Meet the New President and Vice President of the Dominican Sisters Conference Executive Committee: 

(Left to Right) President, Sr. Kathleen Tuite, OP (Caldwell) and Vice President,  Verónica Esparza Ramírez, OP (Mission San Jose)

Sister Kathllen has been a member of the Sisters of Saint Dominic of Caldwell, New Jersey, since 1989 and brings over 26 years of experience in Catholic and Dominican education. She has served as Assistant to the President for Mission and Ministry and Vice President for Student Life at Caldwell University, where she also coordinated a six-year study abroad program in Fanjeaux, France, for the Dominican Higher Education Council.

She] has held the role of Vocation Minister and contributed to establishing a Vocation Office for the Dominican Sisters of the Northeast. Her involvement extends to national and regional programs, including Giving Voice, Dominican Women Afire, and the DSC-sponsored “Creating Our Future Today.” In 2019, she represented her community at the DSC meeting as a younger member, and through the Collaborative Leadership Development Program, she attended the 2017 LCWR as a non-voting observer. She also participated virtually in the 2019 Dominican Sisters International Assembly, engaging in discussions on collaboration within the Dominican family.

With a lifelong commitment to the Dominican Family and its mission, Sister [Name] is dedicated to the vibrant future of Dominican Life. Her service on the DSC Executive Committee would allow her to bring forward diverse voices, helping to shape a broad and inclusive vision for Dominican Life and Mission

Sister Verónica Esparza Ramírez, a Dominican Sister of Mission San Jose since 1992, hails from Saucillo, Chihuahua, Mexico. She has a strong background in education, having spent six years teaching English in Mexico and 11 years as principal of Colegio Robert F. Kennedy in Atizapán, Mexico. In 2016, she joined the Congregational Council and relocated to the United States to serve in this leadership role.

As a member of the Congregational Council, Sister Verónica has been a liaison for Social Justice and now directs Diverse Ministries. She collaborated closely with Social Justice co-promoters Lyn Kirkconnell and Sister Judy Lu McDonnell, OP (San Rafael), gaining valuable experience in advocacy. Currently, she is actively involved in implementing her congregation’s "Shaping Future Direction" statement, inspired by the Laudato Sí Action Platform, and serves on the MSJ Vocation Team and as part of West DWA.

Sister Verónica is also a member of AHLMA (Asociación de Hermanas Latinas Misioneras en América) and LCWR Global Concerns. Her commitment to the Dominican mission is rooted in her intercultural perspective, bilingual abilities, and collaborative spirit. She is eager to broaden her vision and contribute her energy, courage, and teamwork skills to the DSC Executive Committee.

We’re pleased to announce that the 2024 Month of Peace materials focused on Haiti, provided by our Justice Promoters, are now available. Currently, you can access the flyer in English, Spanish, and French. In the coming weeks, we’ll be adding even more resources, including weekly articles, videos, and potentially podcasts.

All posters, resources, and donation options are available on our DomLife website. Simply follow the link below to access these materials:

2024 Month of Peace: Haiti on DomLife

 

Regional Justice Promoters will also be hosting a webinar to learn more about the 2024 Month of Peace Initiatve. Please see below for webinar details: 

 

1. Reminder: Saturday, November 9th, International Dominicans Webinar on Haiti

on Zoom: (interpretation will be available in English, Spanish, and French)

8:00 am Chicago/ Mexico City 9:00 am Ottawa/ New York https://us06web.zoom.us/j/85342791979pwd=D67t5G30fgtdABSOKPJY4aQIq5DnvG.1.

Stay tuned for more updates as additional materials are added to support this important initiative.

Sister Spotlight 

Sister Maureen O’Connell, OP

Adrian Dominican Sisters

Sister Maureen O’Connell, OP, Director of the Secretariat for Social Concerns for the Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston, Texas, took an unconventional path to her vocation as an Adrian Dominican Sister. Born into a tight-knit Irish Catholic family in Chicago, she was the niece of Sister Mary Frances Coleman, OP, an Adrian Dominican Sister.

Sister Maureen was educated by Sisters: the Adrian Dominican Sisters in first and second grades, the Sinsinawa Dominican Sisters for the rest of her elementary school years, and the School Sisters of Notre Dame in high school. “I was pretty clear that I wasn’t going to be a nun because everybody thought I was going to be a nun,” she said. “I think that’s why it took me a while.”

After her freshman year in college, Sister Maureen entered the Sinsinawa Dominican Congregation but stayed only for a few months. “I felt I was clear I didn’t have a vocation,” she said.

International Day of the Girl Speak out Event Featuring the Participation of Dominican Girls 

 

On Friday, October 11, 2024, girls from around the world came together to celebrate the International Day of the Girl Speak Out, an event dedicated to amplifying young voices and fostering global solidarity. The day began with a powerful town hall session featuring two young Girl Scouts, Ryana and Aarohi, who shared stories of their advocacy work. Aarohi introduced her project on mental health education in India, inspired by her personal ties to the country and the need for greater mental health awareness in her community. Ryana discussed a mentorship program she developed for middle and high school girls, aimed at guiding younger girls through their educational and personal journeys. Both girls demonstrated remarkable poise and passion, inspiring the audience with their dedication to making a difference.

 

Among the attendees were representatives from Canada, Peru, and Turkey, as well as the President of ECOSOC and speakers from UNICEF and UN Women, all of whom responded thoughtfully to the girls' questions. Following the town hall, a group of slap dancers captivated the audience with an electrifying performance, allowing everyone to feel the music resonate within them, adding an element of energy and unity to the event.

 

In the afternoon, the event transformed into interactive "Learning Labs," where 15 young activists led workshops designed to educate participants on the fundamentals of activism. These sessions offered the girls hands-on experience and insights into initiating their own advocacy projects. I had the honor of working closely with a group of girls from New Jersey who were advocating for consent education in local middle schools. Each group in the Learning Labs explored various methods of activism, empowering participants to become changemakers in their communities.

HOPE 2025

A HYBRID EVENT OFFERED IN

ENGLISH | SPANISH | FRENCH | ITALIAN | PORTUGUESE

JUNE 3 - 7, 2025

ROME AND VIRTUAL

 

Religious life today is a global witness to the transformative power of relationships. Following the mission of Jesus, we endeavor to cultivate authentic relationships of inclusivity and trust. We seek meaning and understanding. We hold space for what is essential and what is emerging. We are all collaborative leaders, creating our future together. At HOPE 2025, the global sisterhood will gather to explore our life, our future, and our gifts. Join us in HOPE as we listen, dream, and transform our capacity as leaders.

Opening session – Tuesday, June 3 at 5:00 pm (Rome)

Closing session – Saturday night, June 7 Departures – Sunday morning, June 8

In-Person: Fraterna Domus Sacrofano Retreat Center (Rome)

Virtually: From anywhere...

Registration Fee $150 USD (non-refundable) for virtual and in person attendance. Overnight accommodations and meals at Fraterna Domus Sacrofano Retreat Center are approximately €95 per day for a private room and €70 per day for a shared room and will be invoiced separately. Limited financial assistance is available.

For more information and to register, visit https://l.ead.me/HOPE2025

Associate Spotlight 

Associate Holly Lyman 

Adrian Dominican Sisters

There is something special here. Sinsinawa Mound Is located in the beautiful Driftless Region of Southwest Wisconsin, an area described by the indigenous people as “Manitoumie” or “Place Where the Spirit Dwells.”  Later, in the mid-19^th century, the Venerable Samuel Mazzuchelli, who founded the Dominican Sisters at the Mound, reportedly said, “This place was meant for God and Science.”  Indeed, this is holy ground where “God and Science” are intertwined.

This recognition by Father Mazzuchelli has been lived out in many ways during the 177 years the Sinsinawa Dominicans have cared for this 450-acre site. It has always been a place of learning and deepening the sense of the sacred as revealed in nature. It may have been through retreats, or youth education, or a support program for farmers in crises. It may have simply been a curious visitor who came to walk the grounds. We do know that those who come here experience it as a place where the Spirit, breathing through all of creation, is palpable.

Dominican Center Marywood 
Visit https://www.grdominicans.org/transformative-programs-retreats/ for a full listing of retreats and events. 
 

Pondefring Adven Through Poetry (In-Person)

Sunday, Dec 8 • 2:00 – 4:00 pm

Advent is a time to reconnect with the ancient longing for God to arrive, move among us, and restore all that’s lost or broken in our world. Let’s ponder what it means to open our hearts to God and to each other during the joyous season of the Incarnation. Come and savor poetry arising from the celebration of Advent, listening to well-known poets – and some you may not know. We’ll hear from Christina Rossetti, Wendell Berry, Mary Oliver, Denise Levertov, T. S. Eliot, Marie Howe, and more. Feel free to bring a favorite Christmas poem you treasure and share it with us during an open reading time. Leave the busyness of the season and join us for a special afternoon! 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://www.grdominicans.org/program-retreat/pondering-advent-through-poetry/

 

 

 

Blue Christmas ~ A Sacred Space for the Burdened (In-Person)

Sunday, Dec 15 • 4:00 – 5:30 pm

The Christmas story reverberates with difficult realities–poverty, grief, danger, oppression, separation, and death–but we often don’t make room to acknowledge these. It is the same in our lives: we need to make room for the painful realities amidst and underlying the joys. We invite you to come and lay your burdens down in the sacred space of the Blue Christmas service where we find Jesus in our suffering and ourselves in Jesus. We will be gathering contemplatively around a liturgy of Scripture and song, in Taizéì style, that gathers our sorrows and lifts them to God. It is our hope that you will experience the welcome of your reality, however painful it is, in the presence of God, who suffered and suffers with us. This is a Christmas service where your depression, grief, anger, and faintheartedness is welcomed. You may discover yourself with Jesus in the thrum of melancholy that surrounds Jesus’ birth. You, too, can come to the manger, poor as you feel. 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://www.grdominicans.org/program-retreat/blue-christmas/