In 2016, during a jubilee year commemorating 800 years since the founding of the Order of Preachers, the Dominican Nuns of the Monastery of Mary the Queen presented the Springfield Dominican Sisters with the gift of a sculpture of St. Dominic. It was a beautiful and appreciated expression of the nuns’ gratitude for the relationship that had grown between our two Dominican congregations since the nuns’ relocation of their monastery to our grounds in September 2014.
Sculpted by Sister Mary Grace Thul, OP, a member of the monastic community, the “preaching St. Dominic” was recently relocated to its permanent home in the chapel at Sacred Heart Convent, on a marble pedestal crafted specifically for this purpose by Springfield Dominican Sister Margaret Therese Hebert.
“We’re happy to have this meaningful gift from the nuns installed in our chapel as we launch the 50th jubilee of the chapel’s dedication,” said Sister Rebecca Ann Gemma, the prioress general of the Springfield Dominicans.
Sr. Mary Grace Thul is indeed blessed with great talent that flows from love of God.