What's Happening

By Mary Jones, OP
Director of Mission Education and Heritage Development,
Siena Heights University

September 5, 2017, Adrian, Michigan – Saturday, August 26, 2017, was a special day of Welcome Week for the freshman students at Siena Heights University. It was their day to experience the Motherhouse of the Adrian Dominican Sisters, sponsors of the university.

Sister Mary Jones, OP, Director of Mission Education and Heritage Development at Siena Heights University, welcomed the students in St. Dominic Chapel and shared with them a brief history of the Adrian Dominican Sisters. The 300-plus students were then separated into groups of about 50 to visit six locations in the Motherhouse and to listen to Sisters share their knowledge. The six stations were:

• St. Dominic Chapel, the University’s chapel, with its history presented by Sister Jeanne Lefebvre, OP.
  
  
• The Adrian Room, transformed into a gallery of art work by the Sisters. Sisters Joan Mehney, OP, Mary Keefe, OP, and Mary Ellen Plummer, OP welcomed the students.
  
  
• The labyrinth, an ancient form of prayer built behind Weber Retreat and Conference Center. The students were welcomed by Sister Marilyn Winter, OP, and Erin Zerbe, Associate Professor of Art at Siena Heights University and a Torchbearer, trained to share the spirituality of the Dominicans with the university community.
  
  
• Permaculture, land set aside by the Motherhouse to follow nature’s way of farming. Presenters were Sisters Corinne Sanders, OP, and Rosemary Abramovich, OP.
  
  
• Holy Rosary Chapel, the original chapel of the Motherhouse. Presenters were Sister Jean Tobin, OP, and Arlene Bachanov, Associate and member of the history staff.
  
  
• The Rose Room, set up to offer Bingo and an ice cream social for the Sisters and their student guests. 

“We were gifted with a beautiful, sunny day that allowed for outdoor activity in the labyrinth and our permaculture site,” Sister Mary Jones said. “Our students left with a better understanding of who the Adrian Dominican Sisters are and a wonderful sense of our Dominican hospitality. We are already planning for next year.”

Left: Siena Heights University student Mia Dronchi and Sister Mary Ellen Plummer, OP, discuss Sister Mary Ellen’s quilt. Right: Sister Angela Susalla, OP, speaks with a group of Siena Heights University students during an ice cream social in the Rose Room of the Dominican Life Center.

February 27, 2017, Adrian, Michigan – Have you ever wondered exactly who the Adrian Dominican Sisters are, what they do and what the inside of their Motherhouse looks like? Your neighbors, the Adrian Dominican Sisters, invite you to find out personally from the Sisters themselves during a special event March 11.

In conjunction with National Catholic Sisters Week (NCSW), March 8-14, 2017, the Adrian Dominican Sisters invite the public to a special event, “Getting to Know the Sisters,” on Saturday, March 11, 2017, at the Adrian Dominican Sisters’ Motherhouse, adjacent to Siena Heights University.

The event will begin with 10:30 a.m. Mass in Holy Rosary Chapel. Father Thomas Murphy, OSFS, pastor of St. Mary Parish in Adrian, will preside. Mass will be followed by a reception and the opportunity to “Speed Date a Sister,” engaging in 10-minute conversations with up to 11 Adrian Dominican Sisters. The afternoon will also include guided tours, refreshments, and videos of interviews with Adrian Dominican Sisters. The event will conclude at 2:00 p.m.

“Getting to Know the Sisters” is one of many events taking place nationwide during National Catholic Sisters Week. NCSW was begun in 2014 to educate the public about the lives and calling of U.S. women religious and the great diversity of their ministries. An additional hope is that, as more single Catholic women learn about the joys of religious life, more will feel drawn into this life.

For more information about “Getting to Know the Sisters,” call Sister Sara Fairbanks, OP, at 517-266-3537. 

Frequently Asked Questions - Adrian Dominican Sisters (pdf)

Photos taken from 2016 National Catholic Sisters Week Open House at the Adrian Dominican Motherhouse.