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March 23, 2020, Adrian, Michigan – Sister Margaret “Peggy” Coyne, OP, a nurse who currently serves as Health and Wellness Director for the Adrian Dominican Sisters, was elected on March 14, 2020, to a four-year term as Chapter Prioress of the Adrian Crossroads Mission Chapter of the Adrian Dominican Sisters.
The Mission Chapter is based in Lenawee County, Michigan, which includes Adrian. Mission Chapters, part of the government structure of the Congregation, are made up of Mission Groups, Sisters and Associates who meet regularly for Congregation business and community. Each Mission Group elects a delegate, a Sister who serves on the Mission Council with the Chapter Prioress to focus on living out the mission in their particular geographical area.
Sister Peggy will begins her term on July 1, 2020. She succeeds Sister Mary Jane Lubinski, OP.
In a message to Adrian Dominican Sisters and Associates, Prioress Patricia Siemen, OP, affirmed the election, promised and encouraged prayers for Sister Peggy, and thanked Sister Mary Jane for her years of service.
As Chapter Prioress of Adrian Crossroads Mission Chapter, Sister Peggy’s responsibilities include promoting the unity of the Mission Chapter, inspiring the Sisters to fidelity in their life of mission, and discerning life decisions with the Sisters in the Chapter. Sister Peggy will also serve on the Congregation’s Leadership Council with the Prioress, General Council, and other Chapter Prioresses.
“I was awestruck,” Sister Peggy said after the election. “I’m still humbled by this, by the opportunity to work with all those wisdom figures in Adrian Crossroads Mission Chapter.”
Born in 1952 in New York City to Irish immigrants, Sister Peggy studied at St. Clare’s School of Nursing and became a registered nurse. She earned a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) degree from Siena Heights University in Adrian and a Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) degree from Regis University in Denver.
'Sister Peggy worked for 15 years as a nurse in the intensive care unit at Albert Einstein College of Medicine in the Bronx, New York, and then at Blythedale Children’s Hospital in Valhalla, New York. She joined the Hastings (New York) Franciscan Sisters in 1984, and left that congregation in 1995.
Through a friend, Sister Peggy met a group of Adrian Dominican Sisters in Chicago. Through their encouragement, she entered the Adrian Dominican Congregation in 1999. After professing her vows as an Adrian Dominican Sister, she ministered as Director of Behavioral Health at Mercy Hospital Chicago, overseeing the inpatient unit, the day hospital and outpatient programs, and four outpatient satellite units. Since 2015, she has been Director of Health and Wellness for the Adrian Dominican Congregation.
Sister Peggy brings into her new position the gifts of patience, fairness, common sense, wisdom, active listening, and a sense of humor. “I understand the challenges of gracefully aging and the limitations associated with doing so,” she told Sisters before her election. “I desire the very best for each Sister as I journey with you.”
She is also willing to meet the demands of being on call for ailing Sisters at all times of the day. Another challenge for Chapter Prioresses, she said, is working with people in difficult situations. “I know that I bring a calm and empathetic presence to such times, as well as the ability to be direct, which helps all those involved come to a peaceful resolution.”
“I’m honored to be working with you,” Sister Peggy told the Sisters. “It gives me great pleasure to walk into the future, into the unknown, with you."
March 12, 2020, Henderson, Nevada – Five women – all Co-workers at Dignity Health-St. Rose Dominican Hospitals – were welcomed as Adrian Dominican Associates during the Ritual of Acceptance March 7, 2020, in the chapel of the Rose de Lima Campus of the hospital system. Several Sisters and Associates gathered in the chapel, along with friends and family members, to welcome the new Associates.
Mary Lach, Director of Associate Life, presided over the Ritual of Acceptance and offered a reflection on the Dominican charism. She noted that the new Associates are “charism carriers,” and that the ritual is a confirmation of who they already are. “You don’t become an Associate just by signing a document and receiving a pin,” she said. “This ceremony celebrates that you have the Dominican charism already – your ministries, your sharing, reflect this.”
These Associates have studied for the past year, under the guidance of Sisters Kathleen McGrail, OP, Carol Elya, OP, and Mary Jean Williams, OP. During the ritual, they shared their reasons for becoming Associates. All five spoke of the Dominican charism, which they see reflected in the lives of the Adrian Dominican Sisters.
Donna Barnes-Riggins, a registered nurse, ministers at the St. Rose de Lima Campus as a house supervisor, helping patients and staff to get what they need while the patient is hospitalized. Donna hopes to strengthen the Dominican charism she learned by observing our Sisters and through study and contemplation.
Teressa Conley served as President and Chief Executive Officer of the Rose De Lima Campus and, until 2016, also served Chief Operations Officer for the Siena Campus. She began her 30 years of experience in health care as a nurse. Most recently she was Vice President of Operations Transformation for CommonSpirit Health, which was established with the recent merger of Dignity Health and Catholic Health Initiatives. Currently semi-retired, she continues to work as a consultant. Teressa is drawn to the Dominican charism, including the Dominicans’ “contemplative spirit and their courage to engage in the contemporary and challenging issues of our times.”
Holly Lyman, as Director of Community Health at St. Rose Dominican Hospitals, works with people at all stages of life, from neonatal to the elderly. A native of Utah, she has been working with the Adrian Dominican Sisters for 18 years. Married and the mother of two, Holly was mentored by the Adrian Dominican Sisters through the Ministry Formation program. She earned a certificate of theology from Aquinas Institute of Theology, a Dominican graduate program, which helped her to understand the Dominican charism.
Natasha Mulrooney, who grew up on a farm in Iowa, is the philanthropy manager at Dignity Health-St. Rose Dominican Hospitals. She holds a master’s degree in counseling. A newlywed, Natasha has an adopted daughter named Cierra. She came to know the Adrian Dominican Sisters through her work at the hospital and hopes to continue to grow spiritually.
Aimee Moran Yannis, Director of Imaging and Respiratory at Rose De Lima Campus, has been working for the Adrian Dominican Sisters for several years. She wishes to grow in her spiritual life and to be a source of light, truth, and joy to others. The mother of five and grandmother of three, Aimee is active in her parish in youth ministry and as a Eucharistic minister.
Associates are women and men – married or single – at least 18 years of age and committed to sharing the Mission and Vision of the Adrian Dominican Sisters. While maintaining their independent lifestyles, Associates share in the Sisters’ mission and vision and participate in Congregational, spiritual, and social events with the Sisters.
For more information on becoming an Associate, contact Mary Lach, Director of Associate Life, at 517-266-3531 or mlach@adriandominicans.org. If you are a single Catholic woman interested in vowed religious life – or know of a young Catholic woman who is – contact Sister Tarianne DeYonker, OP, at 517-266-3532 or tdeyonker@adriandominicans.org or Sister Mariane Fahlman, OP, a 517-266-3537 or mfahlman@adriandominicans.org.