Dominican Charism Initiative Launched in Houston
Springfield Dominicans Join International Collaboration How do we pass on the Dominican charism at this critical moment in our history? How do we create new, relevant expressions of the Dominican charism to ensure its ongoing vitality through the formation of the present and future generations of sisters and lay partners? Houston, Texas—Dominican sisters and lay partners from the United States, Zimbabwe, Zambia, and Kenya engaged in energetic dialogue and creative planning in response to these questions during a […]
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Sister M. Paulita Philippe, OP
Springfield Dominican Sister M. Paulita Philippe died March 16, 2019, at Sacred Heart Convent. She was born in Livingston, Ill., in 1937, and named Annette Mary by her parents, Paul and Emma (Martinelli) Philippe. She made her profession of vows in 1959 at Sacred Heart Convent, Springfield, Ill. Sister M. Paulita dedicated her life to education and pastoral ministry. She enjoyed especially her 15 years among Spanish-speaking Catholics in Rogers, Ark., east central Illinois, and Kankakee County during […]
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A National Catholic Sisters Week Love Story
What happens when a sister falls in love with a mobster? How I discovered the mobster who loved one of my Dominican Sisters. About two years ago I was summoned to Sister M. Pauletta Overbeck’s room. She handed me a home-recorded DVD in a ratty brown envelope and asked that I help her watch the contents one last time and then—rather dramatically—ordered me to destroy it! The DVD contained an interview with infamous Chicago mobster-turned-government-informant Bill Jahoda. As […]
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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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