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August 13, 2026, Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic – Through the initiative of Adrian Dominican Sister Rosa Monique Peña, OP, the City of Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, unveiled a statue of St. Dominic on August 5, 2026, to commemorate the 528th anniversary of the city’s founding. Below is the translation of a speech that Sister Rosa Monique gave on that occasion, outlining the involvement of many in creating and bringing the statue to Santo Domingo.

Genesis of the Saint Dominic Statue Project
By Sister Rosa Monique Peña, OP

Some years ago, upon returning to my country after 53 years of mission as a religious sister of the Order of Preachers, I was struck by the fact that, except in the gardens of Colegio Santo Domingo – now the Catholic University of Santo Domingo – there was no sculpture of St. Dominic de Guzmán, founder of the Dominican Order, in our city.

It was surprising to me that the man who gave his name to the city since the dawn of our colonial history did not have a monument in a public space, precisely because his name has been intertwined with the history of Santo Domingo for more than five centuries. His emblem is part of the city's coat of arms, and numerous institutions have found inspiration in his legacy and the work he began.

I immediately felt that we had to do something!

The first step was to share the idea with the Dominican friars in this city, who embraced it enthusiastically and made it their own from the very beginning.

I spoke with my sister, Mónica de Gamundi, and thanks to her, we consulted our dear friend and architect, César Iván Feris Iglesias. He, his wife Ingrid, and their daughter Rosalía embraced the initiative from the start. César Iván gave the project a decisive boost by inviting the renowned Dominican artist Dustin Muñoz, who agreed to create the sculpture with the same generosity and enthusiasm.

The next step was to present the initiative to the civil and ecclesiastical authorities. We received a wonderful reception! We were supported and approved by the Archdiocese of Santo Domingo, the National Office of Monumental Heritage, the Office of Cultural Heritage, and the Mayor's Office of the National District, represented by Mayor Carolina Mejía, who is with us today.

Very soon we invited a distinguished group of people who generously offered their time, talent, financial resources, and effort to make this shared dream a reality. Among them, in addition to those already mentioned, are Friar José Alberto Hidalgo, Maruja Álvarez Reyes, Alejandro Peña-Prieto, Lucile Houellemont, Carolina Acra, María Teresa Ruiz de Catrain, Francette Calac, and Rosa Margarita Bonetti.

We received the approval and strong support of my Dominican Sisters of Adrian, Michigan, and then, as if sent from heaven itself, Rosa Margarita Bonetti de Santana, our dear Doña Pirigua, came to our aid. She fell in love with the initiative, embraced it, and with her discreet generosity, undertook the cost of this sculpture that we inaugurate today. We also received substantial help from Fernando Armenteros Márquez, Ligia Bonetti Dubreil, Ernesto Elías Armenteros Calac, Hector José Rizek Sued, Victoria Brache de Acra, and the Dominican friars. Our gratitude to all of them and to all the friends who contributed to making this dream a reality.

Before continuing, the organization committee wishes to highlight the immense work and driven effort of our artist Dustin Muñoz and Mr. Miguel Valenzuela, who worked for weeks on end, and more than 18 hours a day, on the execution of the sculpture. We also acknowledge the work of the company ARKES, whose architects René Guzmán, Elsa Cáceres, and Génesis Camilo were in charge of the construction and cladding of the pedestal, and the installation of the statue. 

From the beginning, we wanted to represent St. Dominic in the act of preaching, because that was the mission that gave meaning to his entire life. More than writing books, he traveled the roads of Europe proclaiming the Gospel, engaging in dialogue with people, and carrying a message of hope, truth, and mercy. His preaching transformed lives and gave rise to a religious family that, eight centuries later, continues to serve the Church and the world.

Here he is.

It is our greatest hope that those who approach this image of St. Dominic may contemplate it, offer a prayer, speak with him, and ask for his counsel, just as so many men and women did who turned to him during his life.

May this statue be much more than a monument; may it remind everyone who passes by that truth, faith, compassion, and hope always find a way to continue illuminating the human heart.

Thank you!

 

Caption for above feature photo: Sister Rosa Monique Peña, OP, left, and Santo Domingo Mayor Carolina Mejía unveil a statue of St. Dominic in the plaza in front of the Dominican convent in the capital city of Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic.

August 13, 2026, Adrian, Michigan – The weekend of the Feast of St. Dominic began on a joyful note August 7, 2026, as Elizabeth Guerrero was received into the novitiate during a simple but meaningful ritual during Vespers, evening prayer. 

Reception into the Novitiate is a key step in initial formation leading to vowed life within a congregation. It is when a woman is accepted as part of the religious community and charged with learning more about that community through structured study before taking the next step, First Profession of Vows. After spending a year as a Candidate in Adrian, Sister Elizabeth will spend the coming year at the InterCongregational Collaborative Novitiate (ICCN) in Chicago.

During the ritual, Sister Patricia “Patty” Harvat, OP, offered a reflection on the mystery of Elizabeth’s call. Noting that the iconic Route 66 will turn 100 this year, Sister Patty spoke of Elizabeth’s journeys over the years. 

“Elizabeth and her family traveled their own iconic route each summer: Highway 83 between Crystal City [Texas] and the northern states,” she said. “The entire family traveled together as was customary for migrant families.” On the way back home, a peak moment for Elizabeth’s father was the sight of a hill, “the Hill of Smiles,” from which he could see the lights of Crystal City. “This meant he had safely delivered his family home one again.”

With a nod to Sister Elizabeth’s Mexican-American heritage, Sister Patty spoke of Our Lady of Guadalupe, who appeared for the first time in 1531 on Tepeyac Hill near Mexico City to a humble indigenous man, Juan Diego. Sister Patty assured Sister Elizabeth that “Mary speaks to you as she did to Juan Diego: ‘Am I not your mother?’ She stayed and has prayed all these years with you, Elizabeth. She will continue to stay with you in the new life.” 

Sister Patty noted the “twists and turns” of Sister Elizabeth’s own life as she entered the mystery of her call to follow Christ on a different route, discernment with the Adrian Dominican Sisters. “May St. Dominic be the beacon of light to you, showing you the ‘Hill of Smiles,’ to the light beyond the hill to know you are safely home,” Sister Patty concluded.

During the Rite of Reception, Prioress Elise D. García, OP, formally examined Sister Elizabeth on her firm intention “to walk faithfully in newness of life” in the Adrian Dominican Congregation. Formally given the title Sister, Sister Elizabeth affirmed her desire to be received into the Adrian Dominican family as a novice. 

Sister Elise presented Sister Elizabeth with the Constitution of the Adrian Dominican Sisters and asked the new Novice about her willingness “to study and reflect on this Constitution and order [her] life on it faithfully.” Finally, Sister Elizabeth was clothed in the preaching garment as a sign of her desire to preach God’s word as a Dominican Sister.

Sister Elizabeth has already had a full year of discernment as a Candidate, living in community in Adrian; ministering in the food pantry of Holy Family Parish in Adrian, tutoring an adult learner in English, and serving in the migrant program through Holy Family. She has also become better acquainted with Sisters residing at the Motherhouse Campus through discussions of the Dominican Charism, other study groups, and informal meals and visits. 

This is not the first time that Sister Elizabeth has been a novice. She entered the Missionary Catechists of Divine Providence, a small congregation based in San Antonio Texas, and was received into the novitiate in 2011. Her ministries included teaching, social services, and parish ministry. 

Desiring a different expression of community life, Sister Elizabeth left that congregation, continuing as Executive Director of the Asociatíon de Hermanas Latinas Misioneras en América (AHLMA). She came to know the Adrian Dominican Sisters when she served on the board of the Leadership Conference of Women Religious (LCWR).

“I’ve never lived outside my own culture” until her candidacy year, when she lived in community with three Adrian Dominican Sisters, Sister Elizabeth said. “I’m looking forward to continuing to grow in the experience of interculturality. My hope is that I can go deeper into the vows and be able to offer my experience to the [other novices] .... Whatever is lined up for me, I’m sure I’ll benefit. It’s going to be a full, productive, rich year.”  

Single young Catholic women who wish to discern a call to religious life are invited to contact the Adrian Dominican Sisters by emailing [email protected].

 

Caption for above feature photo: Sister Sara Fairbanks, OP, left, and Sister Tarianne DeYonker, OP, right, help to clothe Sister Elizabeth Guerrero into a preaching garment as part of Sister Elizabeth’s Reception into the Novitiate.