Third Week of Lent 2022
“I shall cultivate the ground around it and fertilize it; it may bear fruit in the future.” – Luke 13: 8-9 In the Gospel for this third Sunday of Lent, Jesus speaks of the need for all people to repent of their sins. He tells a parable of a person who owns a fig tree that does not produce fruit for three years. When the man tries to cut it down, his gardener tells him to leave it […]
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First Person: What Difference do Catholic Sisters Make? What Difference does Sister Maristella Dunlavy Make?
While she was principal at Cathedral Grade School in Springfield, Sister Maristella enjoyed visits with Father John Titus who was at that time the vocation director for the diocese. Father John, it seems, saw something in Sister Maristella that prompted him to introduce her to some of the young men he knew who were discerning priesthood. Over the years, these men, and apparently many others, have come to rely on Sister Maristella’s friendship and support. Here are their […]
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Second Week of Lent 2022
“While he was praying his face changed in appearance and his clothing became dazzling white.” – Luke 9:29 In the Gospel reading for the second week of Lent, we hear the story of Jesus’s transfiguration. The Christian tradition understands the transfiguration to be a glimpse of Jesus’ heavenly glory, which occurs just before he travels to Jerusalem to set into motion the events that will lead to his death on the cross. For Christians, the event of Jesus’ […]
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“You Sisters Figured it Out” A Story for International Women’s Day
UPDATE: Read another inspiring story about Dalila, her mom, and the inspiring work of our sisters at Rosary High School and the Dominican Literacy Center in Aurora, Ill. Here’s an International Women’s Day Special for the start of Catholic Sisters Week. Don’t miss this moving account of how one woman’s perseverance transformed her family’s fortunes with the help of the Dominican Sisters. Watch and share this Catholic Sisters Week kick-off video or read the story below. Dalila Alegria […]
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First Week of Lent 2022
“[The] same Lord is Lord of all, enriching all who call upon him.” Romans 10:11-12 The Season of Lent offers us the opportunity to prepare our hearts for the joy of Easter. In this time, we are invited to examine our lives to see where we have fallen short of our vocation to love God with our whole hearts, minds, and souls, and to love our neighbor as ourselves. We humbly ask God for the grace to love […]
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It’s Ash Wednesday. Are you ready for Lent?
This first appeared in the State Journal-Register, February 21, 2021 under the title Now! Near! Turn! Believe! Think about what happens when you sight a rainbow. First you see and are caught by the vision. There is an immediacy, a now-ness, to it. If alone, you might give it your whole attention until it fades from view. Or you might search for someone to share it with. In the presence of a rainbow I’ve been known to grab […]
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Sister Mary Virginia Derhake, OP
Sister Mary Virginia’s Services Visitors are welcome; masks and social distancing required. Visitation: 4:00-5:00 p.m., Tuesday, March 1, Sacred Heart Convent Chapel, 1237 W. Monroe St., Springfield, IL 62704. Visitation begins with a prayer service. Funeral Mass: 6:30 p.m., Tuesday, Sacred Heart Convent Chapel, Dominican Father Michael DeTemple, celebrant. Burial: 10 a.m. Wednesday, March 2, Calvary Cemetery, Springfield, Ill. Livestream Links Wake Service Funeral Mass […]
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A Message from the Dominican Sisters and Friars in Ukraine
Updated June 13, 2022, 9 a.m. CST Updates From Our Dominican Family in Ukraine Here is an update from Kyiv by Father Jarosław Krawiec, Vicar Provincial of the Dominican Province of St. Hyacinth. Dear Sisters, Dear Brothers, Today I made a phone call to an older woman whose son fights on the frontlines. “Good morning, this is Father Jarosław…” On the other end: silence. I introduced myself again and explained why I’m calling. After a while, she told me […]
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