SEEK2026: Another First For Me
Hello Readers, Welcome to Vocation on Location with Sister Mary Jo Sobieck, OP SEEK2026: What an experience! Vocation Animation has been a new ministry for me as of the summer of 2025, and Sister Denise has been a wonderful host guiding me through the ropes of these gatherings; each one being a first for me. Soon enough we’ll be on the road again to meet up with the San Jose Dominicans in LA for the Religious Ed Conference […]
Dominican Sisters offer Brown Bag series on social justice themes
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 vigil on the Monroe Street frontage of Sacred Heart Convent, waving at commuters and drawing attention to the wisdom of Catholic Social Teaching [CST]-principles […]
International Dominican commission issues statement on Iran
A global commission of Dominican sisters, friars, and laity today issued a statement addressing the crisis in Iran. “We urgently appeal to the Iranian authorities to safeguard the lives of all citizens, to respect their dignity, and to take concrete steps to halt further bloodshed,” the statement says. “No political goal can justify the taking of innocent life.” It goes on to call the international community to employ “diplomatic, peaceful, and nonviolent means to bring the crisis to […]
The mission is God’s, the work is ours
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 advisors: an opening analogy of African Americans marching to Washington to redeem a promissory note or a check for justice. King had asked […]
My Get Up and Go… Springfield–Tucson–Columbus
Hello Readers, It was Dec. 12, 2025, when I left Springfield, Ill., to give a retreat to the students preparing for confirmation at Mission San Xavier Del Bac on the Tohono O’odham Nation, San Xavier Indian Reservation in Tucson, Ariz., Following my time there, I flew to Columbus, Ohio, to participate in SEEK 2026, a five-day experience where thousands of Catholics come together to encounter and grow in a relationship with Christ. A highlight from my travels included […]
Sister Judi Hilbing: Giving in the service of the Gospel
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 resources being used for the formation of new sisters in Peru-and to be a comforting presence to the sisters who live in Regina […]
Sister M. Anita Tapocik, OP
Sister M. Anita Tapocik Services Visitation: 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 at Calvary Cemetery, 10:00 a.m. Wed. Dec. 10 Those services will livestream on Facebook @springfieldop. Springfield Dominican Sister M. Anita Tapocik died […]
2025 Month of Peace: Cameroon
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 for a Lasting Peace.” During this period, Dominican communities are called to organize pastoral activities, promote solidarity initiatives, and offer prayers for this African […]
