JW Archives

by Renee Rollins Although St. Dominic Health Services is 170 miles from the Mississippi Gulf Coast, it became evident on August 29, 2005, that a category four hurricane can quickly become an equal opportunity disaster, spreading devastation and causing untold problems for those much further inland. Not only were Mississippi’s coastal towns almost completely wiped

by Sister Bernadette Marie McGuire, OP Rosary high School in Aurora, Ill., one of three high schools sponsored by the Springfield Dominicans, was established in 1962. The enrollment is 458—all girls! Yes 458 girls. W Recently there has been renewed interest in single-sex schools. In fact, the No Child Left Behind Act provides not only

“Almost all of the people I know don’t have papers,’ Rosaria said. “I wanted to drive safe, have insurance, live legally here.’ The young Mexican immigrant came to central Illinois on a short-term tourist visa, desperate for work she couldn’t find at home. She found a factory job, began studying English, and applied for permanent

“Friends…,” wrote Henry David Thoreau, “they cherish one another’s hopes. They are kind to one another’s dreams.” Sharing hopes and dreams is interwoven in the tutor/student relationship established at the Dominican Literacy Center in Aurora, Ill. Friendship is often the crowning grace. Since 1993, this community-based literacy program, sponsored by the Dominican Sisters of Springfield,

It can take years for teachers to see the fruits of their efforts, when the students they helped shape grow into caring and responsible adults. Sometimes teachers find that in the midst of educating minds and spirits, they have also sown the seeds of friendship. Sister Mary Rose Schleeper, OP* If I were taken to

Whoever preaches, let it be with the words of God; whoever serves, let it be with the strength that God supplies, so that in all things God may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom belong glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen. I Peter 4:11 by Paul Caselton The Springfield Dominican Associates practice St.

Somewhere in the United States there is a Coca-Cola employee with HIV who has the life-saving drugs she needs because of action taken by the Dominican Sisters of Springfield. Throughout Asia, factory managers are receiving the training they need to implement safe labor practices, protecting the lives and dignity of thousands of workers, because the

In 2004, the authors, Sister Elise Bocke, OP and Sister Alverna Hollis, OP, lived at St. Edward Convent and welcomed the Nigerian Dominican Sisters. August 15 was a happy day for the sisters of St. Edward Convent in Chicago. Sisters Perpetua Chime and Cecilia Madu from Dusau, Nigeria, finally arrived at Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport.

By Dana Hinton IN 2004, Dana Hinton was communication director for the Dominicans of St. Catharine Kentucky. She prepared this story as part of a collaborative effort of the Dominican Alliance congregations. In December 1992, the United Nations General Assembly adopted a resolution declaring March 22 of each year as the World Day of Water.

When facilitators from Crossroads Ministry told the Dominican Sisters of Springfield that becoming an anti-racist institution is a twenty-year struggle, many people found that difficult to imagine, Sister Beverly Jean Howe among them. “I must admit I’m somewhat overwhelmed that the organizers say this is a twenty-year process,” said the Rockford, Ill.-based canon lawyer. “But

Many readers of Just WORDS know the Springfield Dominicans through ministry. You seldom see the sisters at play. Yet, leisure pursuits are an important part of a well-rounded religious life. In fact, the guidelines for community life mention leisure twice. The first reference is about recreating together “because we view leisure and healthy relaxation as

“I worked down at the school board as a reading specialist, but that wasn’t as much fun as this.” That is Sister Elise Bocke’s assessment of her latest ministry assignment. After sixty-three years in education, Sister Elise finds herself happily on the frontier of computer-assisted learning at St. Edward School on Chicago’s north side. “A