The Kempens with Susie’s parents Norm and Rosie Lubbe, and their dear friend Sister Bernice Juip at Sister Bernice’s jubilee celebration in 2017. Susan and Andy Kempen grew up in families that valued giving time, talent and treasure to the local parish. Andy and the Kempen family volunteered in a parish in Neenah, Wisc. Susan and the […]
“A caring impression”— why Susie and Andy Kempen give Read More »
By Alexis Williams, LSCW How does one begin to make sense of the repetitive pain and chaos in the world today? How can one understand the images of immigrants being forcibly detained by federal agents, the fear being stoked about those who look different from you, and the combined anger and disconnect between persons of
Touching our wounds, affirming our dignity Read More »
By Sister Susan Karina Dickey, OP Theologian and author Ann Garrido is a long-time friend of the Dominican Family. It shows in her books through the consistent seeking and speaking of truth, that which accords with reality. For Dominicans, Truth, with a capital T, is also another name for Jesus the Christ. This book is
Springfield Dominican Sisters were among those present at the State Capitol on October 18 in protest of the anti-immigrant policies of the Administration. From Left to right: Sisters Judith Curran, Dorothy Marie Solak, Martha Marie Kirbach, Beverly Jeanne Howe, Ann Clennon, Kathleen Ryan, Marcelline Koch, and Elizabeth Wrenn. By Sister Kathlyn Mulcahy, OP Close your
True Justice: honoring and restoring human dignity Read More »
The public is welcome to join the Dominican Sisters of Springfield for a series of Brown Bag lunches offered at Sacred Heart Convent in February and March. The noontime events scheduled for February 24, March 5, and March 10 will apply principles of Catholic social teaching to timely challenges facing us today. The events are free; preregistration is requested. Since last spring, the sisters and their friends have kept
Dominican Sisters offer Brown Bag series on social justice themes Read More »
It was an iconic moment. August 28, 1963 in Washington DC. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s “I Have a Dream” speech. Representing the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, King was last in the order of twelve speakers. Twelve hours before giving the speech, King did not yet have it written. But an idea took shape among his
The mission is God’s, the work is ours Read More »
Sister Elizabeth Wrenn ministered in educational settings for about 25 years, and spent some time integrating the Sacred Heart Convent library into the Illinois Heartland Library System. When she moved back to the motherhouse last summer it was to take on a new role as pastoral coordinator for the sisters who live in our skilled
Sister Elizabeth recognizes the need of the sisters Read More »
Over the course of a lifetime every Dominican Sister engages in many ministries, all for the sake of the preaching mission. Such is the case for Sister Judith Hilbing, who over her lifetime has been a teacher, administrator, missionary, and a member of elected leadership. Sister Judi’s role now is to translate into Spanish the
Sister Judi Hilbing: Giving in the service of the Gospel Read More »
Donate Here Sister Patricia Burke has filled many roles since she came to Sacred Heart Convent in 2020. This former high school science teacher now spends her days looking after the needs of her elder sisters. She drives sisters to doctor’s appointments, attends to the inventory in the common supply room and makes sure the
Video: Sister Patricia Burke Read More »
Sister M. Anita Tapocik ServicesVisitation: 4:00 p.m. to 5:15 p.m., Tue., Dec. 9, Aquinas Center, Sacred Heart Convent, 1237 W. Monroe St., Springfield, IL 62704. Funeral Mass: 6:30 p.m., Tue., Dec. 9, at Sacred Heart Convent Chapel, Dominican Father Robert Kelly, presiding. Wake and Mass livestreamed at springfieldop.org/livestream/ Burial: She will be laid to rest
Sister M. Anita Tapocik, OP Read More »
Each year, from the first Sunday of Advent until the Solemnity of the Epiphany of the Lord, the Dominican Family celebrates the Dominican Month for Peace: a time of prayer and commitment focused on a country in the world facing situations of conflict. This year, the spotlight is on Cameroon, under the theme: “Truth and Justice
2025 Month of Peace: Cameroon Read More »
I actually liked Meister Eckhart, the German speculative mystic and probable student of the Dominican St. Albert the Great, before he became trendy. Eckhart’s ideas around “the birth of the Word” in the human soul are at once simple – God incarnate in Jesus and Jesus incarnate in us – and wildly challenging. Perhaps it was the
Do you recall where you were the day Pope Leo XIV was elected? A citizen of the United States and Peru, Augustinian friar Robert Francis Cardinal Prevost, born in Dolton, Ill., was chosen by the College of Cardinals May 8, 2025, to succeed Pope Francis. The shock and joy of the election of a U.S.-born
Pope Leo: Building Bridges of Hope and Healing in the Church Read More »
By Sister Kathleen Anne Tait, OP Judy Babb Troxell is deeply grateful to her mother and father, Harry and Eileen Marron Babb, for the grounding in faith and the “DNA of giving” they instilled within her, and her siblings. Her earliest memories are of putting coins in her weekly children’s church envelope and watching
Partners in Mission: How faith and family impact giving Read More »
By Margaret Lombe My reflection is informed by Catholic social teaching and centers on finding and hearing the voice of God in a wounded world. I often ponder on the question “How do I witness to the gospel values in love and truth amid the many wounds that characterize our world today, wounds of systemic
Solidarity: Finding and hearing the voice of God in a wounded and broken world Read More »
