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October 14, 2016, Sección San José, Dominican Republic – More than 80 people – many of them children – received free dental services Oct. 9 during a clinic sponsored by the Adrian Dominican Associate Group Antorcha and organized by Dr. Fabiola Reyes, Associate.
Seven volunteer dentists, a volunteer doctor, 13 Associates and five Adrian Dominican Sisters brought equipment and supplies from the city of Santiago in the middle of the Dominican Republic. Free services included cleanings, extractions, and fillings.
The Associates and Sisters provided volunteer help registering patients, assisting dentists, sterilizing instruments, dispensing toothpaste and tooth brushes, entertaining the children while they waited, preparing and cleaning the space, serving lunch and snacks, and generally helping out wherever necessary.
Sección San José is a village in the southern part of the Dominican Republic where Adrian Dominican Sisters have served since 1992. Seven Associates call this their home and minister in the school, health projects, and the community with the Sisters.
Submitted by Sister Carol Gross, OP
Feature photo: Doctor Fabiola Reyes works on a patient during a free dental clinic in the Dominican Republic. An Associate, Dr. Reyes coordinated the clinic, which was sponsored by the Associate Group Antorcha.
September 27, 2016, Detroit, Michigan – The words “May Peace Prevail on Earth” now greet visitors to Hope House, a facility of Voices for Earth Justice (VEJ) in Detroit. Those words are inscribed on a Peace Pole installed at VEJ and dedicated on September 18.
The event – held a few days before International Day of Peace on September 21 – also honored Sister Janet Stankowski, OP, during her 50-year Jubilee Year as an Adrian Dominican Sister. The Peace Pole was purchased by Sister Janet’s family and friends in her honor.
Sister Janet co-founded VEJ with Patricia Gillis, an Adrian Dominican Associate, in 2001 out of a need to bring a faith-based perspective to environmental issues. Sister Janet describes the non-profit organization as a “faith-based network whose mission is to pray, educate, and act on behalf of Earth.”
During the dedication ceremony, Rabbi Syme, Imam Muhammad, and Father Phil Paxton, CP, shared thoughts about peace from their respective traditions. Participants recited the Prayer of St. Francis and were blessed by Doris Thunderfeather Allen in a sage blessing ceremony.
Along with Sister Janet, Adrian Dominican Sisters in attendance included Sisters Jeanine Boivin, OP; Pat Benson, OP; Grace Dennis, OP; Annette Desloover, OP; Arlene Kosmatka, OP; Sheila Delaney, OP; Cheryl Liske, OP; and Anneliese Sinnott, OP. Adrian Dominican Associates who attended included Carol Hofer, Patty Gillis, Geri Pleva, Mercedes Fitzsimmons, and Joyce Fruge.
The prayer, “May peace prevail on Earth,” was written in 1955 by the late Msahisa Goi, a Japanese man who sought to spread the desire for peace in people throughout the world. The prayer is written in English and other languages on the four or six sides of the peace pole. Numbering in the tens of thousands, peace poles can be found in 180 countries and on all continents.
Watch a slide show of the Voices for Earth Justice peace pole dedication.