Relationships that matter: Sister Philomena was with and for us
By Sister M. Clare Fichtner, OP From the time I first knew Catholic sisters, I knew I was called to be one. They all impressed me one way or another. Sister Philomena, OP, my sixth- grade teacher, helped me decide which community to enter. She was one of the twelve sisters who traveled 500 miles north from Springfield, Ill., to staff my school, St. Augustine in Richmond, Mich. It was over-crowded and many creative solutions were needed to […]
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Relationships that matter: Sister M. Rose Schleeper a covenant of liberation
By Father Joseph Brown, SJ The Covenant by which we are bound was completed—from its proclamation, in Exodus: “You shall not wrong a stranger or oppress him, for you were strangers in the land of Egypt. You shall not afflict any widow or orphan…”—by the rendering spoken by Jesus, as He reordered our very identities: “… you shall love your neighbor as yourself….” Long before I could analyze and breathe in this liberating reality, I knew the truth […]
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Partners in Mission: New recognition wall honors donors
By Sister Kathleen Anne Tait, OP Director of Mission Advancement This quote from St. Catherine graces a beautiful new recognition wall, recently installed at the door of Sacred Heart Convent chapel, where every day our sisters remember in their prayer our friends and benefactors, who, having been our companions on the journey in this life, continue to share their gifts with us at the end of their lives on Earth. St. Catherine knew from her own relationship with […]
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A Year in Review: 2022
Taking a glance backward at the end of a calendar year has become traditional-and for us, too. We hope you enjoy savoring our joys and remembering the sorrows and challenges of 2022 in equal measure. Our Top Six Our big news in 2022 was the celebration of the 150th anniversary of our founding. We began the celebrating on August 19, 2022, on the 149th anniversary-and will continue to celebrate through August 19, 2023. Here’s an updated calendar of events […]
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The Way of the Cross in Myanmar
It may seem counterintuitive to present a Way of the Cross while we are still in the Christmas season. For our Dominican family in Myanmar, and for thousands of Myanmar’s citizens, Christmas has not not put an end to the brutal violence and displacement. With this final post of Dominican Month of Peace, we provide a moving version of Jesus’ passion accompanied by images from the conflict in Myanmar, and ask you to remember the people of this […]
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Sister M. Alberta Juggles Techno wizardry, Ministry, and Family Care
Above: Sister M. Alberta, left, and her sister, Sister M. Rene, who died in 2016. Listen carefully and you will hear Sister M. Alberta mention the reason she asked to move from her ministry as principal at Alleman High School in Rock Island, Ill., closer to her family in Morgan County. She mentions her sister, Marianne, who was as that time raising teenagers and caring for their aging parents. The move would allow her to be close enough […]
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Christmas blessings from the Dominican Sisters of Springfield, Illinois
Dear Friends, We greet this Christmas Season with the honest recognition that our hearts are filled with lament, gratitude, and hope. Lament as we join Earth and her people calling for systemic change to heal the suffering found in our shared global community. Gratitude as we recognize the goodness in all of creation that is restorative, renewing, and resurrected. Hope as we deepen our relationship with the One whose incarnational presence is a forever promise. Together, may we celebrate with deep joy this […]
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