What is Integral Ecology?
We offer you two videos for this month’s reflection. Essential to understanding the premise behind the global initiative of the Laudato Si’ Action Platform is the concept of Integral Ecology. It is not a new concept, but it is a new term for many. The first link is to a 5-minute video that shows clearly the meaning of Integral Ecology. I think you will find it very helpful. The second video emphasizes what the Laudato Si’ Action Platform […]
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Fifth Week of Lent 2022
“Then Jesus said, ‘Neither do I condemn you. Go, and from now on do not sin any more.’”– John 8: 11 In this Sunday’s Gospel, the Scribes bring before Jesus a woman caught in adultery. When they ask Jesus to condemn her, he says, “Let the one among you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her.” After they all depart, Jesus tells the woman he does not condemn her and invites her […]
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A House with a Past:
The Story of Cor Unum House
Cor Unum House has its own story. An American Foursquare, it was saved from the wrecking ball through the vision and commitment of the Enos Park Neighborhood Improvement Association and the generosity of philanthropist Fletcher Farrar, Jr., who with his spouse Mary Jessup are friends of the Dominican Sisters and catalysts for their presence in Enos Park. The home was built in 1905 by Henry Thoma, a Springfield retailer of German Catholic extraction. He and his wife, Annie […]
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Fourth Week of Lent 2022
“[The father] said to him, ‘My son, you are here with me always. Everything I have is yours.” – Luke 15: 31 For the fourth Sunday of Lent, we hear the powerful parable of the Prodigal Son. In this parable, the younger of two sons takes and squanders his inheritance. On returning home, he expects to be scorned by his father for his behavior, but his father welcomes him with open arms. In response to the jealous, well-behaved […]
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The Four Dominican Pillars: A View from Sister Kelly’s Seat
“Dominicans talk a lot about “the four pillars” of our lives: Prayer. Study. Preaching. Common life. Here’s how Sister Kelly Moline, the newest member of our congregation, has come to think about them. Prayer “Prayer is what grounds me. During my time of formation I experienced many different local communities and ministries. I lived in different regions of the US and the world. Without the intimate time I spent with God AND the prayers of my sisters I think my experiences […]
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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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