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August 5, 2025, Adrian, Michigan – A pilgrimage to places in France where St. Dominic lived and ministered was an inspirational and, for some, life-changing experience for two Adrian Dominican Sisters and three Co-workers. 

Attending the Deepening the Dominican Experience pilgrimage were Co-workers Jennifer Hunter, Chief Operating Officer; Lisa Schell, Archivist; Sara Stoddard, Chief Financial Officer; and Sisters Mariane Fahlman, OP, and Carol Jean Kesterke, OP.

The pilgrimage took more than 30 Dominican Sisters, Associates, and Co-workers from various U.S.-based congregations of Dominican Sisters to places of interest in France. These included Carcassonne, the walled medieval city where St. Dominic preached; Fanjeaux, a village where he lived; Prouilhe, the site of the first monastery of nuns founded by St. Dominic; and Toulouse, where the first Dominican Friars gathered. 

The experience was meant to help the pilgrims to “enter more fully into Dominican history” and reflect on the Dominican spirit, individually and with one another. It involved tours of the various areas, presentations, discussions, formal sharing, and informal sharing at meals and other times.

Team members leading the pilgrimage were Sister Mary Ellen O’Grady, OP, a Sinsinawa Dominican Sister; Sister Jeanne Goyette, OP, a Caldwell Dominican Sister; Father Rick Peddicord, OP, Director of Catholic and Dominican Mission at Fenwick High School, Oak Park, Illinois; and Suzanne Wong, a friend of the Caldwell Dominican Sisters who has been a team member for the tour about 15 times.  

Lisa was impressed by the knowledge and presentations of the team members. “The information that they were giving us was delivered with such heart and such expertise. We definitely benefited from all those years of experience,” she said.

Jennifer appreciated meeting others during meals and the pace of the program. “We did a lot of walking, and had a lot of conversation,” she said. “It forced [us] to decompress, not being in the hustle and bustle” of a daily work life. 

Sister Mariane said she found the entirety of the program intriguing and knowing that I’m walking, I’m staying where Dominic founded the first female monastery.” 

Lisa agreed and was impressed by the opportunity to “be on sacred ground and learn about St. Dominic and walk on the same paths he walked, go to the same places where he ministered.”

Sister Carol Jean was especially taken by sitting in the same chapels as Dominic and Thomas Aquinas were in ministry. She said she was moved by the opportunity to “be in places where so many greats of the Dominican Order were, and to see how close Dominic was to the Sisters.” 

Lisa said she had been “steeped in history” since she began her work with the Adrian Dominican Sisters in 2018, “but there’s something different when you’re in the place.” The experience brought her to the “depths of commitment to the Dominican way, the values, the charism.”  

The experience “gave good context to what we’re doing” in the day-to-day ministry at the Adrian Dominican Sisters Motherhouse, Sara said. “I know who we are and what we do, but [the experience] made it more real. That’s where all this comes from and why we’re doing what we’re doing today.”

As pilgrims, Sister Carol Jean noted the group listened to and immersed themselves in what’s before them. For example, the experience brought home to her the itinerancy of the Dominican Order and the desire of Dominicans from the first days to be with the people they were serving. St. Dominic brought the Friars out of the monasteries for that very reason, she said. In later years, after Vatican II, she said, “we stepped out of the habit to identify more with the people.” 

The group also learned about the present as much as the past as they got to know Dominicans from other congregations and experienced the French culture and people. Jennifer was surprised by how many people in France could speak English. “It put it into perspective how we Americans don’t make efforts to learn cultures,” she said. “I was nervous about the language barrier, but I never felt it.”

Sister Carol Jean, who had attended the Deepening the Dominican Spirit pilgrimage 21 years ago with only Dominican Sisters, was surprised at the number of lay Associates and Co-workers who attended this year. She was impressed with “how we’ve expanded the mission to partner with Co-workers and Associates and how engaged and eager they were.”

Both Sisters Carol Jean and Mariane were also impressed by the Co-workers who accompanied them this year. “I was deeply touched by the three women, their commitment to the mission and love for the Congregation,” Sister Mariane said.  

“Co-workers for us aren’t just people who come in and do a job and leave,” Sister Carol Jean said. “They’re really brought into our Dominican vision, our Dominican values, our Dominican mission.”

The participants also reflected on how the experience in France has affected their daily lives. 

“I feel that I have been transformed,” Lisa said. “Every time I go someplace new and I don’t understand the language, it calls on [me] to be more flexible.” She said she has also learned about the meaning of the Dominican charism, or spirit. “I felt like I was on the receiving end of the charism.”

Sara added: “You feel transformed and impressed, and you have a greater appreciation of Dominican heritage and history.” The experience also transformed her idea of her work with the Adrian Dominican Sisters. “It’s definitely a ministry and not a job,” she said. “This drove it home for me.”

Jennifer said the whole experience was energizing. “It makes me appreciate the fact that I’m here and I’m on this journey with all of you.”

 

Caption for above feature photo: Adrian Dominican Sisters and Co-workers who attended the Deepening Dominican Spirit experience were, from left, Sara Stoddard, Jennifer Hunter, Sister Carol Jean Kesterke, OP, Sister Mariane Fahlman, OP, and Lisa Schell.

October 17, 2024, Detroit – Adrian Dominican Sisters and Associates were among crowds of people on October 6, 2024, who attended one or two Detroit stops of the Nuns on the Bus and Friends Tour. The tour began September 30, 2024, in Philadelphia and concludes October 18, 2024, in San Francisco.

Nuns on the Bus is a program sponsored by NETWORK, a Catholic social justice lobby, to educate voters on the major issues during national election years and to promote multi-issue voting. The 2024 theme is Revolution of Hope: Vote Our Future So Everyone Thrives, No Exceptions. For the first time, multi-faith and secular coalition partners are riding on the bus with the Catholic Sisters.

Among those attending one or both of the Detroit stops were Adrian Dominican Associates Carol Hofer and Geri Pleva and Sisters Nancyann Turner, OP, Anneliese Sinnott, OP, Kathleen Nolan, OP, Barbara Matievich, OP, Nancy Jurecki, OP, Barbara Cervenka, OP, and Barbara Kelley, OP. 

During the afternoon rally held outside the Electricians’ Union Hall, Nuns and Friends from the Bus and local activists spoke on various issues of concern, emphasizing the importance of encouraging all eligible citizens to vote. 

“I believe that the growing religious and racial diversity is our superpower,” said Rev. Adam Taylor, President of Sojourners Magazine and an ordained Baptist minister. “Far too many politicians are engaging in the politics of fear and scapegoating. We are here to advance justice for all.”

Referring to a line from Isaiah 58:12, in which the prophet said Israel would be known as the “repairer of the breach,” Rev. Taylor spoke of the variety of breaches that the people of Detroit and around the United States are called to repair, including the greater availability of guns than food stamps. “We have the power to repair the breaches in our midst,” he said. “Our vote is our voice.”  

Sister Sally Duffy, SC, a Sister of Charity of Cincinnati, spoke of the violence and scapegoating that immigrants face today. In particular, she spoke up for the Haitian immigrants in Springfield, Ohio – a city in the Archdiocese of Cincinnati. . “The Haitian immigrants are revitalizing Springfield,” she said. “They’re filling jobs that need to be filled in manufacturing.” 

During the town hall meeting that evening in a packed Gesu Catholic Church, Nuns and Friends on the Bus and local activists emphasized the need to be multi-issue voters and to vote in ways that benefit the common good. Speakers described six freedoms that Nuns on the Bus emphasize during this election year.

•    The freedom to participate in a vibrant democracy: “We all have the freedom, right, and responsibility to cast a ballot and to help in shaping our society for the common good,” Sister Catherine C. Darcy, RSM, said. Pointing to the Christian Nationalist movement that seeks to make the United States a Christian nation, she said, “Our democracy must include everyone.”

•    The freedom to be healthy: Deborah Weinstein of the Coalition on Human Needs noted progress in providing health insurance, reducing prescription drug costs, and offering food and nutrition programs. “All of those projects can be either extended, approved, or wiped out, depending on Congress next year and the decision the president makes,” she said.

•    The freedom to care for ourselves and our families: Sarah Christopherson, a tax justice advocate, spoke on the need for programs that value workers over profit, make homeownership possible for more people, and invest in college and trade training programs. Through the expanded child tax credit program, children were able to eat well at school and domestic violence was reduced because of less stress in the families, she said.

•    The freedom from harm: Sister Barbara Pfarr, SSND, a community organizer, said people have the right to be free from the danger of gun violence. In addition, she said, the rights of marginalized communities – such as people of color, and LGBTQ+ people – must be respected.

•    The freedom to live in a welcoming country that values dignity and human rights: Sister Sally Duffy, SSND, encouraged the audience to hold leaders in Congress and the White House to account: restoring the right of an individual to seek asylum and to create pathways to citizenship.

•    The freedom to live on a healthy planet: Sister Louise Lears, SC, a Sister of Charity of Cincinnati, noted the right of all people to breathe clean air and drink clean water. In addition, she called on people to work to mitigate the effects of climate change in the wake of climate disasters such as Hurricanes Helene and Milton.

Participants also met in small groups to discuss their vision for Detroit and heard a call to action to make a voting plan and to encourage others to vote for the common good.

Sister Kathleen Nolan, Director of the Adrian Dominican Sisters Office of Peace, Justice and Integrity of Creation, said she was impressed by the speakers “because they reflected the concerns of their communities in Detroit.” She said the events were unifying, giving a sense of drawing people together. “It was refreshing because it was not about specific candidates, but it was issue-focused: what’s important for communities, for people,” she said. 

 

Caption for above feature photo: Standing in front of the bus before the October 6, 2024, Nuns on the Bus Town Hall Meeting at Gesu Parish in Detroit are, from left, Adrian Dominican Sisters Barbara Matievich, OP, Barbara Kelley, OP, Nancy Jurecki, OP, Anneliese Sinnott, OP, Nancyann Turner, OP, and Kathleen Nolan, OP.