Cor Unum Blog

The near-assassination of the presumptive Republican nominee for president this weekend is a wake-up call. It is past time for us to do as the president has asked and “lower the temperature” of our political discourse. Be the solution If this seems like a big ask, we have some resources that might help you be […]

Are the elections and national party conventions weighing heavily on your mind?   The Dominican Sisters of Springfield, Ill., along with the Leadership Conference of Women Religious (LCWR), invite concerned citizens to join them for a virtual time of prayer 4 – 5 p.m. Tuesday, July 16.   This event, coordinated by LCWR, is 24 hours […]

Pilgrims expected at 11:30 a.m. July 11. Springfield, Ill.-Organizers for the national Eucharistic Pilgrimage passing through Mr. Lincoln’s hometown on July 11 have said we can expect the pilgrims to arrive at Sacred Heart Convent, the Dominican motherhouse at 1237 W. Monroe St, between 11:30 and Noon that day. To join the pilgrimage at Sacred […]

Podcast highlights impact of women religious for Catholic Sisters Week March 8-15. Available here March 8. Springfield, Ill.-A heart-racing story about a near-tragedy that befell ten Springfield Dominican Sisters in 1972 is the centerpiece of the congregation’s Catholic Sisters Week observances this year. Two Springfield Dominicans, Sister Margaret Grueter and Sister Marie Michelle Hackett, share […]

Mary of Magdala is the patroness of the Order of Preachers, call the Apostle to the Apostles because she was the first to “go and tell” the Good News of the Resurrection. Here are some ideas to celebrate her feast day, July 23. Read the lectionary readings for her feast. Listen to a preaching by […]

There is nothing like sitting down with your Bible and a notebook and exploring scripture prayerfully and thoughtfully. Here are some Bible citations that have something to say about how Jesus prayed. Why not pick a few and see what you can learn? How might you apply what you learn to your own prayer life? […]

Cor Unum House has its own story. An American Foursquare, it was saved from the wrecking ball through the vision and commitment of the Enos Park Neighborhood Improvement Association and the generosity of philanthropist Fletcher Farrar, Jr., who with his spouse Mary Jessup are friends of the Dominican Sisters and catalysts for their presence in […]

Can we ever exhaust the meaning of faith? No few-hundred word essay could get you to a definition. Here, Cor Unum Elders Sister M. Clare and Anne Hilofsky tackle faith from their perspectives. Enjoy! Anne: Defining My Faith Faith, defined in the dictionary as a noun, is actually as fluid as water to me. “Faith” […]

“… But Ruth replied:‘Do not urge me to leave youor to turn from following you.For wherever you go, I will go,and wherever you live, I will live;your people will be my people, …'” (Ruth 1:16-17) And so we begin. We are Cor Unum Women Elders. Cor Unum is a physical space-a house in an historic […]

The twisties-getting lost and not knowing where you are in time and space-pretty much defines what life looks like right now for most of the world. – Sister Beth Murphy, OP A recent Washington Post article defines “the twisties” as “The sudden inability for a gymnast to make the requisite spins-or sometimes any spins-for a […]

Sister Kelly Moline will make her perpetual profession of vows on St. Dominic’s Day, August 8, and you are invited to attend via livestream to join in the celebration! Under different circumstances we’d be throwing open the doors for all our friends to be with us in Sacred Heart Convent Chapel for the Mass and profession […]

“If you can’t breathe nothing else matters” says a friend of the Dominican Sisters who is a respiratory therapist. Other physiological needs are equally important. If you can’t breathe, if you are physically hungry, if you are cold, tired, and without shelter, there is little else you can be attentive to. When needs for safety, […]

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, […]

Cor Unum House has its own story. An American Foursquare, it was saved from the wrecking ball through the vision and commitment of the Enos Park Neighborhood Improvement Association and the generosity of philanthropist Fletcher Farrar, Jr., who with his spouse Mary Jessup are friends of the Dominican Sisters and catalysts for their presence in […]

Cor Unum is One Heart in Latin. The name was chosen to anchor the project in the Dominican Sisters’ story and move it toward an evolving future. In 1893, when the Jacksonville-based Dominican Sisters moved to Springfield, they became known as the Dominican Sisters of Our Lady of the Sacred Heart. Fast forward almost 130 […]

Where God closes a door, a window opens. Sometimes, almost literally. Cor Unum House, a ministry of the Dominican Sisters of Springfield, is meant to be a house of hospitality, where guests are welcome into the sisters’ lives in tangible ways. Except, not now. While the Coronavirus lockdown has closed the sisters’ front door for […]

About the photo: Sister Georgiana Stubner, center, and Sister Anita Cleary, right, visit after the prayer vigil in Forest, Miss., Saturday, August 17. Sister Mila Diaz Solano, a member of the Springfield Dominican Leadership team, organized a delegation of Springfield Dominican Sisters who traveled to Mississippi over the weekend to be in solidarity with the […]

Download the PDF. Think you don’t have time to pray? Think again! Cor Unum team member Sister Lori Kirchman shares seven prayer practices you can use in the time you have. Have a minute? Unplug and breath. Five minutes? Read and reflect. Dashing from the car to classroom? Make it a walking meditation. Don’t tell […]

In preparation for our upcoming General Chapter, we invited some of our sisters, friends, and associates to talk about how they see the sisters following the Spirit’s lead into the future. The Winter 2019 issue of JUST Words pulled their thoughts together, but there was more good stuff than we could include in the print […]

Dominican Sisters Welcome the Public for Solemn Evening Prayer October 7 Like all Catholic sisters around the world, the Dominican Sisters of Springfield gather at least twice a day for Liturgy of the Hours, a prayer tradition that pre-dates Christianity. The sisters’ prayer incorporates psalms, canticles, and sacred texts from Jewish and Christian scriptures. Springfield […]

  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 […]

New Dominican Associates are challenged to “Construct the Village” Make Commitment to Prayer, Service, Study, Community   Springfield Dominican Associate Class of 2018. New associates are noted in bold type. All others in the photo are sister- and associate sponsors of the new associates. Row 1: Sister Catherine Mary Currie, Nancy Kaz, Sister Agnes Ann […]

Springfield, Ill.—Sister Rose Marie Riley, the new director for Jubilee Farm, says she is looking forward to continuing the long Springfield Dominican tradition of holding the eco-spirituality center’s 164 acres as a “place to care for and reverence the land and all of the creatures who inhabit it.” Sister Rose Marie, who begins her new […]