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June 24, 2021, Adrian, Michigan – In their quarterly update on sustainability and permaculture efforts at the Adrian Dominican Sisters Motherhouse, Sister Corinne Sanders, OP, Joel Henricks, and Jared Aslakson spoke of the progress on summertime projects at the Adrian campus.
In the fifth year of living out the Congregation’s 2016 General Chapter Enactment on Sustainability, the focus is on changing beliefs about Earth and our relationships to creation. “This leads to changed practices,” said Sister Corinne, Director of the Office of Sustainability.
Sister Corinne reviewed sustainability practices in six sectors: food, transportation, waste, energy, and land relationships. “If we can reduce our waste, we’re assisting Earth to heal and restore herself,” she said.
Sister Corinne recommended periodically conducting a waste audit. “Pay attention to what’s coming into your house, what you can’t put into your recycling bin, and how you can replace it,” she said. For example, some people have started to use shampoo and soap bars rather than buying shampoo and soap in plastic bottles. “We don’t have to be perfect, but try to lower how much plastic you use,” she said.
Joel, Director of Facilities and Grounds, gave an update on the restoration of the storm water retention pond on the Motherhouse grounds. The project has involved installing pipes so that the water can be drained slowly, then removing the muck and deepening the pond. The purpose of this project, Joel said in an earlier update, is to restore the pond and bring it back to a healthy ecosystem.
The summer projects also include installing a solar array in the field behind the Motherhouse to produce energy for the campus. That project has begun with removing certain trees around the perimeter of the field. “For every tree we cut down we’ll plant another tree on campus,” Joel said. “We’re really committed to not causing more harm.” Hopes are for the project to be completed by the end of July, he said.
Jared, Permaculture Specialist, spoke of a number of projects that he is undertaking in the summer, including work on the trees in the orchard to keep them free of insects; planting oats and rye seed in the vegetable garden to keep nutrients in the soil and prevent erosion; and planting a new pollinator garden.
Jared also reported on new beehives in the Permaculture section. “At any given time, we have 50,000 to 60,000 bees, constantly refreshed,” he said. “Our bees are very healthy, harvesting a lot of nectar.”
With all the many projects he has undertaken in the Permaculture area, Jared said he has learned an important lesson. “Absolutely nothing will happen in the right time,” he said. “You just roll with it because that’s all you can do. It’s been fun. It’s been definitely a learning experience.”
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June 11, 2021, Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic – Leaders and members of the Charismatic Movement in the Dominican Republic celebrated its 50th anniversary with a special conference honoring the late Sister Ana Feliz, OP, founder of the local movement.
The Catholic Charismatic Renewal is a “spiritual movement within the Catholic Church that emphasizes the availability of the power and the many gifts of the Holy Spirit in the life of every believer.” The Charismatic Movement encompasses that spirituality in mainline Protestant churches, as well as in the Catholic Church.
“Ana was very influential with the original group in seeing that they would be instructed and educated in their faith,” said Sister Rosa Monique Peña, OP, who spoke at the conference, held the weekend of Pentecost, Sunday, May 21-23, 2021, at a retreat center in the Dominican Republic. “I felt very happy and proud for having been asked to be part of the opening of this year, realizing that one of our own was the founder of the Charismatic Movement in the Dominican Republic.”
Sister Rosa Monique spoke on May 22 about the spirituality of the Dominican Order to about 40 people attending the conference in person and about 360 people who participated virtually. Other presentations focused on Franciscan spirituality and Ignatian spirituality.
Sister Rosa Monique said she was also invited to speak about Sister Ana after her formal presentation. “I spoke about Ana as a very spiritual woman, totally dedicated, a marvelous teacher and with feet on the ground – a very practical woman who also worked for justice, especially in San Pedro (in the Dominican Republic), where she lived for awhile,” Sister Rosa Monique said. Sister Ana was also influential with young women in Dominican Republic, bringing some of them into the Adrian Dominican Congregation, she added.
Sister Rosa Monique said she was pleased with the high regard in which the Charismatic Movement in the Dominican Republic holds Sister Ana. “They remember her very dearly,” she said, explaining that the headquarters of the movement displays Sister Ana’s photo prominently. The organization publishes a monthly magazine and offers webinars, workshops, and retreats to encourage people in their faith and deepen their spirituality, she said.
Also a native of the Dominican Republic, Sister Rosa Monique recalled offering courses to pastoral ministers in San Pedro for two summers and living with Sister Ana during those summers. “Her house was very frugal,” she recalled. “She didn’t see any need for any luxuries.” At the same time, Sister Rosa Monique recalled, Sister Ana had a joyful spirit, a “lovely sense of humor,” and the gift of laughter.
Born on April 27, 1932, in an isolated, mountainous area near San Jose de Ocoa, Sister Ana met the Adrian Dominican Sisters as a student at Colegio Santo Domingo. She entered the Congregation in September 1953. Known as Sister Maria Josefina, she was sent to teach at Adrian Dominican missions in Puerto Rico: Sacred Heart School in Santurce and St. Anthony School in Guayama. She later taught in Florida and the Bahamas until 1963, when she was sent as one of the first three Adrian Dominican Sisters to be missioned to Peru, at Our Lady of Guadalupe School in Callao.
Responding to a new call to pastoral ministry, Sister Ana studied liberation theology and the ways that she could serve the needs of the poor. In almost 40 years, she served as a pastoral minister and a spiritual director in areas throughout the Dominican Republic.
After Sister Ana’s death on August 23, 2019, Sister Rosario Martin, OP, remembered her in her funeral homily as a “model in ministry and a faithful follower of Jesus and Dominic,” whose “devotion to the Holy Spirit and willingness to share that with the people of God enriched the Church.”