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November 12, 2026, Adrian, Michigan – As part of a new tradition, first-year students from Regina Dominican High School in Wilmette, Illinois, began their school year with a retreat at the Adrian Dominican Sisters Motherhouse. The retreat, focused on community, featured a dinner with Adrian Dominican Sisters, allowing the students and Sisters the opportunity to share their experiences. 

The event is featured in the October newsletter of Dominican Veritas Ministries (DVM), which serves as the canonical sponsor of 13 Dominican elementary and high schools. Regina Dominican High School and Rosarian Academy in West Palm Beach, Florida, which is also featured in the newsletter, are legacy institutions of the Adrian Dominican Sisters.

Caption for above feature photo: Regina Dominican High School student Lila Reid-Wagner enjoys dinner with Carol Johannes, OP.

November 12, 2026, Adrian, Michigan – Adrian Dominican Sisters at the Dominican Life Center marked Indigenous Peoples’ Day by learning about the creation and flood stories of the Ojibway/Anishinabe peoples – stories remarkably similar in many ways to the stories encountered in Hebrew Scripture and in other faith traditions.

The Indigenous Peoples’ Day Teach-in, presented by the local People of the Four Winds group, was held on October 12, 2026, and hosted by the Justice, Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (JDEI) Office of the Adrian Dominican Sisters. 

In the indigenous tradition, Kitchi-Manitou, the Creator, was distressed that the people on Earth had strayed away from their original harmony and were fighting among themselves. Kitchi-Manitou sent a flood to purify the Earth, and all but a few people and animals were swept away. 

Nanaboozhoo, a central figure in many Ojibway stories, survived by resting on a floating log and allowing other surviving animals and birds to rest with him. Nanaboozhoo proposed that he would swim to the bottom of the water and get some earth, which, with the help of the four winds and Kitchi-Manitou, could become a large land mass on which they could rebuild the Earth. He and several animals and birds tried to find land but most eventually returned, unsuccessful in their mission. Only Muskrat – who died in the process – was able to get a handful of dirt in his paws and float back to the others. The handful was transformed into a large landmass.

“We know that this story of the flood is true, and we know that it is true because all of us have received teachings [on the flood] through the thousands of years,” said Ted Paus, a member of the People of the Four Winds. “Even though we think we are different, we are not. We are all one, part of the hoop of life. We all belong to the same story.”

Watch a video recording of the presentation.
 

Caption for above feature photo: Ted Paus, a member of the local People of the Four Winds, gives a presentation on the creation story recounted by the Ojibway nation.