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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An Unending Circle of Prayer: 15 Years of Sister Maristella Dunlavy’s Card Ministry
When Sister Maristella Dunlavy retired from her educational ministry in 2006, she concluded 14 years as principal of Cathedral Grade School. As she prepared to move on, the prioress general of the Dominican Sisters of Springfield asked whether she would consent to serving as sacristan at Sacred Heart Convent. “Yes, I’d be honored to do that,” she replied. “But there is something else I’d like to do, too.” That something else was a dream Sister Maristella had harbored […]
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Sister Helen Michael Horne, OP
Sister Helen Michael’s Services Visitors are welcome; masks and social distancing required. Visitation: 4:00-5:00 p.m., Tuesday, Feb. 15, 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. Wake Service Funeral Mass Burial: 10 a.m. Wednesday, Feb. 16, Calvary Cemetery, Springfield, Ill. Burial Service Springfield Dominican Sister Helen Michael Horne, OP, died February 13, 2022, at Sacred […]
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Robert Blackwell, Dominican Associate, Honored for Transformational Antiracism Work
Springfield Dominican Associate Robert Blackwell was honored Tuesday night with the Dr. Kenniebrew Equity 2022 Trailblazer Award for his commitment to and transformational work in equity, diversity, and inclusion. Retired in 2021 from his role as Chief in the Office of Racial Equity Practice at Illinois Department of Children and Family Services, Bob continues his service as a member of several community boards and advisory groups, including his ongoing role as long-time member of SDART, the Springfield Dominican […]
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The Feast of St. Bakhita: A day of prayer for an end to human trafficking around the world
The Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace and the International Union of Superiors General has designated February 8 as an annual day of prayer and awareness against human trafficking. On February 8, we celebrate the feast of St. Josephine Bakhita who was born in Darfur, Sudan in 1869 and ripped from her loving family at the age of 7 or 9 years old when she was kidnapped, sold into slavery, and given the name Bakhita. After being sold […]
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