There has been rich prayer opportunities. For study and reflection, Sr. Pat Connick presented 4 sessions on "The Universe Story and Models of Living Community." There has been time for building community – at meals, playing games, enjoying the pool and beautiful grounds, and informal conversations.

 

The heart of the gathering lay in the ‘ Conversations in the Spirit’ – intentional, unhurried, and deeply honest sharing accompanied by compassionate listening. Around tables and in small circles, these sisters speak of their hopes for the future of Dominican life, challenges they face, and the ways they feel called to respond to the needs of their congregation and the world. There is room for laughter, for tears, and for the kind of listening that is itself a form of prayer.

 

We wish to extend our heartfelt gratitude to the Dominican Sisters of Peace for their generous hospitality and warm welcome extended to cohort members over the course of this month! We offer special thanks to Pat Connick, OP for sharing her passion with us!

Please pray for safe travels for these sisters as they leave St. Catharine, Kentucky on Wednesday, July 29^th to return to their communities and ministries.

Dominican Artists Gather at Weber Center to Share their Talents and Learn from One Another

by Barbara Kelley, OP & Xiomara Méndez Hernández, OP

Sister Mary Anna's work in painting, photography, and Chinese brush drawing is "acclaimed by many," he said. "Her works encourage us to take responsibility for our community and our planet."

 

Accepting the award on Zoom, Sister Mary Anna said she was "totally shocked and... honored. I thank you for this great honor." A native of Yonkers, New York, Sister Mary Anna moved with her family to East Rockaway, New York, as a child. She attended Dominican Commercial High School, where she met the Amityville Dominican Sisters and entered the Congregation in 1956.

 

After ministering as a teacher, administrator, hospital chaplain, and counselor, she is now expressing herself through the arts. "It is my hope and prayer that my art will continue to be a source of peace, inspiration, and healing to others," she said. 

During the first full day, participants heard a keynote address by Sister Gabi Williams, OP (Oakford, South Africa), who ministers in the United States. In her inspiring and challenging talk, she focused on humanity's relationship with the cosmos, the universe, and the Cosmic Christ. She invited her listeners to "see creation not as scenery but as sacrament, a meeting place of two realities: ourselves and God; to see ourselves not as owners but as participants; and to see Christ not only as redeemer of souls but as the radiant center of a living, evolving universe."

DIA members also elected two new Boardmembers: Sister Cheryl Liske, OP (Adrian) and Sister Gabi Williams, OP (Oakford). They join John Mascazine, OPA (Peace Associate), President; Sister Nancy Murray, OP (Adrian), Vice President; Sister Elizabeth Slenker, OP (Sparkill), Treasurer; Sister Rosemary Asaro, OP (Adrian), Secretary; Mark Hanes ,OPA (Peace Associate), Sister Xiomara Méndez Hernández, OP (Adrian), Father Rudolf Lowenstein, OP (England Province), members at large. 

 

The gathering concluded with a Liturgy in celebration of the Feast of St. Mary Magdalene, the very first witness to the risen Christ, the one sent to proclaim the good news to the other disciples; and Patroness of the Dominican Order. Father Rudolf Lowenstein, OP (England Province), presided over the Mass and Sister Xiomara Méndez Hernández, OP (Adrian), Dominican Sisters Conference Executive Director, preached.

 

The celebration continued with a Gala, a coffee house-style sharing of talent. Beginning on the next day, July 23, some of the participants attended the first artists' retreat offered by the DIA. 

by Mindy Hills, Director Dominican Center Marywood at Aquinas College

Children, parents, teachers, and school administrators from Detroit to Arizona and California have cause for gratitude as Sister Teresa Estrada, OP, turned 100 on July 2, 2026. Sister Teresa ministered as teacher, principal, colleague, and friend.

In addition to celebrating her birthday this year, Sister Teresa was one of the Adrian Dominican Congregation’s Jubilarians; she marked 70 years as an Adrian Dominican Sister. 

In June, Sr. Gina Scaringella, OP (Caldwell), traveled to Saint Mary’s College in Notre Dame, Indiana, for the first annual residency week of PROCLAIM, an innovative two-year certificate program forming Catholic women as preachers and ministers of the Word. PROCLAIM is an initiative of Discerning Deacons, an organization that enjoys a collaborative relationship with the Dominican Sisters Conference.

As part of PROCLAIM’s inaugural cohort, Sr. Gina has spent the past year participating in
online courses in preaching and Scripture. In the fall, her coursework will resume. The program, which spans 22 months, also includes online preaching circles, where participants prepare a preaching on Scripture, deliver it to the group, and receive feedback.

Master of the Order of Preachers Visited the Dominican Sisters - Grand Rapids in Michigan

Twenty-seven Sinsinawa Dominican Sisters who left their mark on Dominican University
(DU), River Forest, IL, and the community over the last 125 years are now immortalized
in a new heritage exhibit on campus.

The exhibit of illuminated panels is on permanent display in the Noonan Reading Room
on campus. It was developed by Dr. Clodagh Weldon, DU vice president for mission
and ministry, and Sister Priscilla Wood, OP, Sinsinawa cultural heritage advisor, to
honor the legacy of the Sisters in this special anniversary year. A ribbon cutting was
held in May.

As the introductory panel notes, the women featured in the exhibit represent “just a few
of the stars who make up the constellation” of Sisters who contributed to DU across its
history, said Sr. Priscilla. “These are Sisters who inspire us in the work we are doing
today and remind us of who we are,” Weldon added.

The panels highlight the Sisters’ contributions to social justice, science and scholarship,
the arts, Church and society, global study, literature, and continuing the university
mission. “I hope visitors to the exhibit get a sense of the dedicated and amazing women
who started the college and who continued it,” Sr. Priscilla said. “I hope they see all that
they contributed to higher education and to the mission of truth and love.”

The exhibit was made possible through contributions from donors and the Network for
Vocation in Undergraduate Education (NetVUE). The exhibit panels were designed and
fabricated by McCullough Creative of Dubuque, IA, the same company that designed
the “A Journey of Faith and Service” exhibit at Sinsinawa Mound.

Recently, the Dominican Associate of Sinsinawa Mission Promoters met at Sinsinawa Mound. An Associate Mission Promoter’s role is to act as an advisor to the Promoter of Associates, to assist in generating and planning events, to interview Associate discerned during their process, to serve as a companion for Associate discerners if needed, and to provide support to the Associates. Currently the Associate Mission Promoters have formed committees to review and update the current processes for the initial commitment, the renewal commitment after the Congregation General Chapter, the Lifetime commitment, and to facilitate and organize the Associate Futuring processes following the 2025 Encuentro Gathering in St. Louis in collaboration with the 14 Dominican Congregations who have an Associate Relationship.

For all events at the Siena Retreat Center, you may register by going to the website www.sienaretreatcenter.org, calling the registar at 262-898-2582 with a credit card number, or by mailing a check made out to “Siena Retreat Center.” The address is 5637 Erie St., Racine, WI 53402. Payment must be received to complete registration.

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