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October 25, 2020, Adrian, Michigan – The General Council of the Adrian Dominican Sisters released the following statement in response to the October 25, 2020, appointment of Archbishop Wilton Gregory as a cardinal of the Catholic Church. 

We Adrian Dominican Sisters rejoice at the historic appointment by Pope Francis of Archbishop Wilton Gregory as a cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church. 

Archbishop Gregory’s appointment is a blessing beyond measure for the entire Church. As the first African American to be elevated to the College of Cardinals, Archbishop Gregory will bring the unique gifts and perspectives of Black Americans and Black Catholicism to the global Church’s highest ecclesiastical body. As a prelate deeply committed to social and racial justice, Archbishop Gregory will bring his courageous voice of integrity to the Pope’s inner circle, speaking words of compassion and inclusivity.

A long-time friend of the Adrian Dominicans, Archbishop Gregory has credited Adrian Dominican teachers at St. Carthage Grammar School in Chicago with inspiring him to convert to Catholicism. Archbishop Gregory, soon to be Cardinal Gregory, has long inspired us – and continues ever more.

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

October 9, 2020, Adrian, Michigan – The General Council of the Adrian Dominican Sisters wrote a letter to Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer in response to the uncovering of an alleged plot by a group from Michigan to kidnap her and instigate a civil war. The text of the letter appears below. 

October 9, 2020

Dear Governor Whitmer,

We are appalled and horrified by news of the alleged plot by a Michigan terrorist group to kidnap and take you hostage as part of a larger anti-government plan to “instigate a civil war.” No elected leader in a democracy should ever face the threat of armed assault. We write to express our support and prayers for you and your family in the face of this terrifying threat, and to speak out unequivocally against those who would take political differences – the essence of our democracy – to such violent and extreme ends.

That such hatred and division is alive in the hearts of fellow Michiganders, who allegedly are affiliated with an extremist white supremacist group known as the Wolverine Watchmen, is both shocking and deeply saddening. It is a chilling reflection on the state of divisiveness and discord in our country and the urgent need for words of healing, reconciliation, and unity to be spoken from the White House and Congress, and by elected leaders at all levels of government.

We pray in thanksgiving that this plot, which also allegedly involved collecting the addresses of police officers in order to target them, was uncovered and disrupted by the FBI. We pray in thanksgiving for your safety and that of countless others who may have suffered injury or death in the purported bombings and raids. And we pray that all Michiganders will join in decrying white supremacist violence and in upholding the fundamental values of civil discourse in our democracy and love of neighbor in our communities.

Sincerely yours,

Patricia Siemen, OP, Prioress
Mary Margaret Pachucki, OP, Vicaress and General Councilor
Frances Nadolny, OP, Administrator and General Councilor
Patricia Harvat, OP, General Councilor
Elise D. García, OP, General Councilor