What's Happening

June 25, 2019, Adrian, Michigan – The General Council of the Adrian Dominican Sisters issued the following statement concerning the treatment of immigrant children at the border between the United States and Mexico.

We denounce in the strongest possible terms the unconscionable mistreatment of children on the U.S.-Mexico border by the Trump Administration, and call on our elected leaders to take all measures necessary to provide them with adequate food, shelter, and healthcare – and, most importantly, to reunite them with their families.

Jesus said, “Let the children come to me, and do not prevent them; for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these” (Mt 19:14).

That children “such as these” – infants, toddlers, youngsters – reportedly have been subject to horrific overcrowding, hunger, lice infestations, sleeping on concrete floors, and other unhygienic and inhumane conditions is an assault on our human decency and fundamental moral values. It should have all Americans, as the prophets of old, rending our garments and weeping in anguish at the depravity. 

It is not enough that children at the facility in Clint, Texas, are being moved to other facilities after the spotlight of public attention has exposed the scandalous way this Administration is treating these migrant children. What other facilities are holding children under similarly harsh conditions? These and other children must be reunited with their parents or with relatives residing in the United States who must be able to claim them safely.

This is not the first time we have learned about the inhumanity visited upon children at the border. In 2018, the international community was aghast at stories about this Administration’s treatment of migrant children, separating them from their families and placing them in cages for days on end in clear violation of the Flores Agreement, which provides that children may not be confined for more than 20 days. 

As Members of Congress take steps to address the urgent humanitarian crisis on the border created by this Administration’s venomous approach to immigration, the top priority must be to ensure the welfare and wellbeing of God’s beloved – children such as these – now and into the future.   

Members of the General Council of the Adrian Dominican Sisters are Sister Patricia Siemen, OP, Prioress; Sister Mary Margaret Pachucki, OP, Vicaress and General Councilor; Sister Frances Nadolny, OP, Administrator and General Councilor; and Sister Patricia Harvat, OP, and Elise García, OP, General Councilors.

Sister Attracta Kelly, OP, Director of Immigration Assistance at the Adrian Dominican Sisters was recently featured in a news story by NBC 24 News (Toledo, Ohio). Click here to view the story.

June 21, 2019, Adrian, Michigan – The artwork of Adrian Dominican Sisters and Associates are featured in a summer exhibit at INAI Gallery from Wednesday, July 3, 2019, through Sunday, September 8, 2019. A reception is from 2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. Sunday, July 7, 2019. 

The exhibit coincides with a July 31-August 4, 2019, gathering of Adrian Dominican Sisters, Associates, and special guests with whom the Adrian Dominican Congregation collaborates.

Sister Suzanne Schreiber, OP, Coordinator of INAI: A Space Apart, noted that Dominican life has been “immensely enriched by the creative work of our Sisters and Associates.” Their artwork is on display not only in the INAI Gallery but throughout the Motherhouse Campus in Adrian. A list of artists and locations of the art is available at the front desk or entrance of the INAI Gallery, Weber Center, the Dominican Life Center, and Madden Hall.

INAI, pronounced in-EYE and meaning “within” in Japanese, is a contemplative space and art gallery that resonates with the Congregation’s vision: to seek truth, make peace, and reverence life. The gallery is open to the public from 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. daily. 

A ministry of Weber Center, INAI is located at 1257 E. Siena Heights Drive, Adrian. Enter the easternmost driveway and follow signs for Weber Center and INAI. The gallery is off the parking lot of Weber Center. For information, email inaispace@adriandominicans.org or call Sister Suzanne at 517-266-4090.