What is Integral Ecology?
We offer you two videos for this month’s reflection. Essential to understanding the premise behind the global initiative of the Laudato Si’ Action Platform is the concept of Integral Ecology. It is not a new concept, but it is a new term for many. The first link is to a 5-minute […]
Read MoreFifth Week of Lent 2022
“Then Jesus said, ‘Neither do I condemn you. Go, and from now on do not sin any more.’”– John 8: 11 In this Sunday’s Gospel, the Scribes bring before Jesus a woman caught in adultery. When they ask Jesus to condemn her, he says, “Let the one among you who is […]
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A House with a Past:
The Story of Cor Unum House
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 […]
Read MoreFourth Week of Lent 2022
“[The father] said to him, ‘My son, you are here with me always. Everything I have is yours.” – Luke 15: 31 For the fourth Sunday of Lent, we hear the powerful parable of the Prodigal Son. In this parable, the younger of two sons takes and squanders his inheritance. On […]
Read MoreThe Four Dominican Pillars: A View from Sister Kelly’s Seat
“Dominicans talk a lot about “the four pillars” of our lives: Prayer. Study. Preaching. Common life. Here’s how Sister Kelly Moline, the newest member of our congregation, has come to think about them. Prayer “Prayer is what grounds me. During my time of formation I experienced many different local communities and ministries. […]
Read MoreThird Week of Lent 2022
“I shall cultivate the ground around it and fertilize it; it may bear fruit in the future.” – Luke 13: 8-9 In the Gospel for this third Sunday of Lent, Jesus speaks of the need for all people to repent of their sins. He tells a parable of a person who […]
Read MoreFirst Person: What Difference do Catholic Sisters Make? What Difference does Sister Maristella Dunlavy Make?
While she was principal at Cathedral Grade School in Springfield, Sister Maristella enjoyed visits with Father John Titus who was at that time the vocation director for the diocese. Father John, it seems, saw something in Sister Maristella that prompted him to introduce her to some of the young men he […]
Read MoreSecond Week of Lent 2022
“While he was praying his face changed in appearance and his clothing became dazzling white.” – Luke 9:29 In the Gospel reading for the second week of Lent, we hear the story of Jesus’s transfiguration. The Christian tradition understands the transfiguration to be a glimpse of Jesus’ heavenly glory, which occurs […]
Read More“You Sisters Figured it Out” A Story for International Women’s Day
UPDATE: Read another inspiring story about Dalila, her mom, and the inspiring work of our sisters at Rosary High School and the Dominican Literacy Center in Aurora, Ill. Here’s an International Women’s Day Special for the start of Catholic Sisters Week. Don’t miss this moving account of how one woman’s perseverance […]
Read MoreFirst Week of Lent 2022
“[The] same Lord is Lord of all, enriching all who call upon him.” Romans 10:11-12 The Season of Lent offers us the opportunity to prepare our hearts for the joy of Easter. In this time, we are invited to examine our lives to see where we have fallen short of our […]
Read MoreIt’s Ash Wednesday. Are you ready for Lent?
This first appeared in the State Journal-Register, February 21, 2021 under the title Now! Near! Turn! Believe! Think about what happens when you sight a rainbow. First you see and are caught by the vision. There is an immediacy, a now-ness, to it. If alone, you might give it your whole […]
Read MoreSister Mary Virginia Derhake, OP
Sister Mary Virginia’s Services Visitors are welcome; masks and social distancing required. Visitation: 4:00-5:00 p.m., Tuesday, March 1, Sacred Heart Convent Chapel, 1237 W. Monroe St., Springfield, IL 62704. Visitation begins with a prayer service. Funeral Mass: 6:30 p.m., Tuesday, Sacred Heart Convent Chapel, Dominican Father Michael DeTemple, celebrant. Burial: 10 […]
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