Miracle on the Lake: A heart-racing story of near-tragedy for Dominican Sisters of Springfield
Podcast highlights impact of women religious for Catholic Sisters Week March 8-15. Available here March 8. Springfield, Ill.-A heart-racing story about a near-tragedy that befell ten Springfield Dominican Sisters in 1972 is the centerpiece of the congregation’s Catholic Sisters Week observances this year. Two Springfield Dominicans, Sister Margaret Grueter and Sister Marie Michelle Hackett, share an intimate conversation about their recollections of October 7, 1972, when a relaxing holiday in the Boundary Waters of Minnesota nearly ended in […]
Read MoreSister Patricia Burke celebrates 60 years of religious profession
Sister Patricia Burke, for a time known as Sister M. Malachy, made her profession of vows June 19, 1964 and spent most of her 60 years of profession in high school education, though she began her teaching ministry in a primary school classroom. She was born to Patrick and Mary Burke in County Offaly, Ireland, and raised there with her siblings until 1949 when the family moved to Chicago. She attended St. Genevieve grade school, an graduated from […]
Read MoreSister Marie Michelle Hackett celebrates jubilee
Sister Marie Michelle was raised in Chicago. Her parents were Walter “Red” and Olga Hackett and her siblings were Pat and Joan. Her parents named her Norene Mary. She made her profession of vows on June 19, 1964, and a few weeks later she was in the third-grade classroom at Little Flower School, Springfield, Ill., where she taught for four years. She then taught first and third grade at St. Michael School, Duluth, Minn., 1968-1972, and then first […]
Read MoreSister Karen Marie Kvidera celebrates jubilee
Sister Karen Marie fell under the influence of the Dominican Sisters of Springfield early in her life, once she started school at Ss. Peter & Paul Parish, Cary, Ill., where the congregation staffed the school. So it wasn’t a big surprise when she joined the Dominicans right out of high school. She made her profession on June 19, 1964 and began her teaching ministry a year later at Holy Cross School, Mendota, Ill., where she taught grade 6, […]
Read MoreSister Norma Somers celebrates diamond jubilee
John and Margaret Somers raised four girls on their farm in Ivesdale, Ill. Sister Norma was the third child. It was on the farm that she learned many of the lessons she would impart to others through 75 years of profession and ministry as a Dominican sister of Springfield. She joined the community in 1947, right after graduation from Sacred Heart Academy, where she was a boarding student. After her first profession on January 3, 1949, she embarked […]
Read MoreDominican Associate Mary Ellen Eversman named Citizen of the Year
By Nick Taylor of the Effingham Daily News Mary Ellen Eversman, 85, said she was “shocked” when she was named 2024 Effingham Daily News Citizen of the Year during the Effingham County Chamber Gala at the Thelma Convention Center in Effingham on Jan. 20. Since then, she said she feels like she has a “new lease on life.” “What it tells me is how many wonderful people there are and how many people do care and how many people took […]
Read MoreCommunity Day reflects past while looking to the future
Our annual Community Day is a homecoming for us each February and a chance to reflect on the past and contemplate the future. Because we are preparing for General Chapter in April, this year insights were shared about directions for the future. We had plenty of time for contemplation and sharing, and ended the day with Eucharist and fellowship. Enjoy this glimpse into our day!
Read More