Remembering Fr. Gustavo Gutiérrez Merino, OP

We join our Dominican Family in Peru and around the world in mourning the loss of our treasured brother, Friar Gustavo Gutiérrez, OP, who entered eternal life on October 22, at the age of 96, in the company of his brothers in the Province of San Juan Bautista of Peru. Widely known as the father of Liberation Theology, his landmark work,  A Theology of Liberation, remains one of the most influential contributions to Christian theology of the past century.

In 2018, Pope Francis expressed his gratitude for Friar Gustavo’s 'theological service and preferential love for the poor and discarded in society,' recognizing his efforts to challenge the world’s conscience so that 'no one can remain indifferent to the drama of poverty and exclusion.'

We join people of faith around the world in praying for the repose of this beautiful soul. May he meet the Liberador face to face and heart to heart, as we celebrate his life with great gratitude, honoring our beloved Dominican brother and "prophet of the poor."

Article by Camen Rostar, OP

For the past several months, the Grand Rapids Dominican Sisters have been volunteering at Business Connect for Water to help make water filters.

This non-profit is located on South Division Avenue in Grand Rapids, Michigan and operates with the support of donations and volunteers to assist in making products that enrich the lives of people in countries with limited or poor quality water and infrastructure.

The filters are volunteer-assembled and distributed to partners including: Wine to Water, Doctors without Borders, GT Water, and in 16 locations around the world including Honduras, Cuba, Uganda, Pakistan, Nepal. 

The impact of volunteer efforts directly affects the lives of families and communities, providing a reliable and sustainable source of clean water for years to come. The filters last for up to 10 years.

On September 24, eleven Sisters participated in this endeavor. Some of the tasks were sit-down jobs and others involved filling bags with all the components that make a water filter. They are so appreciative of our help.

Essay written by Sophia Feeney. Soophia is interning this semester for the Dominican Leadership Conference. She is a Junior at the Vincentian College St.John's.  She has been shepherding Dominican Schools this semester to take part in the International Day of the Girl. She also has spent time in Vietnam and worked with Corporate Responsibility and so she has joined the NGO subcommittee of the Mining Working Group on Corporate Accountability.It is a joy to work with Sophia. in this week's UN Update she shares a reflection on attending a side event during the Summit of the Future.

Called to Action at the United Nations

In our world of overwhelming tragedy and expanding violence, bearing witness to our interconnected problems and recognizing our shared responsibility for change is our most essential and difficult task. During my brief time with the Dominican Leadership Conference at the United Nations, I have had the great privilege to participate in meetings and events which have compelled me to bear witness and recognize my responsibility in creating a more just world. Amidst the lively Summit of the Future, I attended two insightful side events at the Church Centre for the United Nations. 

The first event, titled “Migration for the Future,” emphasized the centrality and intersectionality of migration in our world. All speakers drew attention to the harsh reality of forced displacement, insisting we remember the humanity of those fleeing for their lives. The three panelists individually issued calls to action, including a demand for greater accountability and a call for the inclusion of refugees and migrants in decision-making processes. Moreover, the event made clear the importance of civil society advocacy at the UN. After an initial draft that included no references to the role of migration in the future, the NGO Committee on Migration and other advocacy groups pushed for the document to recognize the benefits of migration, resulting in references to these benefits in the pact. Additional speakers from the International Organization for Migration and the US Mission to the United Nations both suggested that the pact would not have recognized the role of migration without this advocacy. These comments, alongside the pleas issued by the panel, point to the necessity of continuing work at the international level to support migrants and recognize their essential role in our shared future. Most powerfully, the event asserted that we as individuals and organizations make UN statements meaningful by carrying out the commitments they embody in our lives and work.

Busy Person’s Retreat ~ Creating Space to Meet God in Everyday Life (In-Person or Online) In-person • Sunday, Nov 3, 17 • 2:00 – 4:00 pm + Zoom check-in Monday, Nov 11 •  7:30 – 9:00 pm Online • Monday, Nov 4, 11, 18 • 7:30 – 9:00 pm

GRAND RAPIDS, MI --  Are you feeling fragmented, pulled in many directions and wish to center yourself in God’s love and care for you? Do you long to find God in your everyday life? Does a retreat sound wonderful but you can’t afford or take the time away for a few days elsewhere? This retreat is for you! Catholic Information Center in collaboration with Dominican Center Marywood have designed an experience of retreating to weave into your regular life. This unique retreat experience offers you collective space and personalized guidance to meet God within the fullness of your busy life. You can choose the in-person option or the virtual option. In both, we gather once to learn and experience ways of encountering God in everyday life, followed by two weeks in which you will meet with a spiritual director that we provide, and a virtual check-in midway for reflection and sharing. We will then close together in community to integrate what we have experienced during this retreat. In all spaces, we will practice reflective listening so that we can hear the whispers of God within our lives. Details & Registration: https://www.grdominicans.org/program-retreat/busy-persons-retreat/

Centering Prayer (Online)

Tuesdays • Noon

Centering Prayer is a modernized prayer method based on the intuitive prayer rooted in Lectio Divina. It is a method of silent prayer that prepares us to receive the gift of contemplative prayer, prayer in which we experience the Divine’s immanent presence with us. Centering Prayer is grounded in relationship with God, through Christ, and is a practice to nurture that relationship. This method of prayer complements and supports other modes of prayer — verbal, mental, or affective prayer — and facilitates resting in the Divine Presence. Centering Prayer offers a way to grow in intimacy with God, moving beyond conversation to communion. For more information call 616-514-3325 or visit dominicancenter.com. Dominican Center Marywood, a ministry of the Dominican Sisters ~ Grand Rapids, is located in West Michigan off Fulton Street East, on the campus of Aquinas College. Details & Registration: http://dominicancenter.com/programs-and-retreats/centering-prayer/

Renew Retreat ~ Schedule Yourself or a Group for an In-Person Retreat

Available for Individuals and Small Groups by Appointment

The Renew Retreat is an individual or group retreat that is a self-guided contemplative pilgrimage. The gentle Christian practice of using scripture and prayerful prompts aligned with the four elements — fire, water, earth, and air — will help guide your journey into and beyond the garden in ways that strengthen your awareness of creation as a renewable resource, energizing your beingness, and the world around you. We will begin at Dominican Center Marywood at Aquinas College, transition to the St. Francis of Assisi Sculpture Garden, and return to Dominican Center. As you walk the paths along the wooded trails, you are led into the pace and rhythms of the natural world. Water, earth, fire, and air greet you — each element of nature a reminder of the peaceful relationship between living organisms and their physical environment. For more information call 616-514-3325 or visit dominicancenter.com. Dominican Center Marywood, a ministry of the Dominican Sisters ~ Grand Rapids, is located in West Michigan off Fulton Street East, on the campus of Aquinas College. Details & Registration: https://dominicancenter.com/programs-and-retreats/renew-retreat/