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July 13, 2026, Detroit – “My hope is that the Church will become ever more open to the voices, leadership, and gifts of women, and that it will continue to grow as a community marked by justice, compassion, inclusion, and fidelity to the Gospel. I hope we will courageously follow where the Spirit is leading us for the good of the whole Church.”

Those are the words of Sister Janice Brown, OP, in response to her attendance at the 50th anniversary of the Women’s Ordination Conference (WOC). Held at the Marygrove Conservancy in Detroit over the Memorial Day weekend, the anniversary event continued the exploration of women’s roles in the Catholic Church begun in the original conference, held in Detroit in 1975.

Sister Janice attended the anniversary event with Adrian Dominican Associate Carol Hofer and Adrian Dominican Sisters Janet Stankowski, OP, Cheryl Liske, OP, Judy Friedel, OP, and Durstyne Farnan, OP. The conference included keynote addresses, workshops, and lively liturgies, including the closing Pentecost Mass.

Sister Janice noted that Adrian Dominican Sisters were among about 1,000 participants who, encouraged by the changes that the Second Vatican Council brought to the Catholic Church, came to Detroit for the first Women’s Ordination Conference. “I believe it is important for the wholeness of who we are as people created in God’s image to continue this conversation,” she said. “I wanted to be part of discerning authentic responses to the Spirit, who continually guides the Church toward greater truth, justice, and inclusion.”

Carol, who attended the first conference – but in the overflow room because the number of participants exceeded expectations – said the recent conference “was special, but a source of grieving to come together once again half a century later … with a bit of progress seen in some Church policies but with the same tired responses given to block women from ordination, even after careful research shows the prohibition does not make sense.”

Carol attended some presentations that focused on women in the Bible who served in higher capacities as deacons in the Church. “The Church later decided who would work in this capacity, but the very early Church shows evidence of women as leaders, as priests.”

Sister Cheryl, who has been active in the Discerning Deacons organization, says the call to ordain women to the diaconate is related to the WOC movement. She noted the difference between transitional deacons – men who become deacons as part of their formation to become priests – and men, sometimes married, who are ordained as permanent deacons. Both the WOC and Discerning Deacons “are raising up in their own way how silly it is to purposely bar women from active ministry when we know that women are already called.” 

Sister Durstyne was impressed by two speakers, Natalia Imperatori-Lee, Associate Professor of Systemic Theology at Fordham University, and Teresa Delgado, Professor of Theology and Religious Studies at St. John’s University in New York. “They are both women of color, the only women I know of who can say some of the things they said,” especially about colonization and its effect of excluding women of color in conversation and decision-making, Sister Durstyne said.

Noting that Dr. Delgado had said she felt called to be a priest since she was 6 years old, Sister Durstyne encouraged women religious to stay open to the possibility of women’s ordination. “We have experienced the call to religious life,” she said. “We need to honor in some way the women who feel called to be ordained a priest.”

Although some participants felt a degree of sadness that women are still not allowed to be ordained, they also were inspired by their experience of the anniversary event. “Meeting women and men from diverse backgrounds who share a love for the Church was inspiring,” Sister Janice said. “I appreciated hearing personal stories, engaging in thoughtful dialogue, and experienced a sense of community rooted in hope and faith.”

Sister Janice also left the conference feeling even more strengthened in her conviction that “women have much to offer the Church in ordained ministry. [The conference] reinforced my belief that this conversation is not only about roles, but about recognizing and affirming the gifts God has given to all people.” She added that, while change in the Church often comes slowly, “I was encouraged by the commitment, wisdom, and faithfulness of those who continue to engage in this issue with love for the Church and trust in the Spirit.”

Sister Cheryl added: “Hope isn’t a prediction. It’s something that keeps us alive. As Dominicans, we’re called to preach and serve, and that’s what the ministry of the Church should be.”
 

Caption for above feature photo: Participants in the 50th anniversary Women’s Ordination Conference are, from left: Sisters Janet Stankowski, OP, Janice Brown, OP, Judy Friedel, OP, and Durstyne Farnan, OP; Associate Carol Hofer; and Sister Cheryl Liske, OP.

April 24, 2026, Adrian, Michigan – The new iteration and venue of the Adrian Dominican Sisters’ long-time INAI art gallery opened in Madden Hall with an artists’ reception and the opportunity for featured artists and others to view Engaged: The Art of Women, the new gallery’s first exhibit. The reception was held on the afternoon of Sunday, April 12, 2026.

The INAI at Madden Gallery occupies an area of Madden hall near the entrance to Holy Rosary Chapel and the Congregation’s historical area and is accessible through Weber Retreat and Conference Center. The original INAI Gallery was adjacent to Weber Retreat and Conference Center.

The new space “was an excellent choice” for the site of the new INAI, explained Sister Suzanne Schreiber, OP, long-time coordinator of INAI. “I could envision it as a nice place for art.”

Other aspects of the former INAI have also been recreated in Madden Hall. A meditation area is part of the gallery and what had once been a formal dining room has become a quiet room, with a library of books on art and spirituality, comfortable chairs and sofas, and a table to offer Weber Center guests, Sisters, Associates, and Co-workers a quiet place to read and reflect. “We want to create a space where people can come and be quiet, be inspired, appreciate art, and give some thought to what [the artists] are saying,” Sister Sue said.

The first exhibit at INAI at Madden was created by a committee. The late Sister Barbara Cervenka, OP, a member of the Congregation’s Women’s Enactment Circle, “proposed that there would be some aspect of that Enactment that would not just deal with the problems women struggle with but also with art and women’s expression through art,” Sister Sue explained. She involved Sisters and Associates who were artists, as well as women from the Adrian Center for the Arts, to develop the first exhibit. 

“I felt that, after its closing, INAI needed to be resurrected in some way,” said Connie Meyer, who served on Sister Barbara’s committee that planned and organized the INAI at Madden Gallery. “Having this space in this beautiful building used for women artists is a beautiful expression of the Adrian Dominicans’ mission.”

Connie expressed her hope that INAI at Madden would be “a special place for the community and the extended community, for those who come to Weber Center for retreats and for the community of Adrian.”

Julie Klein, an artist who specializes in watercolor, found the new gallery to be amazing. “It’s a beautiful room for art and a beautiful building. [Madden Hall] itself is a piece of art.” She described the former INAI gallery as a “beautiful, peaceful place,” which she periodically visited.

Jim and Amy Anderson, resident ceramicists with the Adrian Center for the Arts – a partner of INAI – were also pleased with the new INAI gallery. Amy, a member of the committee that planned the new gallery, especially likes the space and lighting of the new gallery.

“I’m glad Sister Sue is continuing her involvement with the gallery and shows, and I think she picked a really good topic” for the first exhibit, Jim said. “There are a lot of really thoughtful reflections on the pieces that she chose to put in the show.”

Many of the artists featured in the first exhibit expressed gratitude that their artwork was included. “There’s a saying among artists that ‘Anonymous’ was a woman,” said Judith Engel, an Associate. “In earlier times, women were considered inferior [in art]. Our sense with this is, ‘Women are not anonymous.’ The whole focus [of the exhibit] is on the voices of women and the thinking and the feeling and the imagery … of what it means to be a woman in the arts. I’m very delighted and happy and pleased to be part of that.”

Sister Janet Wright, OP, an artist who focuses on watercolor, said she is delighted with the new space. “When we heard that INAI was going to close, we knew we had to rebuild it…. Once we got over the shock of INAI closing, we thought, ‘Where could we go?’ This is just perfect. It’s a natural.” 

 

Caption for above feature photo: Guests of the INAI at Madden Gallery Artists’ Reception converse and examine the artwork of the opening exhibit.