News | Live Stream | Video Library
Contact Us | Employment | Donate
April 14, 2022, Las Vegas, Nevada – For three Adrian Dominican Sisters, the March 31, 2022, ministry talk, dinner, and Chrism Mass for the Diocese of Las Vegas was special in many ways – but in particular for its inclusiveness of Catholic laity and women religious. All who serve in the Church were invited.
In Roman Catholic tradition, the Chrism Mass features the blessing of sacred oils used by parishes – the Oil of the Sick, used in the Anointing of the Sick; the Oil of the Catechumens, used in baptism; and Chrism Oil, used both for Confirmation and for the ordination of priests. Traditionally, the Mass is celebrated on the morning of Holy Thursday in the diocese’s cathedral and representatives of parishes attend to pick up their yearly supply of oils after Mass. The oils are then presented to the parish that night during the Mass of the Lord’s Supper.
However, many dioceses – including the Diocese of Las Vegas – have begun celebrating the Chrism Mass in advance to encourage more of the priests to attend. The Chrism Mass is also considered a celebration of the anniversary of the priesthood, since Jesus instituted the Eucharist during the Last Supper – celebrated on Holy Thursday night.
Sisters Victoria Dalesandro, OP, Kathleen McGrail, OP, and Mary Jean Williams, OP, spoke about their experiences in the Diocese of Las Vegas’s ministry talk, dinner, and Chrism Mass. All have been involved in ministry at St. Rose Dominican Hospitals, founded by the Adrian Dominican Sisters and located in Las Vegas and Henderson, Nevada.
The Chrism Mass is “mostly a celebration of the priests and remembering the anniversary of priests,” Sister Kathleen said. However, she said, Bishop George Leo Thomas of the Diocese of Las Vegas “invited the Sisters and said [the Chrism Mass is] the renewal of all of us as ministers – Sisters, lay workers, and clergy.”
Sister Kathleen added that she had previously attended a Chrism Mass to pick up the Oil of the Sick for the hospital, where many anointings take place. “That was a blessed moment,” she said.
The Sisters were not only impressed with the Chrism Mass, but with the ministry talk that preceded the dinner. The talk was given by Bishop Gerald Kicanas, retired Bishop of the Diocese of Tucson, Arizona, and was presented to a diverse audience – over half of them lay people, Sister Victoria recalled.
Sister Mary Jean recalled a poignant story shared by Bishop Kicanas in which he asked third-grade students about the most important part of a church and was told, “the exit sign.” The student explained the importance of going out of the church and into the world. “You won’t forget the message that the most important thing about a church is going out of it” to share the Gospel, Sister Mary Jean said.
Sister Kathleen said Bishop Kicanas’ message was very Dominican with its emphasis on contemplation and on preaching the Gospel. “He kept going back to his first point – to make the Word of God central to your life,” Sister Katheen said. “Regardless of who we are and our limitations, and even as undeserving as we are, we are called, chosen, loved, blessed, and sent,” she said. “It was all from the heart.”
Established in 1995, the Diocese of Las Vegas includes about 28 parishes, five missions, and a variety of ethnic communities. The diocese also has a good relationship with the Sisters and with St. Rose Dominican Hospitals, Sister Kathleen said, noting that Bishop Thomas plans to celebrate Mass at St. Rose Dominican Hospitals on June 27 to mark the 75th anniversary of the hospitals.
Feature photo: Bishop George Leo Thomas, Bishop of Las Vegas, is shown with, standing from left, Sisters Janet Ackerman, OP (Racine) and Kathleen McGrail, OP, and seated, from left, Sisters Mary Jean Williams, OP, and Victoria Dalesandro, OP.
March 30, 2022, Adrian, Michigan – In the midst of the wildly fluctuating Winter-to-Spring weather in southeastern Michigan, Adrian Dominican Sisters on the Motherhouse Campus were treated to visions of the upcoming Summer. They were listening to the March 16, 2022, quarterly Sustainability Update offered by Jared Aslakson, Permaculture Specialist; Joel Henricks, Director of Facilities and Grounds; and Sister Corinne Sanders, OP, Director of the Office of Sustainability.
Jared spoke of his late-winter work in the greenhouse, propagating about 50 species of native flowers. “So far, so good,” he said. “This year we’re getting serious about ways to extend our growing season both at this end and at the end of the season as it starts to cool down.”
Summer landscaping projects include planting wildflowers near the Weber Center parking lot to beautify it and turn it into a habitat that pollinators would enjoy, as well as giving a facelift to the circle around the statue of St. Dominic behind Weber Center and Madden Hall, Jared said. He also plans to build another pollinator garden and a raingarden.
Joel gave an update on the campus sustainability projects he has undertaken, noting that many are awaiting equipment. The carport in the parking lot of the Regina building is closest to completion, he said. The carport is equipped with solar panels on its roof and houses electric vehicle charging stations, which can charge up to six vehicles at a time. Upcoming projects on the grounds include stocking the newly renovated pond with fish; replacing 23 trees that were taken down from the field where the solar array was installed; and reopening the Cosmic Walk, which was redesigned to avoid areas that are often muddy, Joel said.
Sister Corinne updated the Sisters on campus composting efforts. “We’re looking at how we can expand the compost capacities” on campus and at ways to handle compostable products – such as plates and napkins – without overwhelming the system, she said.
Sister Corinne also reminded the Sisters to pay careful attention to the requirements of their local recycling centers. “Wishing that something is recyclable is not helpful, because it could contaminate the rest of the collection and force it to go into the landfill,” she cautioned. She added that, while recycling is a good practice, it is always best to repurpose an item – or not buy an unneeded product – rather than recycling it.
Finally, Sister Corinne addressed a recent report by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, suggesting that the time that we’re in might be more urgent than originally thought. “We’re really looking at the fact that the goal that we have had to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees may be out of reach,” she said. “We keep on doing what we are doing, but maybe with a little more urgency. But I don’t think urgency needs to go to panic.”
Sister Corinne ended on an encouraging note. “We are really engaged well in our goal of mitigating our [carbon] footprint,” she said. “But there’s more work we can do.”
Watch the entire update in the video below.