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old sepia-toned photo of the front of Visitation Convent in Detroit

January 23, 2024, Detroit – In December 2023, two Adrian Dominican Sisters were among a crowd of people witnessing a very special place for low-income, single-parent families for years to come. The former Visitation convent, which served as a home and ministry site for Adrian Dominican Sisters, was rededicated as the Fox Family Center to house families in need.

Sisters Josephine “Jo” Gaugier, OP, and Maria Goretti Browne, OP, were invited by the Adrian Dominican Sisters General Council to represent the Congregation at the dedication ceremony on December 14, 2023. Sister Maria Goretti lived in the convent from 1970 to about 1974 while she taught social studies at De Porres High School. Sister Jo ministered in the convent from 1972 to 1978 as a pastoral team member.

“It was very exciting for me to see that this [new] use fits into our initiatives,” Sister Jo said, adding that it was Cass Community Social Services (CCSS) that brought the Fox Family Center into being. The Fox Family Center – expected to invite residents in January – is “the kind of thing that we’d stand side-by-side with [CCSS] to care for that population, mostly African American, some Hispanic, to help them have a place to live, a place to study and look for jobs.”

Sister Maria Goretti said she was “very proud that [CCSS] chose a Catholic convent and acknowledged [its] Catholic roots.” She noted a continuing connection between the Adrian Dominican Sisters and those who developed the Fox Family Center. The Fox family was a significant donor to the Center, and a family member graduated from Dominican High School, founded and sponsored by the Adrian Dominican Sisters.

The former convent has a rich history of service to the Detroit community. Detroit Rescue Mission Ministries purchased it from Archbishop Adam Maida of Detroit and, from 1990 to 2021, used it for Genesis II, a program that allowed children to live with their mothers who were following up on substance abuse treatment. CCSS bought the building and land in March 2020. 

Beginning in 1920, Visitation Convent housed about 30 Sisters at a time. The Sisters who lived there staffed several Catholic schools and engaged in other ministries. During the rededication ceremony, Adrian Dominican Sisters were recognized for their steady presence in the Detroit area during and after the uprising in the 1960s. “They gave us an ovation,” Sister Jo recalled. 

While neither Sister Jo nor Sister Maria Goretti were at Visitation during the uprising, they recalled their presence with the people of Detroit in later years. “Both of us came after [the uprising] and moved into Visitation Parish and convent to work among the people and to teach,” Sister Jo said. She recalled that she and former Sister Judi Engel, now an Associate, mentored the women who served as catechists during summer school Bible study sessions.  

Sister Maria Goretti recalled her recent experience of touring at the Fox Family Center. “It was strange being in the dining room of the convent and the chapel – and going upstairs and finding my old bedroom,” she said. 

While they have fond memories of their lives at Visitation, both Sisters Maria Goretti and Jo are happy for the new use of the former convent and the bright future it promises to the residents. “Remodeling was still going on, even during the dedication,” Sister Jo said. “They painted all the ceilings and walls and reconfigured the first floor.” 

The Fox Family Center will accommodate 75 people with 29 bedrooms, one for each family, with an average of three people per room; a gathering room with Wi-Fi; a large dining room and kitchen with meals prepared and served by staff members; a library; space for programming; offices; an enclosed porch; and 10 washers and dryers. In addition, the landscaped yard will include a three-slide playscape for the children and two carports supporting solar arrays to help offset the Center’s electric bill by an estimated $8,500 per year.

The Fox Family Center will also bring a benefit to other residents of the neighborhood. Sister Jo said that when the Center was being developed, CCSS asked people in the area what they needed. Along with a center for families, they asked for a grocery store, which will be built nearby. The grocery store will be especially beneficial in a food desert, “where children grow up thinking a gas station is a grocery store,” Sister Jo said.

For more information about the Fox Family Center, watch or read an interview by Kim DuGiulio, reporter for Detroit Channel 4, with Faith Fowler, Director of Cass Community Social Services. 
 


Collage of photos from 2023 news stories

January 10, 2024, Adrian, Michigan This past year brought the world many crises and challenges, from the ongoing wars Ukraine and the Holy Land to numerous natural disasters around the world and preparations for and unease about the coming presidential election. This article, however, focuses on the top stories in the lives of Adrian Dominican Sisters, Associates, Co-workers, and the Dominican family – often as they responded to world crises. 

1.    The Congregation: 

The Adrian Dominican Sisters hosted a Founder’s Day celebration in June marking the 100th anniversary of being declared an independent Congregation. Across the ocean, the Sisters of the Our Lady of Remedies Mission Chapter in the Philippines dedicated their new Central House, replacing the Motherhouse that had served their needs for about 50 years. Sister Frances Nadolny, OP, was called forth to serve on the General Council after Sister Janice Brown, OP, resigned for health reasons. Finally, the Congregation received an award from ProMedica for its Resilient Community collaboration in Adrian.  

2.    Ministry

Sister Donna Markham, OP, retired as President and CEO of Catholic Charities USA, the first woman in the organization’s more than 100 years to hold that position. She was also honored by the Detroit Catholic Charities agency. Sister Judy Byron, OP, was recognized for her 32 years of service with Mercy Housing Northwest.

3.    Formation/Vocations:

Sister Meliza Arquillano, OP, professed her final vows in the Philippines. Jamie Caporizo was accepted into Formation as a Candidate. Six new Associates were accepted during a special ritual.

4.    Justice and Peace

Adrian Dominican Sisters and friends began 2023 by joining the delegation of activists during Immigration Advocacy Day at the Michigan State Capitol, asking for passage of a bill allowing immigrants to have driver’s licenses no matter their residency status. Karla Rivas, an activist from Honduras, visited Adrian as part of a delegation of Honduran activists to visit various areas of the United States to explain the challenges facing their country. As President and CEO of Catholic Charities USA, Sister Donna Markham, OP, she visited Ukraine to learn about the conditions in that war-torn nation. Sisters Judy Byron, OP, and Patricia McDonald, OP, shared their experiences as participants in an anti-human trafficking conference. Sister Durstyne Farnan, OP, explained the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals and the need for people of all nations – especially the wealthy, developed countries – to support and work on the efforts to meet those goals. Sisters at the Motherhouse prayed a Rosary for Peace shortly after the Hamas attack on Israel.

5.    Sponsored/Legacy Institutions:

Sister Beth Butler, OP, was named an Honorary Alum of Siena Heights University for her influence on criminal justice students she taught. Also during Homecoming weekend, Siena Heights University dedicated the Sister Peg Albert Social Work Simulation and Practice Lab after Sister Peg retired in June 2023 after 17 years as President of the university. Barry University received grants to establish an Agriculture and Food Training Scholarship Program and to train nursing students, encouraging them to enter a demanding and much-needed field. Also in the healthcare field, St. Rose Dominican Hospitals in Henderson and Las Vegas, Nevada, broke ground for its fifth neighborhood hospital and paid tribute to the Sisters who founded the hospital. Aquinas Literacy Center in Chicago received a sizable grant from the State of Illinois to enhance its work in adult literacy. Rosarian Academy in West Palm Beach, Florida, and Regina Dominican High School in Wilmette, Illinois, held the transfer of sponsorship ceremonies from the Adrian Dominican Sisters to the collaborative Dominican Veritas Ministries, a new pontifical juridic person (PJP) for the canonical sponsorship of elementary and high schools previously sponsored by five Dominican congregations. Regina Dominican High School completed the first phase of its Building Her Tomorrow renovation, and Rosarian Academy expanded its facilities to accommodate a growing number of students. 

6.    Sustainability:

Students from Barry University and Siena Heights University participated in the Environmental Leadership Experience (ELE) on the Motherhouse Campus; Sisters and Associates took part in two forums addressing air pollution in Detroit; and the solar array on the Motherhouse campus was blessed and dedicated. As part of a series of presentations sponsored by the Congregation’s Office of Racial Equity and Cultural Inclusion, Brad Frank, Director of Sustainability, gave a presentation, “Be a Better Earth Ally.”

7.    Equity and Inclusion

To help Sisters, Associates, and Co-workers to better understand people of diverse backgrounds, the Congregation’s Office of Racial Equity and Cultural Inclusion offered presentations by special guests, including topics Understanding Gender; Growing Up Me (Native American); and The World as We See It, by a panel of Black Siena Heights University students. Sister Susan Gardner, OP, participated in the Healing and Reconciliation Project for Native Americans in the United States. The Congregation hosted an Indigenous Peoples Day Teach-in. Sister Jamie Phelps, OP, gave the commencement address for Xavier University’s Black Catholic Studies Program graduates in New Orleans. 

8.    Women:

Dominican Sisters worldwide attended side events at the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women. Sister Durstyne Farnan, OP, led a UN webinar on empowering rural women. Both events took in March, the month dedicated to women.

9.    Human Interest

Sister Mariane Fahlman, OP, walked the El Camino Trail; Sister Geraldine Brownell celebrated her Jubilee in Heaven the day after celebrating her 75-year Jubilee at the Motherhouse; Sister Miriam Joseph Lekan was honored for her 100th birthday; and Co-workers at Motherhouse were recognized for milestone years of service

10.      Religious Life

Donna Markham, OP, received the Leadership Award from the Leadership Conference of Women Religious (LCWR) for her years of service and leadership. The elected leadership of Catholic women’s congregations of Sisters wrote a letter of support to Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel and State Rep. Samantha Steckloff in response to an antisemitic threat to the two elected leaders.

 

 


 

 

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