratulate Sr. Jean Graffweg, awarded the Veritas Medal at Dominican University’s 69th Commencement on May 17th in recognition of her 42 years of ministry at House on the Hill. Sr. Mary Theresa Flood, OP, presented the award. Sr. Mary remarked, “For over five decades, the Sisters of Saint Dominic have been serving the children of farm workers in Orange County. The House on the Hill serves as an early childhood migrant seasonal head start center that provides education, family engagement, and health and nutrition services. The children served range in age from two months to five years. For 42 of these 50 years, Sr. Jean Graffweg has ministered at House on the Hill as a teacher, cook, bus driver, and, for the past fifteen years, as Director. Dominican University is honored to award the 2023 Veritas Medal to Sr. Jean Graffweg; and, in memoriam, to Sr. Jean Marie Rathgaber; and to all those who have worked and continue to work faithfully with them in service to migrant families and their children.”

Sister Shirley Jeffcott Receives Veritas Award From Saint Pius V School, Providence, RI

Sr. Pat Ginty, OP, Sr. Josemaria Pence, OP, Fr. Thomas Bouton (Archdiocese of Boston), Fr. James Sullivan, OP, Sr. Shirley Jeffcott, OP, Sr. Kathy O’Hanlon, OP, & Sr. Mary Theresa Flood, OP.

On Sunday, May 21st, 2023, Sister Shirley Jeffcott, OP, received the Veritas Award from Saint Pius V School in Providence, Rhode Island, for her many years of service to the school and parish. Sister Shirley has served over 40 years at Saint Pius as a teacher, principal, tutor, and, most recently, parish receptionist. 

Following the liturgy at which the award was presented by Father James Sullivan, the pastor, and Sister Josemaria, the current school principal, parishioners, and friends had an opportunity to greet Sister Shirley at a reception in the school gymnasium. Attendees remembered Sister Shirley as their first-grade teacher, principal, co-worker, tutor, a teacher at Bayview High School, and parish receptionist. 

In gratitude for Sister Shirley’s many years of service and in recognition of the ministry of the Blauvelt Dominican Congregation to Saint Pius School, a scholarship fund has been established in the name of the Sisters of St. Dominic of Blauvelt, NY, to assist students who, without financial assistance, would not be able to attend Saint Pius School.

Sisters of St. Dominic of Amityville celebrate Associate Program 40th Anniversary

Lousie Climo (left) and Rosemary Oliveri (right) join the first class of Associates 40 years ago.

On Pentecost Sunday, May 28th, 2023, the Sisters of St. Dominic of Amityville celebrated the 40th Anniversary of the Associate Program as well as the Bonding and Renewal Ceremony for Candidates and Associates at a Vespers Service.

Dominican Associates are women and men, single and married who live out their baptismal call to follow Jesus Christ in the spirit of St. Dominic and St. Catherine of Siena. Associates are companions to the Sisters in the journey of “Holy Preaching,” and bonded to the congregation through this commitment.

“In 1983 the first formal bonding took place,” said Dominican Sister Victoria Toale. “Six women became ‘alternate members.’ Today, we celebrate 40 years of what has come to be known as Associate Membership.” Two of the first Associates — Rosemary Olivari and Louise Climo — renewed their commitment to our Congregation on Sunday and have now been Associates for 40 years!

Associate Rosemary Olivari had only met one Dominican sister in her youth as part of her parish religious education program: Catherine McGuigan who “was a riot,” she recalled. When Rosemary was in her 30s, she decided to attend a retreat on discipleship and discovered you “can’t just sit in the pews, you have to do something — but what could I do?” she asked. She began teaching religion at St. Paul the Apostle Church in Brookville under the guidance of the late Sister Regina Kraft. Rosemary enjoyed teaching, but also enjoyed Sister Regina’s meetings held in between weekly sessions in which the teachers would meet and pray together. “As a single woman, I had been praying by myself — I really liked community prayer,” said Rosemary. Sister Regina noticed Rosemary’s interest and one day invited her to be part of an emerging new form of Dominican life. “Sister Regina had said ‘You know, we have something, I don’t know what it is, but I think you would like it,'” Rosemary recalled her saying. “Sister Regina was so insistent that I proceed with it, she drove me to Queens to meet the director.” Rosemary not only became an Associate, but also became the first non-vowed Dominican to become a co-director of the Associates (on three different occasions) and eventually worked for the Congregation as our Director of Information Technology (IT) for 12 years.  “I’m always going to be a Dominican,” she said, noting the four pillars of prayer, study, community and mission. After the renewal this past Sunday, there was “a voice mail on my machine from S. Catherine McGuigan (the first Dominican she had known) congratulating me on my 40 years,” said Rosemary. “It was a full circle moment.”

Associate Louise Climo attended Dominican Commercial High School in Jamaica, Queens ever since she was 14 years old. “It was my second home,” she gushed. “That’s where I first got involved with Dominican Sisters. I made wonderful friends: the sisters themselves and also classmates at the all-girl school.” She especially loved performing on the piano, playing with the orchestra and also accompanying the Glee Club directed by the late Sister Clare Marie Wenzler. “Dominican Commercial was a family,” she said. Her association with the Dominicans continued later at her home parish of Our Lady Queen of Martyrs in Centerport where there was a “crew” of Dominican Sisters including Marie Danaher, Margaret Galiardi, Elaine Jahrsdoefer and Joan Bernard. Louise was involved in many parish ministries such as the folk choir with S. Elaine, home retreats, seasonal retreats with S. Joan, religious education and Eucharistic Ministry at Mass and at home. Louise marvels about how many connections she has had with the Dominican family from Dominican Commercial to Our Lady Queen of Martyrs to even being married by a Dominican priest. “It’s been such a blessing for us for all of these years, a continued blessing and it’s still here and it goes on,” said Louise. “How wonderful is that? After 40 years– it’s still our family.”

That day, the Dominican Congregation celebrated many wonderful associates including our new associates Gina Calabrese, Jean Donnelly, Joseph Martin, Sharon Mc Vernon; those celebrating 35 years including Joanne Bruno and Alice Doyle; 30 years including Anna Mary Norton and Pauline Szabados; 20 years including Virginia Campbell, Anne Carter, Glenda Harry and Mary Jane Ryan; 15 years including Patricia Chambers-Daly, Ann Marie Ellingham, Lidia Ferrari, Marie Gragnaniello, Carol Guilfoyle, Mary Morris, Rena Nowacoski, Gloria Petrone, Kathleen Sheridan; 10 Years including Patricia Reid-Marcotte, Barbara Shotter and Lynn Zeuner and 5 Years including Jennie Amendola, Catherine Healy, Kathleen Macbeth and Debbie Zaino.

That day, we celebrated many wonderful associates including our new associates Gina Calabrese, Jean Donnelly, Joseph Martin, Sharon Mc Vernon; those celebrating 35 years including Joanne Bruno and Alice Doyle; 30 years including Anna Mary Norton and Pauline Szabados; 20 years including Virginia Campbell, Anne Carter, Glenda Harry and Mary Jane Ryan; 15 years including Patricia Chambers-Daly, Ann Marie Ellingham, Lidia Ferrari, Marie Gragnaniello, Carol Guilfoyle, Mary Morris, Rena Nowacoski, Gloria Petrone, Kathleen Sheridan; 10 Years including Patricia Reid-Marcotte, Barbara Shotter and Lynn Zeuner and 5 Years including Jennie Amendola, Catherine Healy, Kathleen Macbeth and Debbie Zaino.
Celebrating 40 years. Louise and Rosemary celebrated their 40th anniversary as co-partners in mission with their Dominican family. Pictured here are the Core Committee members with Louise and Rosemary.
From left to right, Associate Nora Toal, Kathleen Friend, Louise Climo, Rosemary Olivari, Sister Judy Flanagan and Sister Victoria Toale.

Events & Retreats – 5.24.23

“Being Human in an Emerging Universe”

Niamh Brennan, PhD

Thursday, June 29, 2023

Siena Auditorium, Racine, Wisconsin

Please join us for a day to contemplate and reflect on what it means to be a ‘human being’ in light of the Universe story, as articulated through contemporary science. Click here for more information. 

Ritual Celebration of Summer Solstice

Sister Esther Kennedy, OP, a Dominican Sister of Adrian, offers an in-person Ritual Celebration of the Summer Solstice from 3:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. Sunday, June 18, 2023, at Weber Retreat and Conference Center.

At the very height and warmth of the summer sun, Summer Solstice gives us the opportunity to delight in the abundance of Earth; to light the solstice fire; and to speak our visions, hopes, and gratitude. Come with a song, poem, story, or treats to share.

Sister Esther, a retreat leader and spiritual director, conducts a monthly Day of Mindfulness at Weber Center.

The event is free and open to all. Registration is not required.

Weber Center is on the campus of the Adrian Dominican Sisters’ Motherhouse, Adrian, Michigan. Traveling east on Siena Heights Drive, pass the Adrian Rea Literacy Center and turn left just before the solar panel-covered parking lot. Follow the signs to Weber Center. For information, call the Weber Center at 517-266-4000.

Reflection Day Focuses on Mother Teresa

“Do something beautiful for God.”

Those words by St. Mother Teresa of Calcutta present both a challenge and an invitation to each of us. Sister Joy Barker, OSF, offers an in-person day of prayer, reflection, and sharing on Mother Teresa’s life from 9:30 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. Wednesday, June 14, 2023, at Weber Retreat and Conference Center.

A Sister of St. Francis from Sylvania, Ohio, Sister Joy offers retreats, spiritual direction, and days of reflection.

The cost for the day is $30, including lunch. Registration is required and is available at www.webercenter.org; click on “programs.” Registrations may also be made by calling 517-266-4000 or emailing webercenter@adriandominicans.org. Limited scholarships are available.

Weber Center is on the campus of the Adrian Dominican Sisters’ Motherhouse, Adrian, Michigan. Traveling east on Siena Heights Drive, pass the Adrian Rea Literacy Center and turn left just before the solar panel-covered parking lot. Follow the signs to Weber Center. For information, call the Weber Center at 517-266-4000.

Forest Therapy Days

The Siena grounds (Racine) are an ideal place to enjoy a day of Forest Therapy, which is based on the principle that we humans are a part of nature. Two days are offered: Sunday, June 25, and Saturday, August 5.


Registration link:  https://www.sienaretreatcenter.org/retreats/forest-therapy-series-june-session/

SoulCollage® Workshop (In Person)

Friday, June 2, 2023 • 6:00 – 8:30 pm

Are you looking for a new way to express yourself? Time to develop a vision for a new idea? SoulCollage® is an intuitive process that helps us tap into creativity and give voice to words with images. It can also offer a soft entry point into growth and healing. Come explore with curiosity the layers of meaning revealed with each card. Join us to create your own cards and explore aspects of your soul. The cards are fascinating vehicles to uncover hidden layers of fertile and supportive ground. Whether you create one card or a whole deck, the process is sure to bring insight and encouragement to your life. No book is required, and all supplies are included. If you can use scissors and a glue stick, you are all set! You don’t have to be an artist. Anyone can create and enjoy this powerful practice.

Details & Registration: https://dominicancenter.com/programs-and-retreats/soulcollage-workshop-in-person/

Journey into Silence Retreat ~ Summer Peace (In-Person)

6-Day Retreat in Conway, MI • Sunday, June 18 – Friday, June 23, 2023

Silence the world around you. Silence the world within you. Silence the thoughts that shout out to you. In the stillness hear God’s voice. In the quiet, sense the Divine’s presence and the spiritual love that is waiting to embrace you. Gently enter into silence during this retreat experience. A spiritual director will be here to companion with you on this silent retreat. Held at the Augustine Center Retreat House in Conway, Michigan, near Petoskey, the Journey Into Silence retreat begins with dinner at 5:30 pm on Sunday, June 18, and concludes around 2:30 pm on Friday, June 23.
Details & Registration: https://dominicancenter.com/programs-and-retreats/journey-into-silence-retreat-summer-peace/

Renew Retreat ~ Schedule Yourself or a Group for an In-Person Retreat

Available for Individuals and Small Groups by Appointment

The Renew Retreat is an individual or group retreat that is a self-guided contemplative pilgrimage. The gentle Christian practice of using scripture and prayerful prompts aligned with the four elements — fire, water, earth, and air — will help guide your journey into and beyond the garden in ways that strengthen your awareness of creation as a renewable resource, energizing your beingness, and the world around you. We will begin at Dominican Center Marywood at Aquinas College, transition to the St. Francis of Assisi Sculpture Garden, and return to Dominican Center. As you walk the paths along the wooded trails, you are led into the pace and rhythms of the natural world. Water, earth, fire, and air greet you — each element of nature a reminder of the peaceful relationship between living organisms and their physical environment.

Details & Registration: https://dominicancenter.com/programs-and-retreats/renew-retreat/

Centering Prayer (Online)

Tuesdays • Noon

Centering Prayer is a modernized prayer method based on the intuitive prayer rooted in Lectio Divina. It is a method of silent prayer that prepares us to receive the gift of contemplative prayer, prayer in which we experience the Divine’s immanent presence with us. Centering Prayer is grounded in relationship with God, through Christ, and is a practice to nurture that relationship. This method of prayer complements and supports other modes of prayer — verbal, mental, or affective prayer — and facilitates resting in the Divine Presence. Centering Prayer offers a way to grow in intimacy with God, moving beyond conversation to communion

Details & Registration: https://dominicancenter.com/programs-and-retreats/centering-prayer/

Wild Church: Summer Solstice

SINSINAWA, Wis.—On Wednesday, June 21, from 7 to 8:30 p.m., Eric Anglada, Sinsinawa’s Ecological Programming Coordinator, will be leading Wild Church: Summer Solstice at Sinsinawa Mound. Fire and song, ritual and community, prayer and quiet: this inclusive, outdoor gathering is centered on honoring the longest day of the year. In a time of planetary upheaval, it is crucial to recover our elemental sense of connection and kinship with Creator and Creation. We are inspired by Celtic tradition and the Wild Church movement. We will meet inside the main entrance and proceed outdoors. No registration is required and a free will offering is welcome. Contact Arrangements at 608-748-4411 or visit our website at www.sinsinawa.org/moundcenter for more information. Sinsinawa Mound, the motherhouse for the Dominican Sisters of Sinsinawa, is located in southwest Wisconsin on County Road Z, off Highway 11, about five miles northeast of Dubuque.

Dominican Family Commitment Ceremony

Fifteen years ago, Houston Dominican Sister Carol Mayes, OP, initiated the Houston Dominican Family, a group comprised of women and men who commit to living the Dominican charism and who walk side by side with the sisters. On Sunday April 30th, the Dominican Family gathered with the sisters, family, and friends to welcome eleven new members at a commitment Mass and celebration. The eleven new members made this first commitment with the Dominican Family after completing one year of inquiry and formation during which they studied the Dominican charism and explored the four pillars of Dominican life – prayer, study, community, and preaching. 

Rev. John Rooney, who is a member of the Dominican Family, presided at the liturgy which coincided with Good Shepherd Sunday. During his homily, he asked those present which voices they were listening to in their daily lives and reminded all that Jesus, the Shepherd, is the voice of the word of God, the voice of life. He noted that the Dominican charism, tradition, and four pillars resonate with those who have committed to be part of the Dominican Family and offers a way to live out our baptismal call authentically.

New members shared how they intend to live the charism: by strengthening their faith through prayer; by growing spiritually through reading, studying, and preaching; and by being of service to the community. At the ceremony, several members made their recommitment to the Dominican Family for one, two or three years. After Mass, those gathered enjoyed a lovely reception. 

The Houston Dominican Family currently has 150+ members with new formation classes held every year since its inception.

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