Dear Sisters,

Recognizing the challenges we all face today—within society, the Church and our aging congregations—we remain committed to co-creating a collective future. Understanding the importance of engaging and listening to the voices of our sisters-at-large, the Visioning and Planning Committee (VPC) has been working alongside our facilitator, Sue Weber, to design a meaningful process of engagement. A key part of this process is Encuentro 2025, a gathering this October under the theme: “Preachers of Hope for Times Such as These.”

This Jubilee year is particularly special, as we celebrate 90 years of collaboration in preaching the Gospel, rooted in our Dominican tradition. The Dominican Sisters Conference (DSC) itself is the fruit of this collaboration, formed fifteen years ago from the unification of the Dominican Leadership Conference (established in 1935) and theDominican Sisters Federation (formed in 1999). With a renewed sense of Hope, we now look forward to shaping a collective vision for a flourishing Dominican Life in Mission.

The Executive Committee and the Visioning and Planning Committee are actively working to organize all aspects of this milestone gathering. In the coming weeks, the DSC will send out a Save the Date, which will include key event details such as dates, location, and cost, so you can plan accordingly.

We look forward to keeping you updated on Encuentro 2025 and hope that many of you will be able to join us for this historic gathering. In the meantime, we ask for your continued prayers during this planning time, that the Spirit may guide our work and inspire a vision filled with hope for the future.

Stay tuned for more details soon!

Friday, February 14th was the closing day of the NGO Civil Society . Over 300 people attended this remarkable day of testimonies on the various themes of CSOCD 25 Strengthening Solidary, Cohesion and Inclusion. It was a real delight.

And now, we are two weeks from the opening of the Commission on the Status of Women.

Five Dominican Sisters will join us from Spain, Peru, Cameroon, Philippines and the U.S.

We are all excited about their coming to the United Nations for these two weeks, March 9-22nd. Here is a picture of each of them:

Top (left to right): S. Carmen Rosa from Peru, S. Linda from Cameroon

Middle (left to right): S. Monica from Spain, S. Genevieve from Philippines

Bottom: S. Patricia, OP from San Rafael CA

The week of February 9-14th was the Commission on Social Development.
It was a week of presentations on how well countries are doing to protect the most vulnerable people in their countries.
On February 9th the NGO Civil Society held an orientation on 38th street. It was Sunday post the biggest snow fall we had here in New York City. Fortunately, the City had the streets fairly well cleared up for busses and public transportation to run.

Sister Margaret Galiardi is celebrating her 60th Jubilee as a Sister of St. Dominic of Amityville this year.   

 

Sister Margaret recalls a conversation with a river boat guide who told her, “The people who have the most fun on my trips are the people who can find the current and ride the current.”  

 

“I think of my life as a river,” said Sister Margaret.  “I’d like to think that my life was about paying attention to the underground spring, the Holy Spirit, that was feeding me and guiding me and that is what led me to do the variety of things that I have done.  I have always tried to make ministry decisions based on ‘Would this ministry help move the world to the next place it needs to be in?’”

 

It is certainly true that the spirit has led Sister Margaret to a variety of ministries. Like a river, with twists and turns, and periods of calm and tumult — she followed the holy spirit wherever it led her.  

THE DOMINICAN SISTERS OF PEACE WELCOME 

CARDINAL TIMOTHY RADCLIFFE, OP

The Dominican Sisters of Peace welcomed Cardinal Timothy Radcliffe, OP, as the featured speaker for their Founded Ministries Meeting in January. The visit to Columbus was his first trip abroad since being installed as a cardinal by His Holiness Pope Francis on December 7, 2024, in Rome, Italy.

 

Cardinal Radcliffe has had a close relationship with the Congregation for many years. The English Catholic priest and theologian served as the global Master of the Dominican Order and bonded with the assembly of Sisters since their beginnings in 2009. In his January 21 address, the cardinal referred to the Dominican Sisters of Peace as, “ancient, new and, like Abraham and Sarah (in the Old Testament) unexpectedly fertile.”

 

The domestic ministries of the Dominican Sisters of Peace represented at the meeting are varied and include ecology, education and learning centers, educational institutions, spiritual life, and health care centers.

Milena Morales, the Director of Human Resources for the Sisters of St. Dominic of Amityville, has been an associate of the Congregation for 18 years. 

 

“When I was a teenager, I wanted to be a nun, however, the only thing that stopped me was that I didn’t want to wear the habit,” she said with a laugh.  When she came to the United States, and started to work for the Dominican Sisters, she realized she could become part of the Congregation as a lay person.  “I decided to join. It was a blessing from God to give me the life opportunity to be part of a Congregation AND to be married and have a family; HE gave me both!”  Milena has three children: Mariana, Alejandro and Santiago as well as two stepsons, Jonathan and Daniel with her husband Olman.   

 

Milena loves being an associate.   “I love being part of a group of amazing people who care and work hard to support and help others,” she said.  “My heart always goes to the service of others, and this Congregation provides that.”

Dear Sisters, Associates & Friends of Social Justice,

 

Please join us on Wednesday March 5th at 7:30PM EST for shared prayer and meditation using the Stations of the Cross with Social Justice themes. The link can be found in the attached flyer and can also be accessed here:

https://wayne-edu.zoom.us/j/2962036611

 

We look forward to you joining us!

Associate Life Social Justice & Spirituality Circles.

Brother Guy Consolmagno, SJ, the Director of the Vatican Observatory, visits Adrian in March to offer a program titled A Jesuit’s Guide to the Stars and for an evening reception and short presentation.

 

A Jesuit’s Guide to the Stars is from 1:30 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. Thursday, March 13, 2025, at Weber Retreat and Conference Center. The cost for the program, which is in person and livestreamed, is $35. Registration is required. The reception – 7:00 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. on the same day at Weber Center – is free and open to the public. The evening will include soft drinks, hors d’oeuvres, and a half-hour presentation.

To register for the afternoon program, visit www.webercenter.org and click on “programs,” call 517-266-4000, or email webercenter@adriandominicans.org. Limited scholarships are available.

Spring Equinox Ritual Celebration

All are invited to welcome the return of Spring with the Spring Equinox Ritual Celebration from 3:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. Sunday, March 23, 2025, at Weber Retreat and Conference Center. Bring a story and song, gratitude, and, if you like, a treat to share.

The celebration is free and open to all. Registration is not required.

Weber Center is on the campus of the Adrian Dominican Sisters Motherhouse, Adrian, Michigan. On East Siena Heights Drive, turn into the driveway between Adrian Rea Literacy Center and the solar panel-covered carport. Follow the signs to Weber Center. For information, call the Weber Center at 517-266-4000.

Single Catholic Women Invited to a Weekend

of Discernment with the Adrian Dominican Sisters

Are you a single Catholic woman, ages 19-45, who is wondering how to spend your life or contemplating religious life? One step you can take is to find out what these paths would mean in your life. The Adrian Dominican Sisters invite you to Zoom and See, March 7-9, 2025, to spend the weekend discerning God’s call for your life – and all online and from the comfort of your home. 

Participants in Zoom and See will have the opportunity to meet other women in discernment; join the Adrian Dominican Sisters for Sunday Liturgy; take time for prayer, reflection, silence, sharing, and fun; and learn about the life of a Dominican Sister of Adrian, Michigan.

The weekend is free of charge. Register online at https://tinyurl.com/ADSDiscern. 

For information, call or text Sister Katherine Frazier, OP, at 260-229-3045 or email her at kfrazier@adriandominicans.org.

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

 

Skill Series for Spiritual Directors (Online)

Mondays: Mar 3, Mar 17, Mar 31 • 6:30 – 8:30 pm

Spiritual Directors are invited to learn in community about three common areas of challenge in the spiritual direction relationship: anger, depression and the dark night of the soul, and boredom. In each, we will consider how these states and emotions manifest in directees and in ourselves, growing our awareness and ability to navigate them with the Spirit. 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/sd-skill-series/

 

Zentangle Patterns of Pause ~A Visual Prayer Practice to Cultivate Peace (In-Person)

Saturday, Mar 8 • 9:30 am – 12:30 pm

GRAND RAPIDS, MI --  In the fullness of everyday life, pausing and noticing what scripture and creation reveal can refresh us.  Both are filled with wonderful patterns that can spark delight. When we slow down and notice, we make space to invite peace and calm, encounter the presence of God, and be rejuvenated. In this class, we’ll enjoy combining the Zentangle Method*, watercolor, and pen to create a visual prayer inspired by a portion of Scripture. We’ll also explore how this visual prayer practice encourages us to cultivate gratitude, awareness, delight, peace, and faith. Other visual prayers are sure to be inspired! (The Scripture passage will be different from our autumn Zentangle workshop.) Previous art or Zentangle experience is not required, only a willingness to create, one stroke at a time!  A brief introduction to Zentangle and all supplies will be provided. 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/zentangle/

 

Building a Just Society ~ Scripture Scholar Explores Women’s Wisdom (In-Person)

Saturday, Mar 15 • 9:30 am – Noon

If you are hungry to explore new interpretations of familiar scriptural texts, interpretations that draw on women’s wisdom and a way of life that promotes Justice and equal dignity and value for women and men alike, don’t miss biblical scholar, author, and Grand Rapids Dominican Sister Barbara Reid. Attention will be given not only to gender perspectives, but also to race, class and culture as determinative factors in how one understands the biblical text. This program includes lecture and small and large group discussion. In the book of Proverbs, woman wisdom invites all to eat at her banquet; that is, to learn her wise ways and live well. Through the exploration of feminist approaches to select passages of Scripture, we will have a taste of transformative ways for living well. Register to join us for this Saturday morning program and conversation hosted by the Dominican Sisters ~ Grand Rapids at Donnelly Center at Aquinas College. 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/building-a-just-society-scripture-scholar-explores-womens-wisdom/

 

 

Letting Images Deepen Our Lent Experience (In-Person)

Sunday, Mar 16 • 2:00 – 4:00 pm

God has always been using the visual world to commune with us. The natural world mediates the Spirit of God, and visual art can reach us where words fall short. It is one of the great gifts of art to assist us in knowing the depths of ourselves and discover the Divine there. In this short retreat we will interact with God through images in a number of ways, letting their content, colors, motion and lighting speak to our souls. As we do so, we will come to see how we are revealing the image of God within us. Come join us for a Lenten contemplative space to let images deepen our experience of the Divine. 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/letting-images-deepen-our-lent/