Today,
August 8, the Dominican Family celebrates the feast of Santo Domingo de
Guzmán (or St. Dominic), the founder of the Order of Preachers. Dominic is the patron saint of
astronomers.
The Order of Preachers is composed of men and women of four
branches: friars,
who may be priests or brothers; cloistered nuns; sisters; and laity. Dominic de Guzman was called to ministry in
the universal Church. His followers have proclaimed the Gospel around the world
to peoples never known to the founder, including those of the Americas.
Dominican Sisters in the United States are a
diverse, vibrant and colorful mosaic of the Church. Their mission to preach the
gospel of Jesus Christ is carried out in countless ways. The Gospel is brought
to life through their teaching, care for the poor, advocacy for justice, their
art, music, care of creation, spiritual enrichment ministries, housing
advocacy, and much more. Collaboration and building relationships are the
hallmarks of their work.
Prayer, Study, Community and Ministry, the
four pillars of Dominican tradition, find their home among Dominican sisters in
over 30 congregations in the U.S. Sisters reflecting a broad spectrum of
experience and searching out God’s hopes for the world. They can be found in
the halls of Congress, in rural farmlands, in universities, in prisons and in
neighborhood centers.
Throughout the history of the Order, women have responded to
Dominic’s vision in numerous ways. Some have gathered in monasteries; others
have formed into groups devoted both to prayer and social outreach. In time,
some of these groups remained lay Dominicans, others became secular institutes,
while still others became congregations of Dominican sisters. These
congregations, recognized as belonging to the Order by the Master of the Order,
retain various degrees of independence and autonomy. Almost all of them belong
to Dominican Sisters International (DSI), "an international movement
of Dominican Sisters which seeks to create links between all Dominican Sisters
of Apostolic Life throughout the world for the sake of the mission of the
Order." (SOURCES: Wikipedia; Domlife.org; OP.org)
Dominican
Days 2019
I would like to share
some pictures of our Dominican Days, which took place August 1 – 4. Dominican Days are Community Days when all
our Sisters come ‘home’ to Marywood, our Motherhouse. I love Dominican Days – It’s always so good
to see our Sisters and to catch up with what’s going on in their ministries! Some have asked me what happens during
Dominican Days. Below is a very brief
overview.
Some of us started on Wednesday,
July 31 with committee meetings and/or gatherings with friends or classmates, while
some of our Sisters and Associates arrived during the week. A Sister who is a close friend of mine
arrived on Tuesday, so she, another sister and I went out for ice cream that
evening.
Thursday was “Sisters Only” for
congregational meetings, dialogue, etc.
We ended the day with a social joined by some of the Associates.
Friday was our day of retreat
for Sisters and Associates. That evening
we received 10 new associates among us – making that 152! Friday was also the day when we had our
missioning: Each one of our names is called as we are commissioned to our
ministry for the next year. (No
surprises here! In the past, Sisters
would receive an envelope on August 15th with a ticket to the place
of their next mission! Now we meet with
our Leadership Team before Dominican Days, and together we discern where our
next ministry will be. So, I will
continue to serve as Vocation Director – which I really enjoy! 😊) A beautiful reception
for the new Associates was held at the end of the day.
Saturday morning, we had our annual Remembering
Service – we remember each of our sisters, associates, and former members
who have died this past year, as well as family members, benefactors and
friends. It is always a very moving
experience! In the afternoon we did a
procession on campus in solidarity with other justice and prolife walks that
were taking place around the country.
(Sadly, this walk took place just hours away from the mass shootings in
El Paso, TX and Dayton, OH.)
Saturday afternoon Sisters were invited
to take part in Hula Hoop Challenge – not what you might expect – as a
fundraiser for the poor. We raised
$400! Not everyone was available since
this took place during choir practice and other events that some Sisters were
committed to, but those who participated had a lot of fun doing it. I was asked to videotape the event, which
will be posted on our Facebook page!
The Jubilarian Dinner
was held before Compline, where we continued to recognize our Sister and
Associate Jubilarians: 85 years, 75 years, 60 years, 50 years and 25
years! Each group had a short PowerPoint
presentation that shared their combined 1350 years as Dominicans
living the 4 pillars: Community, Prayer, Service and Study.
Border Ministry
Last, but not least…I ask that you keep us
in prayer – Five of us: Sisters Janet Brown OP, Joyce Ann Hertzig OP, Mary Kay
Oosdyke OP, Fr. Joachim Lally CP, and I (Sr. Chela Gonzalez OP) will be going
to do Border Ministry in El Paso August 17 – September 2. Also keep in prayer all immigrant families
who are fleeing their countries. And, pray for PEACE!
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