What's Happening

January 17, 2017, Adrian, Michigan – As President-elect Donald Trump prepares to take office on January 20, the Leadership Council of the Adrian Dominican Sisters invites the public to join the Congregation in praying daily for a peaceful transition of leadership and for the continued engagement of U.S. citizens in our system of democratic self-governance.

On Tuesday, January 17, 2017, through Inauguration Day on Friday, January 20, 2017, people of good will everywhere are invited to pray:

O Holy Mystery, we pray for a peaceful presidential transition. May your blessings be upon President Trump and his Cabinet as he takes office and on President Obama and his family as he returns to the role of citizen.

May we be sustained in our calling as engaged and faithful citizens, promoting the common good of people and planet.

The four days of prayer for the transition of leadership is reminiscent of the Leadership Council’s invitation in September 2016 for people of good will to pray for the 2016 presidential election. In the Eight for Eight initiative, people were invited to spend eight minutes in silent, contemplative prayer for eight Tuesdays – September 20 through Election Day, November 8 – holding the intention that the common good of all people and planet would arise as a central concern for all candidates and voters.  

Members of the Leadership Council took as their inspiration the words of Pope Francis to members of the U.S. Congress on September 25, 2015: “You are called to defend and preserve the dignity of your fellow citizens in the tireless and demanding pursuit of the common good, for this is the chief aim of all politics.”

January 10, 2017, Angeles City, Pampanga, Philippines – The Adrian Dominican Sisters are starting the new year with an eye to the future - specifically, to the future of more than 200 students and their future classmates at Dominican School of Angeles City. 

The school, located in the impoverished Barangay (village) of Mining, Angeles City, opened six years ago with three kindergarten students. Today, the need and desire for a Catholic school in the area is evident as the enrollment now stands at 238 students in grades kindergarten through 10. 

With its rapidly growing enrollment and the need to add 11th and 12th grades, an additional three-story building is being constructed to house six more classrooms and spaces large enough for school Masses and physical education. 

The estimated cost of the project is $1.2 million.

Situated near the Clark Freeport Zone – the area surrounding the former U.S. Clark Airforce Base – the school was opened by the Dominican Sisters of Our Lady of Remedies, based in San Fernando, Pampanga, shortly before they merged with the Adrian Dominican Sisters in November 2011. The area has been dubbed as the “entertainment capital” of the Philippines, and its children are at risk of becoming involved in the sex trade or worse, human trafficking.

“The school aims not only to provide the children with an excellent, affordable, faith-filled education, but also to instill in them the social justice values of the Catholic Church,” explained Sister Zenaida Nacpil, OP, Chapter Prioress of the Our Lady of Remedies Mission Chapter. With their education at Dominican School of Angeles City, the students can become “bearers of a faith tradition that, as Pope Francis reminds us, upholds the dignity of every person, recognizes our integral connectedness to the whole Earth community, and seeks the common good for all God’s people.”

Sister Arsenia Marie Puno, OP, guidance counselor at the school, spoke with wonder at the ability of the children’s parents to pay the minimal tuition that the school charges. The children come from low-income families, with parents who hold down humble jobs: carpenters, welders, marketplace vendors, and public transportation drivers. In addition, there is a lack of resources such as clean water.

“They are happy families in the midst of a difficult situation,” Sister Arsenia said. “It is amazing how, with their deep faith in God, they are able to send their children to school with so many challenges in life.”

These challenges make the Dominican School of Angeles City even more vital for the future of the children and their community. Along with academic training, high school students receive vocational training in areas such as eco-farming, care-giving to the elderly and to children, and computer technology. 

The farmland in front of the school provides jobs for local farmers and produce for school families.

Part of the school’s land has also been dedicated as an ecologically sustainable farm. Local farmers are hired to work the land, and school parents can buy the produce at a reduced price. In addition, a windmill provides energy to pump water from a well to irrigate the farm and to power a filtration system so water can be bottled and sold to community members.

“We have great hopes for the Dominican School of Angeles City and the impact it can have in helping the people of Mining to build a resilient and sustainable community for generations to come,” Sister Zenaida said. 

In spite of their strong faith in God, their dedication, and their resiliency, the families of the Dominican School of Angeles City still need help from their neighbors in the United States. “We are with high hope that you are able to lend us your helping hands,” said Sister Arsenia. “Please help us build a school where more students will be able to attain their dream of a Catholic education in the K-12 program. Please help us with your financial gifts from God for this sacred endeavor.” 

To make a donation, click here or contact the Adrian Dominican Sisters Office of Development at 517-266-3480 or apalmer@adriandominicans.org.