This story by John Freml first appeared in the winter 2018 issue of Just Words. “Just because there are more people at the table, it doesn’t mean they all feel safe.” “One anti-bias training can’t undo a lifetime of bias training.” “If you’ve never seen anti-racism before, how do you know what it looks like?” […]
Dismantling Racism:
collaborative study at its best Read More »
Earth heals us As preachers, the first thing we acknowledge is that we do not heal Earth. We do not have the power, the breadth of knowledge, nor often the will. Earth is actually self-healing, just as she is self-educating, self-nourishing, and self-governing. And, in fact, Earth heals us. Who of us has not experienced
Fifth annual March Observance highlights the contributions of Catholic Sisters to Church, Society Kids, families and adults will find a welcome among the Dominican Sisters during the March observance of the annual event. Raucous games, genteel teas, nature hikes, and a social media blitz are all on the schedule for the Dominican Sisters of Springfield’s
Request Prayer Now Every day an email containing a litany of prayer needs arrives in the inboxes of every Springfield Dominican Sister and associate in the world. These requests pour in regularly at Sacred Heart Convent in Springfield—motherhouse of the Dominican Sisters and home to nearly 100 sisters. Eventually all these requests, collected from the
Meet Sister Colette Barker:
Prayer Central Director, Sacred Heart Convent Read More »
An interview with Daphne Skretvedt by Sister Rose Miriam Schulte, OP SRM: Daphne, how do you see the Spirit calling the Dominican Sisters forth at this time? DS: I have come to know you as courageous, prophetic women. I’ve witnessed your fearless and persistent ways in serving real people in real-time. I believe this acute
Trust is the Antidote to Fear Read More »
By Marcelo and Cookie Ruvinsky Doctor Marcelo Ruvinsky and his wife Cookie met in medical school in Cordoba, Argentina, and moved to Jackson, Miss., in 1971 for his internship and residency at the University of Mississippi Medical Center, thinking they would return home in four years. “Then, life happened,” he said. “We are still here,
A “Guiding Star” of Faith and Mission Read More »
In preparation for our upcoming General Chapter, we invited some of our sisters, friends, and associates to talk about how they see the sisters following the Spirit’s lead into the future. The Winter 2019 issue of JUST Words pulled their thoughts together, but there was more good stuff than we could include in the print
Dominican Sisters: Building Relationships in a Disconnected World Read More »
Alyssa Regan, switchboard supervisor at Sacred Heart Convent, has two little boys at home she knew would be excited about getting out in the mammoth snowstorm that was scheduled for the weekend. Could that explain her brainstorm? Why not have a snow-person making contest for the sisters and their coworkers? What a brilliant idea! The
Snowstorm + Sisters + Coworkers = FUN! Read More »
An elderly woman, on the occasion of her 95th birthday, was asked, “How do you remain so vibrant after all these years?” Her response was simple: “I never turn down an invitation.” After a brief pause, she continued, “When you live a long time, you have to keep making new friends and moving in new
Invited by the Spirit Read More »
This essay was originally published on Sunday December 30, 2018, in the Springfield State Journal-Register Beliefs column for which Sister Beth Murphy writes regularly. For many of us, January 1 has become unmoored from the faith context of Christmas. It’s New Year’s Day, of course, and holds a sense of promise and fresh start that
Transform Your Life: Sing Mary’s Song Read More »
Grief is part of life, but when we grieve while it seems the world is rejoicing, the pain and loneliness can seem that much more acute. Here are three ways to help get yourself or a loved one through a sad time at Christmastime. Go low key. If you don’t feel like a Christmas season
Grieving at Christmastime? That’s okay. Read More »
An NPR Illinois Interview with Sister Marcelline Koch. Sister Marcelline Koch, standing center, above, invites US citizens to do two things when it comes to grasping what’s happening at the US-Mexico border: See the immigrants as people who are frightened for their children. Do the analysis necessary to understand why mothers and fathers are compelled
“People are Frightened for their Children” Read More »
This essay was first published on November 18, 2018 in the Springfield State Journal-Register Beliefs column for which Sister Beth Murphy writes regularly. There is a certain way of reading Jewish and Christian apocalyptic texts that makes excellent B movie material. I believe we are living in an apocalypse—but not that kind! The word apocalypse
My Kind of Apocalypse Read More »
A week of service at an immigrant shelter in El Paso helps ease the burdens of desperate families Springfield, Ill.—On Sunday, Springfield Dominican Sisters Anita Cleary and Marcelline Koch will travel to El Paso, Texas to volunteer at a Catholic shelter for families called Annunciation House. “We’re going because Annunciation House and other shelters like
Dominican Sisters Head to the Border to Serve Children & Families Read More »
A Statement from the Dominican Sisters of Springfield Office for Justice We stand with all people of good will in opposition to the hate that has seeped into our public discourse and spilled out with deadly effect into our streets, neighborhoods, and places of worship. Our hearts ache for all those whose lives have been
The Only Opponent is Hate Read More »
