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July 26, 2018, St. Catharine, Kentucky – Dominican temporary professed Sisters are diverse in culture and nationality, but hold in common their search for their identity as women religious, living out that reality in the Dominican tradition.

That was one of the findings of Sister Marilín Llanes, OP, an Adrian Dominican Sister in temporary profession, who attended the fourth annual Gathering of Dominican Women: Temporary Professed Sisters and their Companions. The event, which drew 25 participants, was held July 1-4, 2018, at St. Catharine, Kentucky, site of the former Motherhouse of the Kentucky Dominican Sisters – now part of the Dominican Sisters of Peace. Participants included 14 temporary professed Dominican Sisters from nine congregations.

Sister Marilín attended the gathering along with two other Adrian Dominican Sisters:  Sister Patricia Walter, OP, her companion on the continuing formation journey, and Sister Lorraine Réaume, OP, who will begin her position as Co-director of the Collaborative Dominican Novitiate in St. Louis, Missouri. Temporary professed Sisters have made their first profession of vows, their initial commitment to religious life, and are still discerning the call to their final, or perpetual, profession of vows.

Sister Marilín, who served on the planning committee for the event, said her hope in planning the weekend was that participants “would deepen our connections, our relationships with each other; that we would have opportunities to have fun together, as well as to have meaningful conversations and sharing that help us to continue to say that ‘yes’ every day.”

Each day began and ended with prayer, planned and led by the various congregations. The gathering also included a talk by guest speaker Sister Gloria Marie Jones, OP, a Mission San Jose Dominican Sister, on the Dominican Futuring Project, a collaborative effort between Dominicans in the United States and Africa. The schedule also included times for temporary professed and companions to meet in their respective groups and come together again to share the fruits of their meetings.

The temporary professed also discussed ways to maintain their connections, including designated, private social media that would keep Sisters connected even after they professed their perpetual vows. The annual meeting would continue to focus on temporary professed Sisters and their companions.

Even the shared free time offered participants the opportunity to deepen their connections. Sister Marilín noted that one evening focused on Dominican Jeopardy, in which questions focused on Dominican history, the lands of St. Dominic, and Dominican saints. “We were revisiting our Dominican history, and so there’s a sense of reverencing the past and honoring the present – and then being excited about the future,” she said.

The informal time together also gave the Sisters the opportunity to come to know each other. “In the evenings we just gathered around and shared our challenges in a very sincere and honest way, listening to each other but also sharing our own lived wisdom and challenges.” 

Both Sisters Marilín and Pat were impressed by the diversity of the group – with participants representing U.S. Dominican Congregations but coming originally from diverse nations, including Korea, Indonesia, Hungary, the Philippines, Mexico, and Peru. 

“It was rich,” Sister Marilín said. “We’re becoming much more of an international body. We’re joined by our Dominican charism and our Dominican way of life.”

“It was good just to meet the women and get a sense of the diversity of the multi-culturality, which really is our future, and to hear what the [temporary professed Sisters’] concerns were, what their challenges were,” Sister Pat said.  

Adding to the sense of diversity was the presence of the Maryknoll Sisters, members of the Dominican family who serve primarily as missionaries outside of their home countries. The presence of the Maryknoll Sisters was a “great gift,” Sister Pat said. “They leave their home country and they won’t come back to it except to visit. They know they’ll be sent to other countries. We’re all missionaries, but they witness far more profoundly what it means to be itinerant.” Itinerancy, the willingness to change to a new ministry and a new location for the sake of the mission, is an integral part of Dominican spirituality.

Sister Pat, who recently took on her new role in formation as companion to the temporary professed Adrian Dominican Sisters, said the gathering was “very helpful for multiple reasons. I really appreciated meeting the women in temporary vows and was reinvigorated and refreshed by their commitment to the charism and by their passion, their zeal, their enthusiasm.” As companion and formator, Sister Pat will continue to walk with Sister Marilín and Sister Katherine Frazier, who will make her First Profession of Vows on August 5, 2018. “I’m delighted to continue being a conversation partner – another person to talk to them and provide continuity from the perspective of formation.”

She also came away from the gathering with a renewed sense of hope for religious life and for the Dominican Order. “My takeaway is that the Dominican family has a future,” she said. “The charism still speaks to women….It gives me hope for a future beyond my life.”

Temporary Professed Dominican Sisters and their Companions in formation gathered July 1-4, 2018, at St. Catharine, Kentucky.

July 23, 2018, Adrian, Michigan – The second in a series of educational forums on resilient communities is being offered by Adrian Dominican Sisters from 1:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. Wednesday, August 22, 2018, at Weber Retreat and Conference Center. Titled “Resiliency in our Midst,” the program includes presentations by Adrian Dominican Sisters Judy Byron, OP, Maurine Barzantni, OP, and Janet Stankowski, OP, on their experiences in serving in resilient communities.

The program is free and open to the public, but space is limited. Early registration is recommended by calling 517-266-4000 or visiting http://bit.ly/RCweber.

About 26 years ago, Sister Judy and women religious from four other congregations in the Seattle area responded to the growing problem of homelessness by building partnerships among religious, developers, and residents to create affordable housing and wrap-around services. By reaching out to neighbors and working with others, Mercy Northwest Housing became a national model for comprehensive community development.

In 1960, Sister Judy entered the Congregation of the Dominican Sisters of Edmonds (Washington), which merged with the Adrian Dominican Congregation in 2003. She was elected to serve on the Edmonds Dominicans’ General Council and later as Prioress. She was one of the founders of the Intercommunity Peace and Justice Center, where she serves as Program Director. She is also the Director of the Northwest Coalition for Responsible Investment.

Sister Maurine and the late Renee Richie, OP, began to minister with displaced and impoverished people in a remote, rural area of the Dominican Republic in 1990. They met with the women of El Cruce de Arroyo Hondo to identify needs and dreams: a medicine dispensary and a K-12 school, Escuela Espíritu Santo Fe y Alegria, which has become the heart of the community. Sister Maurine left the Dominican Republic in 2011 and has since ministered in Kenya for three years and for another three years among the Carrier Nation in northern British Columbia, Canada. An Adrian Dominican Sister for 59 years, Sister Maurine taught in the Chicago area for most of her first 30 years in religious life.

Sister Janet’s commitment to saving the planet brought her together with Patty Gillis, an Adrian Dominican Associate, to co-found Voices for Earth Justice. Based in Detroit, this interfaith nonprofit organization helps diverse faith communities engage in environmental awareness and action. Sister Janet’s work with Voices for Earth Justice led to the renovation of a house in Brightmoor, one of Detroit’s poorest neighborhoods. Hope House is a gathering place to connect with nature and with people from diverse backgrounds, contributing to the revitalization of the neighborhood. An Adrian Dominican Sister for 45 years, Sister Janet also has ministered as a teacher, university chaplain, parish administrator, residence hall director, and not-for-profit board member. 

Weber Center is on the campus of the Adrian Dominican Sisters’ Motherhouse, 1257 E. Siena Heights Drive, Adrian. Enter the Eastern-most driveway of the complex and follow the signs to Weber Center. For information, call the Weber Center at 517-266-4000.

View/Download the Event Flyer (PDF)