Happy New Year from the Dominican Sisters Conference!

As we step into 2025, we embrace the gift of hope, inspired by Pope Francis and his declaration of this  Year of Hope. In his message, Pope Francis reminds us,  "Hope is the virtue that places us on the road, gives us wings to move forward, even when obstacles seem insurmountable."

This year, we want to renew our call of being Preachers of Hope - For Times Such as These. As Dominicans, we are called to bring the light of Christ to a world often shadowed by uncertainty and despair. Hope empowers us to speak truth, act with compassion, and work tirelessly for justice and peace.

At this moment, we hold in prayer all those impacted by the devastating wildfires in California. We stand in solidarity with the individuals, families, and communities enduring great loss and uncertainty, and we lift them up with the hope of recovery, resilience, and renewal.

We look forward to sharing updates, reflections, and opportunities to join us in this journey of hope. Together, we can embody the Gospel and inspire the world with the promise of renewal and transformation.

May this New Year be filled with blessings, joy, and the hope that sustains and unites us all.

With love and hope,
The Dominican Sisters Conference

On behalf of the cohort of Dominican Sisters under age 70, we wish you a New Year filled with God’s gentle guidance toward new beginnings, fresh opportunities, and meaningful discoveries.

As we step into 2025, the Futuring Leadership Team (FLT) is focusing on developing a set of goals to guide both our team and the wider cohort. We humbly ask for your prayers as we seek wisdom, clarity, and joy for the journey ahead.

We also hold in prayer all those impacted by natural and human-made disasters around the world, lifting them up with hope and compassion during these challenging times.

Wishing you blessings and grace in the year to come!
Futuring Leadership Team (FLT)

Image and article shared by the Dominican Sisters of Springfield, Illinois.

Every January for the last four years the Dominican Sisters of Springfield have made a fresh commitment to care for Earth. Not a New Year’s Resolution, exactly, but the plans do serve to refocus the sisters and their associates on the global Church’s commitment to care for Earth by making a path toward a healthier Earth and a healthier Earth community.

This year’s plan calls on the sisters and their associates to reduce single-use plastic waste and advocate for local, state, national, and global policies that reduce plastic pollution.

In 2015 when Pope Francis published  Laudato Si’, On Care for Our Common Home , he recognized the need to respond to the challenge of climate change as integral to the needs of Earth and Earth’s inhabitants. “We have to realize that a true ecological approach always becomes a social approach,” he wrote. “it must integrate questions of justice in debates on the environment, so as to hear  both the cry of the earth and the cry of the poor.” (LS49)

Join us in honoring the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. by reflecting on his powerful teachings and vision for justice, peace, and hope. We invite you to:

• Explore a Reflection: Based on Dr. King’s reflections on  Amos 5:24 (“Let justice roll down like waters, and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream”) and  Micah 6:8 (“What does the Lord require of you but to do justice, love kindness, and walk humbly with your God”), this reflection invites us to deepen our commitment to justice and mercy. Click here to read the reflection
  
  

• Participate in the LCWR Zoom Prayer: Throughout the day, women religious and others are invited to a virtual prayer experience created by LCWR. This meaningful gathering will center on the transformative words of Dr. King and offer a space for collective prayer and reflection. Please invite your congregational members, partners in mission, associates, and members of the wider community to gather in prayer and share the link below with them:

   

   

  Monday, January 20 

  6:00 AM ET until 9:00 PM ET

  https://us02web.zoom.us/j/85084518325

  No registration required.

   

Let us come together in faith and action to honor Dr. King’s call to build a more just and compassionate world.

Wednesdays: Feb 5, Feb 19, Mar 5, Mar 19, Apr 2, Apr 16 • 6:30 – 8:00 pm

Tending the Call is our online monthly gathering of Spiritual Directors to study, pray, and share together as we read contemplatively a book together each fall and spring. This spring we will read and unpack Henri Nouwen’s  Spiritual Formation: Following the Movements of the Spirit. We will take a deeper look at what Nouwen described as the condition of the human experience and guide us through looking at  Early Movements, Mid-Life Movements and Mature Movements of the spirit. Our study together will “trace the inner movement and polarities of the heart in motion”. Come to share, study, and pray with a sacred community of practicing Spiritual Directors. Be refreshed in this community as we seek a deepening relationship with God and are reminded of the sacred journey of transformation that called each one of us into this ministry. 

Details & Registration: https://www.grdominicans.org/program-retreat/tending-the-call/

Soul Collage® ~ Winter Wonderings (In-Person)

Saturday, February 8 • 10:00 am – 12:30 pm

We stand in the middle of winter, where the pace can slow, where we can gift ourselves space for rest and reflection. It is a perfect time to look back at our new year’s intentions and check in with how we are doing. Mid-winter allows us time to challenge ourselves with what needs to change, so when spring arrives, we are ready to plant something new. SoulCollage® gives us a creative way to visualize our lives as we create collage cards. It is an experiential process that takes our longings and wonderings into conversation with God and our lives, often illuminating something that our soul needs to see in this moment. No art experience is required and all materials are provided. All you need is the desire to connect to your soul and to listen in deep ways. Ruth Zwald, a SoulCollage® Facilitator, will teach the basics of SoulCollage® as she gently guides you into listening to your own soul. Details & Registration: https://www.grdominicans.org/program-retreat/soulcollage-winter-wonderings/

Dreams and the Spiritual Life (In-Person)

Friday, Feb 21 • 6:00 – 8:30 pm & Saturday, February 22 • 5:00 – 8:00 pm

Join this exploration and develop an understanding for working with dreams, your own, but also as a listener to dreams of others. We will discuss and define what dreams are, but more importantly we will experience the potent ways they can shape our spiritual lives. Many spiritual traditions place great value on dreams. The Biblical tradition, for example, is filled with dreams and dreamers. The saints and mystics from many traditions report dreams and visions that in turn shaped the contemplative and spiritual traditions. In the modern world, we have lost this way of listening deeply to the Soul, to the Divine, and we often resist the hidden chambers that dreams reveal. Dreams are often filled with images and scenes which are not really within the realm of our ego’s control, our egoic plans, or even what we think is really going on. They speak from the side if we know how to listen. This is a great opportunity for Spiritual Directors, Pastoral Care and Health Care professionals who come alongside others to listen and support their spiritual journeys. 

Details & Registration: https://www.grdominicans.org/program-retreat/dreams-and-the-spiritual-life/