Strong woman, strong verbs
This essay first appeared in the July 15 edition of the Springfield State Journal-Register in the Beliefs Column, to which Sister Beth Murphy is a regular contributor. Two years ago, Pope Francis acknowledged the privileged place Mary of Magdala holds for Catholics by elevating the liturgical celebration of her life from a memorial to a feast. It was a wonderful moment for women, and in a special way for all Dominicans, members of the Order of Preachers, because […]
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Springfield Dominicans Rally for Families
Seeking asylum is a human right Springfield, Ill.—Springfield Dominican sisters and associates, co-workers and antiracism team members were among the diverse crowd braving dangerously hot temperatures in the capitol city on Saturday to participate in the Families Belong Together rally here on Saturday June 30. An estimated crowd of 300 gathered on the historic Old State Capitol Plaza, in front of the Illinois Statehouse where Abraham Lincoln orated his “House Divided” speech, nearly 160 years to the day. […]
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Dominican Sisters Join National Outcry Against Supreme Court Travel Ban Decision
Standing with the Leadership Conference of Women Religious and the 38,000 Catholic Sisters they represent An open letter to the nation, When religious-based discrimination is permitted, especially when sanctioned by those at the highest levels of government, the free-exercise of religion by members of all faiths is threatened. This week the Dominican Sisters of Springfield join our voices with 38,000 Catholic Sisters nationwide in saying “not in our name” to the United States’ Supreme Court’s decision in […]
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Re-membering the Body of Christ
This essay first appeared in the June 3, 2018, edition of the Springfield State Journal-Register, in the Beliefs column, to which Sister Beth Murphy is a frequent contributor. Tu eres mi otro yo. You are my other self. It was Msgr. Arturo Bañuelas speaking, the pastor of St. Mark’s in El Paso, Texas, who last weekend addressed the 2018 graduates of Catholic Theological Union. Among them was my Dominican Sister Kelly Moline. She was the reason I was […]
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Sister Mary Karla Fritz, OP
Springfield Dominican Sister Mary Karla Fritz died June 7, 2018, at St. John’s Hospital. She was born near Herscher, Ill., in 1930, and baptized Veronica Florence by her parents, Carl G. and Mary Anne Heimburger Fritz. She made her profession of vows in 1954 at Sacred Heart Convent. Sister M. Karla ministered nearly 30 years as a music educator in Illinois’ elementary schools throughout northern and central Illinois. In the 1970s she was principal, eighth grade teacher, and […]
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Dominican Sisters Launch Ministry of Mutual Support for Women
Springfield, Ill.—At a time when women are finding their voices and creating a wave of energy that offers hope for positive change in U.S. culture and in the Catholic Church, the Dominican Sisters of Springfield have launched a new ministry of mutual support for young women who seek to be a part of the change they want to see. The mission of Cor Unum—Latin for “One Heart”—is to be “a place of mutual support for young women […]
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Sister Mary Anton Uthe, OP—2018 Jubilarian
Springfield, Ill.—It is a rare thing to count life-commitment milestones in multiples of 25. The Dominican Sisters of Springfield are blessed with ten such milestones this year for sisters who have been faithful to living the evangelical counsels for 25, 50, and even 75 years. The eldest jubilarian is Sister Mary Anton Uthe, who was born in Story City, Iowa, on April 1—Easter Day—in 1923. A week later, at Ss. Peter & Paul Church in Gilbert, she was […]
Read More"We all long for peace in this land" Sister Mila in Jerusalem
Springfield Dominican Sister Mila Diaz Solano resides in Jerusalem where she is completing her doctoral thesis at the École Biblique et Archéologique, a French academic establishment in Jerusalem, founded by Dominicans, and specializing in archaeology and Biblical exegesis. Today she shared with her Dominican sisters in the United States and Peru her experience of the past weeks of violence in Israel and at the border fence in Gaza, set in motion, in part, by the relocation of the […]
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