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September 19, 2024, Caleruega, Spain – Four Adrian Dominican Sisters were among 48 Dominican Sisters from throughout the world who spent a week in St. Dominic de Guzman’s birthplace, Caleruega, Spain, sponsored by the Dominican Sisters International Confederation (DSIC).

The Sisters participating in the program were finally professed for less than 20 years. DSIC was established to enhance the communication and collaboration of apostolic Dominican Sisters throughout the world. Adrian Dominican Sister Patricia Siemen, OP, also attended as a member of the DSIC Coordinating Council

Other Adrian Dominican Sisters who attended were Katherine Frazier, OP, Executive Director of Dominican Youth Movement USA, Xiomara Mendez-Hernandez, OP, Executive Director of the Dominican Sisters Conference, and Salvacion “Salve” Valenzuela, OP, and Alma Zapanta, OP, Co-directors of the Dominicans in Bodø, Norway, Mission. 

“It was a spiritual Dominican pilgrimage … where all and each of us represented our congregations and each of us was a manifestation of the larger Dominican Charism, said Sister Xiomara.

Sister Pat said the gathering was a response to one of the priorities set by the Dominican Prioresses throughout the world during a 2022 online DSIC meeting: to focus on younger Dominican Sisters. The purpose of the gathering was to “bring a representative group together to build relationships, to explore our call as women preachers in light of the times, and to experience a global Dominican Sisterhood within the five continents where we have Dominican Sisters,” Sister Pat explained.

The program involved talks by Barbara Reid, OP (Grand Rapids, Michigan), on women prophets in Scripture and the prophetic call of consecrated women; Ana Francisca Vergara, OP (Colombia), on theological study and contemplation in the service of our preaching; and Sabine Schratz, OP (Cabra Dominicans, Ireland), on the history of communities of apostolic women.

The participants also visited various areas that were central to the life of St. Dominic: from his birthplace in Caleruega, the well where he was baptized, and his family’s watchtower to the neighboring Benedictine monastery where Blessed Jane’s dream about St. Dominic was interpreted, and the cathedral in Osma. While she was pregnant with Dominic, Blessed Jane dreamed that she gave birth to a dog that carried a lit torch around the world, signifying St. Dominic’s mission of preaching the Word of God. 

The tour was coordinated by Pilar del Barrio, OP, representing Europe on the DSIC Coordinating Council.

During the last two days, Sisters met in continental and language groups to discuss “what they can do to build up Dominican Sisters International so as to complete God’s dream for us as we move into a future committed to being women preachers,” Sister Pat said. She was pleased by the engagement of the Sisters and the quality of the presentations. The participants strongly recommended that this assembly be repeated for other younger Sisters, she said.

In reflecting on the experience, the Adrian Dominican participants spoke of being moved by the connection to St. Dominic and to one another – and by their hopes for the future.

“Visiting the birthplace of our founder, St. Dominic, was an incredibly moving experience,” Sisters Alma and Salve wrote in a joint reflection. “From the well to the tower, and our travels to the Silos and the Cathedral of Osma, we felt an incredible connection to our roots.”

Sisters Alma and Salve were especially moved by Sister Ana Francisca’s presentation on study. “We consecrated women are entrusted with the demanding task of infusing our lives with the spiritual and contemplative aspects of study,” they wrote. “Study is not a personal endeavor – rather communal and powerfully meant so to evangelize one another in the community and transform all members into evangelizers.” Read the entire reflection by Sisters Alma and Salve. 

Sister Alma is one of five Sisters elected to represent the group of younger Sisters during the DSIC assembly in Rome in May 2025. They will present the fruits of the discussions in Caleruega.

“We have started the creation of the document, how we see ourselves into the future,” Sister Xiomara explained. “I see a great movement toward collaboration and radical inclusion and a sense of globalizing our mission with a preferential option for relationship.” Sister Xiomara has been invited to attend the May assembly as a liturgist.

Sister Katherine said one of the highlights for her “was the opportunity to see the place where Dominic was born and where he knew his family of origin, to hear the stories of his mother Juana and his father and his brothers – and to do so when I was surrounded by all of these Sisters from all over the world. In a way, I was learning about his family surrounded by my chosen family.”

Sister Katherine appreciated the “unexpected gift” of being invited to attend the assembly in Caleruega. This gift has given her hope and the feeling of connection. “There was a sense of strengthening bonds to the international aspect of the Dominican Order – broadening horizons,” she said. She came away appreciating “how amazing the work that our Sisters are doing all over the world and the ways that they’re meeting the needs in their particular context. What a gift to be able to witness that!”

 

Caption for above photo: Nearly 50 Dominican Sisters finally professed for less than 20 years participated in the DSIC gathering in Caleruega, Spain.

Fanjeaux, France, August 22, 2024 – Six people affiliated with the Adrian Dominican Congregation as Sisters, Associates, and Co-workers deepened their understanding and appreciation of the Dominican Charism during a mid-summer experience at various sites in France where St. Dominic ministered and traveled.

Participating in the Deepening the Dominican Spirit experience were Sisters Lorraine Réaume, OP, Vicaress and General Councilor, and Janice Brown, OP; Associate Diane Burgermeister; Douglas Palmer, President of Siena Heights University in Adrian, Michigan; and Carmen McCrink and Karen Stalnaker, of Barry University in Miami, Florida. Both universities are sponsored by the Adrian Dominican Sisters.

They were among 32 Dominicans – Sisters, nuns, Friars, Associates, and Co-workers from the United States and Africa – who participated in the pilgrimage. Together, the group visited the French cities of Carcassonne, where St. Dominic preached; Fanjeaux, the village where St. Dominic lived; Prouilhe, the site of the first monastery of nuns founded by St. Dominic; Montségur, the last stronghold of the Cathars, those who believed that the material world was evil and only the spiritual world was good; Soreze, the site of an international school founded by French Dominican Friar Jean-Baptiste Henri-Dominique Lacordaire (1802-1861); and Toulouse, the first gathering space of the Dominican Friars.

Participants were moved by the opportunity to learn about the history of the Order of Preachers – from its founding by St. Dominic to more recent years. Diane said she participated in the pilgrimage because she “wanted to share with Associates and Sisters a deeper understanding of the history of the Dominican story and the impact important Dominicans have had on the ongoing evolution of the Charism.” 

A key moment for Diane was the group’s visit to Seignadou, the “sign of God” in Fanjeaux, France. Dominic’s vision of a globe of fire resting over the church was a confirmation of his ministry. “The cross with the background of the cloudy sky and expansive green valley and farmland, along with strong gusts of wind, were moving,” she said.

Sister Janice said she was “drawn to walk in the footsteps of Dominic. In all my years as a Dominican, the chance for me to make this pilgrimage had never come up.” She was especially moved by the experience of staying in Carcassonne, allowing her to “walk in Dominic’s path every day.” 

After learning and even teaching about the Congregation’s roots for almost 30 years, Sister Lorraine said she was eager to visit those places “to actually see them with my own eyes.” She was struck by the simplicity of those areas, fitting for St. Dominic. “Dominic’s simple, humble spirit and life were palpable. He never wanted to draw attention to himself,” she said.

The history of St. Dominic and his approach to the Cathars was especially meaningful to Sister Janice. “The Cathars had an understanding that was harmful,” and many people wanted to approach them violently in response to the heresy, she said, noting an incident in which troops burned 244 Cathars at Montségur when they did not renounce their faith. “Dominic was not of that mindset,” Sister Janice said. “It is through respect, discussion, and charity that we discover Truth, and are then inspired to share that Truth.” 

Particularly poignant for Sister Lorraine was the group’s visit to Prouilhe, the home of nine Cathar women who had converted to Catholicism. She noted the “ebb and flow” of Dominican life as illustrated in this city. The home for the Cathar converts was a monastery for centuries but was razed during the French Revolution. “The nuns did return and the community grew; however, on the day we arrived there were just nine nuns,” matching the number of the original nuns, Sister Lorraine said. 

The history of the Dominican presence in France did not end there. Sister Lorraine recalled the group’s visit to Soreze and the story of Lacordaire. “He brought the Order back to life in France after the revolution, when it had been virtually dormant for over 100 years,” Sister Lorraine said. 

The pilgrimage also deepened Diane’s perspective of the Dominican story, which is “ever-evolving but fragile,” often saved by Dominican leaders in the past who kept the Order of Preachers alive. “The charism consists of individual, communal, and cultural stories woven into the larger Dominican history and changes over time,” she said. “The charism is not static and builds upon past experiences while evolving into new expressions for a new vision.”

The Adrian Dominican Sisters – along with the other congregations of U.S. Dominican Sisters that make up the Dominican Sisters Conference – are working together to create this new vision, as are women religious whose congregations make up the Leadership Conference of Women Religious. Associates, Co-workers at the Adrian Dominican Sisters Motherhouse and in sponsored and legacy institutions, donors, and other partners are also working together to claim and live out the Dominican Charism.
 

Caption for feature photo at top: Participants in Deepening the Dominican Spirit are, from left, Karen Stalnaker, of Barry University; Associate Diane Burgermeister; Carmen McCrink of Barry University; Sister Lorraine Réaume, OP, Vicaress and General Councilor; Douglas Palmer, President of Siena Heights University; and Sister Janice Brown, OP.