Frost and Chill, Bless the Lord
After the storm, comes this. Enjoy these photos from Sacred Heart Convent courtyard, complete with the gorgeous Van Zeller sculpture of St. Christopher, patron saint of travelers. Please be safe out there! If you have an extra moment, open your Bible to Daniel chapter 3:52-90 for an exuberant praise psalm perfect for every season. If you decide to dance around your living room or backyard while chanting in to the skies, don’t worry. (We won’t tell!)
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First Week of Lent 2021
“The Spirit drove Jesus out into the desert, and he remained in the desert for forty days…” Mark 1: 12 In this first week of Lent, we invite you to reflect on two stories of transformative encounters from the Gospels: the story of Jesus’ baptism and the parable of the Good Samaritan. The first story is at the heart of the readings for this first Sunday in Lent. The passage from Mark today recounts Jesus’ journey into the […]
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A Little St. Valentine’s Day Love from Sacred Heart Convent
For Valentine’s Day we asked two couples who work at our motherhouse to share what they most love about each other and about working with us at the convent. Their sweet replies are enough to melt your little chocolate heart! I love Dave’s good sense of humor! He’s a great dad for his sons. I love my job because I love the easy-going, peaceful atmosphere at the convent. It makes it a great place to work. The sisters […]
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Service in the Community: A Reflection on Service from Current SHG Students
For a number of years the sisters at Sacred Heart Convent and the students and faculty “across the blacktop” at Sacred Heart-Griffin High School have enjoyed a wonderful mutuality. Students are allowed to give one study hall period a week in service at the convent, where they come to read to sisters, or write letters for them, help the kitchen staff on the serving line, or assist sisters with various other tasks of daily ministry and common life. […]
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Holding Space for Young Adult Women as Pandemic Drags On
A new initiative of the Dominican Sisters of Springfield is meant to hold a space for young adult women to find encouragement, companionship, and the “space and grace” to meet themselves and uncover the purpose of their lives. What is Cor Unum? Cor Unum House is both a physical space in an historic Springfield, Illinois, neighborhood and a virtual gathering place that has sometimes included women from as far away as Zambia. While the initial plan was to […]
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Active Nonviolence: To Celebrate, Contemplate, and Live
Recently I was privileged to participate in a Pax Christi United Kingdom workshop on nonviolence. The sessions took place over five weeks and each included prayer, scripture, presentation, reflection, and discussion in small groups. Participants came from across the globe, despite the inconvenience for people in many time zones. This workshop, “Making Active Nonviolence Our Way of Life in the Church and in the World,” came to our attention as we on the Springfield Dominican Sisters’ Justice, Peace, […]
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“A Girl Can Be Sold Over and Over…” the Haunting Truth about Human Trafficking
It was in September 2003 when our Justice, Peace, and Integrity of Creation Committee first shared a resource unit on human trafficking with our sisters. In the years since then, I’ve heard and read many stories of exploitation and violence related to the sale and trading of human beings that seem unbelievable in their total disregard for the dignity of a person. What haunts me most is not a story, but words spoken by a man convicted of […]
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Consecrated Life: An Encounter With God through People
In his homily on World Day for Consecrated Life in 2019, Pope Francis breathed new life and joy in to the observance when he called consecrated life-the vowed life of Catholic sisters, brothers, priests and consecrated lay people-“a living encounter with the Lord in his people.” In honor of the 25th World Day for Consecrated Life on February 2, 2021, the National Religious Vocation Conference offers 32 short video stories about the lives of newer members of religious […]
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