Nancy Kaz:
Giving=Happiness
Back when she was still called Nancy Means, Nancy Kaz daydreamed about being a Dominican Sister. She even had her religious name picked out. “I remember those days,” she mused. “That did not materialize; I had another path. But you always come full circle.” That “other path” turned out to be Nancy’s 2010 commitment as a Springfield Dominican Associate. It all began at St. Christina Parish on Chicago’s South Side. Nancy recalls her grandmother admonishing her mother Rita […]
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Sister Mary Megan Farrelly, OP
Sister M. Megan’s Services Visitation: 4:00 p.m. – 6:15 p.m., Thursday, March7, 2019 at Aquinas Center, Sacred Heart Convent, 1237 W. Monroe St. in Springfield. The visitation will begin with a prayer service. Funeral Mass: 6:30 p.m., Thursday, March 7, 2019 at Sacred Heart Convent Chapel with Father Peter Witchousky, OP, celebrant. Morning Prayer, Remembering, and Final Commendation: 10:30 a.m., Friday, March 8, 2019 at Sacred Heart Convent Chapel. Cremation rights accorded to Butler Funeral Home. Burial follows […]
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Sister Philip Neri Crawford, OP
Springfield Dominican Sister Philip Neri Crawford died February 26, 2019 at Sacred Heart Convent. She was born in Springfield, Ill., in 1931, and named Marilyn Marie by her parents, Louis and Florence (Christjansen) Crawford. She made her profession of vows in 1951 at Sacred Heart Convent. Sister Philip Neri dedicated 62 years of religious life to Catholic education. From her first assignment at St. Thomas School, Newton, Ill. to her final 14-year teaching position at Sacred Heart-Griffin High […]
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Jerseyville Parish Honors Dominican Sisters
Springfield Dominican Sisters Ruthanne Huss and Henrianne Schmidt were the celebrities of the day in Jerseyville, Ill., on Sunday February 24, 2019. They were in town for the dedication of the new office space at St. Francis Xavier/Holy Ghost School, where our sisters taught for more than 100 years. “We were very happy that three sisters could come on short notice for the dedication,” said parishioner Rita Allen. Sister Martha Carmody was the chauffeur for the sister-celebrities. The […]
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“Sisters to the Land” in High Demand
An overwhelming early response to an event the Dominican Sisters are hosting at Jubilee Farm has closed registration more than two weeks ahead of the event date. Sisters to the Land, a three-hour immersion in life at Jubilee Farm, the Dominican Sisters eco-spirituality center, is scheduled during National Catholic Sisters Week on Saturday, March 9. The event reached capacity on February 20. “We are thrilled with the overwhelming response,” said Sister Elyse Marie Ramirez, OP, one of the […]
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Dominican Sisters Pray in Solidarity
with Abuse Survivors, Church
as Vatican Begins
Meeting on Protection of Minors
The Dominican Sisters of Springfield wish to share their promise of prayer in solidarity with the global church as a gathering of religious leaders begins at the Vatican on Thursday, February 21. Convened by Pope Francis, the 4-day meeting on the Protection of Minors in the Church is a response to the failure of clergy and ecclesial leadership to protect the children entrusted to the care of the Church. The meeting involves about 200 leaders, including 114 presidents […]
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Seeking the Global Common Good:
Seeing, Connecting, and Sustaining
Life-giving Change
This story was first published in the Fall 2018 edition of JUST Words. Passions for justice Among my Springfield Dominican Sisters there are many varied passions for justice. A quick review of the community directory brings to mind certain sisters who are passionate about or ministerialy engaged with the following concerns: immigration reform access to mental healthcare anti-racism economic justice global climate change and other environmental concerns human trafficking education reform accessible healthcare criminal justice reform concern for […]
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How are YOU a Neighbor?
This story, co-written by Sister Beth Murphy and Mr. Leroy Jordan, first appeared in the February 10, 2019 issue of the Springfield State-Journal Register. The Governing magazine report that discusses income disparity and segregation in Springfield was all the talk at a recent meeting of the Springfield Dominican Antiracism Team (SDART). What a discouraging message for people who’ve been working for systemic change for 15 years! How could it be true that the average African-American household in Springfield […]
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