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September 28, 2023, Adrian, Michigan – Adrian Dominican Sisters gathered on September 20, 2023, were transported half a world away from Adrian to the Philippines when Sisters Lourdes “Lou” Pamintuan, OP, and Victoria “Vicky” Changcoco, OP, gave a presentation on the history, ministries, and missions of the Sisters of Our Lady of Remedies based in the Philippines.
Sister Lou gave a history of the Remedies Dominican Congregation, which began in 1961 with the request by Bishop Emilio Cinense for Adrian Dominican Sisters to serve in the Diocese of San Fernando, Pampanga, Philippines. Mother Gerald Barry refused, but offered religious formation for women from the Philippines willing to start a Dominican Congregation in his diocese. Five young women came to Adrian for their formation.
“In time, the seed was nurtured in Adrian and ready to be planted in the Philippines,” Sister Lou said. Four Sisters completed the formation process and, on October 2, 1965, were joined by Adrian Dominican Sisters Mary Philip Ryan, OP, and Ellen Vincent McClain, OP, “for the formation and community direction,” Sister Lou said.
“On December 8, 1965, I became the first Postulant to enter [the community] during a ceremony in the chapel, followed by a simple snack,” Sister Lou recalled. “In four years’ time, the Good Lord of the Harvest blessed the community with vocations.” In 1972, the Dominican Sisters of Our Lady of Remedies became an independent congregation.
The Sisters moved to a new Motherhouse on the grounds of a seminary in 1978. “It was our home for many years,” and the site of professions of vows, jubilees, retreats, and other community celebrations, Sister Lou said. The Congregation later sought a merger with the Adrian Dominican Sisters, and the two became one Congregation in 2011. The Sisters based in the Philippines are now part of the Adrian Dominican Sisters’ Our Lady of Remedies Mission Chapter.
Sister Vicky spoke of her years of ministry, beginning with her entrance in 1985 at the age of 20. She participated in a “contextualized formation” for men and women novices from different communities. “This is where my passion for social justice began,” she recalled. “It was all eye-opening for me. I became bolder in living out the mission as a Preacher of the Word.”
Sister Vicky recounted her years in social ministry, from the deposition of President Ferdinand Marcos in 1986 – when people became poorer. “We facilitated the release of activists from jail, attended rallies, mobilized the people, and gave seminars on consciousness-raising.” She continued her advocacy and work for people with low income after the 1981 eruption of Mount Pinatubo, which displaced many people. Farmers who came to live at the Clark U.S. Air Base were harassed after the U.S. military left and foreign investors arrived.
“We facilitated meetings between farms and the Clark Base,” ultimately presenting a successful petition with 1 million signatures asking the Clark Development Corporation to allow the farmers to remain on the land.
“I found the courage to take the initiative to lead the group,” Sister Vicky said. “I was branded as an activist, received death threats, and was blacklisted by the government. My faith and trust in God were constant, for I knew God would not abandon me.”
Sister Vicky also spoke of her 13 years as a missionary in Taiwan, beginning in November 1999. She ministered primarily with Filipino women who arrived in Taiwan as mail-order brides seeking a better life in a climate of worsening poverty in the Philippines. “My life as a missionary in Taiwan was often hectic,” Sister Vicky recalled. “I would find myself late at night on the road to attend the call of Filipino housewives with emotional and psychological problems because of mistreatment.”
Watch a video of the entire presentation by Sisters Lou and Vicky below or view from the ADS video library.
September 28, 2023, Adrian, Michigan – Sister Frances Nadolny, OP, former Administrator and General Councilor of the Adrian Dominican Sisters, was named a member of the General Council on September 14, 2023, and will serve in that role through 2028. The General Council unanimously elected her to fill a vacancy left by General Councilor Janice Brown, OP, who resigned in August due to health issues. The Adrian Dominican Sister General Council is “the governmental unit that provides for and directs the life in mission of the Congregation,” according to the Congregation’s Constitution and Statutes. Members of the General Council are generally elected by Sisters serving as Delegates at a General Chapter convened every six years. However, the Constitution further calls for the General Council to elect a successor to fill a vacancy left by a member before her term is completed. Sister Frances took office on September 18, 2023. She was formally called forth into leadership by Prioress Elise D. García, OP, during a brief ritual at the beginning of Mass on Sunday, September 24, 2023. Sister Elise asked Sister Frances about her willingness to accept the responsibility of General Councilor to minister in collaboration with the rest of the General Council “by providing for and directing the life in mission of the Congregation and carrying forward the decisions and directions of General Chapter 2022.” Sister Frances accepted “willingly and happily.” “We see in Fran a host of gifts and experience to bring to the table of leadership,” Sister Elise wrote in a September 14, 2023, letter to Adrian Dominican Sisters and Associates, announcing the election. “She is someone who can hit the ground running and assume most any responsibility in our collective portfolio with great skill, dedication, and insight.” Fran said that her previous service as a General Councilor was a privilege. “I’m very honored that the Congregation would put its trust in me once again to be of service in this ministry,” she added. Sister Frances comes to the General Council with broad experience in Congregational leadership. From 2008 to 2014, she served as Chapter Prioress (Provincial) of the Sisters in the Congregation’s Great Lakes Dominican Mission Chapter based in Detroit. For the next two years, she directed the Congregation’s Ministry Trust Office, which provides grants to organizations in which Sisters are involved. Sister Frances was elected Administrator and General Councilor during General Chapter 2016 to serve on the 2016-2022 General Council. The Archdiocese of Detroit also benefited from Sister Frances’ leadership and dedication. She served as Associate Superintendent and then Superintendent of Schools for a total of 11 years. She also ministered for five years as the archdiocese’s Director of the Department of Education, overseeing several offices, including Schools, Catechetics, Family Life, Youth, and Young Adults. Sister Frances was principal twice: four years at St. Mary School in Royal Oak, Michigan, and five years at St. Thaddeus School in Chicago. Serving on the 2022-2028 General Council with Sister Frances are Sister Elise; Sister Lorraine Réaume, OP, Vicaress and General Councilor; and Sisters Bibiana Colasito, OP, and Corinne Sanders, OP, General Councilors. They will serve in leadership through June 30, 2028.