Sponsored & Legacy Institutions - Stories

May 2, 2025, Adrian, Michigan – Eighteen faculty members and administrators from Barry University and Siena Heights University gathered April 23-25, 2025, for a retreat on the Dominican Charism. The retreat – the first gathering in Adrian of Co-workers from sponsored institutions in five years – gave participants the opportunity to learn about the charism and discuss how it can be applied on their campuses.  

Both universities were founded and are sponsored by the Adrian Dominican Sisters.

“We in the Office of Dominican Charism want to take this time together to celebrate and strengthen your call to be our Dominican universities in the Catholic tradition,” said Sister Patricia Siemen, OP, a member of the planning committee for the retreat, as she welcomed the group. “We are hoping these days will spark newer and stronger relationships, building on trust.”

Sister Elise D. García, OP, Prioress of the Congregation, thanked the participants for the various forms of service that they perform for their respective universities. “Each of you is choosing to align yourself with mission-driven institutions serving the common good, and we are so grateful for that,” she said. 

In affirming the value of higher education, Sister Elise drew on the words of Pope Francis: “Perhaps the mission of the university is to train social poets, men and women who, upon learning the grammar and vocabulary of humanity, have a spark, a brilliance, that allows them to imagine the unknown.” 

Sister Elise also updated the retreat participants on changes that U.S. congregations of Catholic Sisters and the Adrian Dominican Sisters in particular are navigating. The large numbers of women who entered religious life before the mid-20th Century – an anomaly in the history of religious life – have dwindled to the more ordinary, smaller number, she said. 

“We do not yet know what will emerge, but we do know that we want to remain attentive to the signs of the times and to make sure that any woman who wants this life has a door to open,” Sister Elise said. “We want to remain centered in the Spirit and in what we most value. We need to … lean into the future we most desire in collaboration with one another.”

Associate Nancy Mason Bordley, Director of the Office of Dominican Charism, opened the first full day with a reflection on the Dominican Charism, “The Dominican Family: There is Room at the Table for Everyone.”

Nancy elaborated on the kitchen or dining room table as a symbol of Dominican life. “The kitchen table was the central nervous system of our house, where life was planned, worked out, and lived,” she recalled. “There’s no other piece of furniture that holds as much history and memory. A table is a sign of unity. The table brings people together to share moments of time with one another.”

Nancy described the Dominican table as one that is round – emphasizing the equality of all members of the Dominican Family and held up by the traditional four pillars of Dominican life: prayer, community, study, and ministry or preaching.

“Today, the Dominicans are a worldwide family of priests, nuns, brothers, sisters, Associates, lay members, youth and young adult companions, Co-workers, and seekers,” Nancy said. “The values and the gifts that define the Order of Preachers are the values that Dominic practiced.” 

Just as St. Dominic preached against the heresy of his day – the notion that matter is evil and only the spiritual is good – so Dominicans today are called to preach with their lives, Nancy said. “Our lives give us the material for our preaching,” she said. “We have all lived through joys and sorrows, triumphs and failures. We have the authority to speak of God and to preach, and we recognize that each person has something to offer.”

During a break, participants had time to reflect on how the Dominican Charism is integrated into their lives and work and how the Dominican Charism sets Barry and Siena Heights Universities apart from public universities.

Retreatants spent the afternoon discussing ways that they can share and live out the charism. Suggestions included offering similar retreats to students, tours of the Adrian Dominican Motherhouse, opportunities to meet Sisters, publicizing examples of people living out the mission, an annual student leadership retreat at the Motherhouse, and adding information about the Dominican Charism and mission into the curriculum.

The retreat also included a tour of the Motherhouse Campus, a reception with Sisters, and other informal opportunities to gather together.

In the closing session, retreat leaders expressed their gratitude to participants for their enthusiasm and embrace of the charism. They were commissioned as Dominican educators and each received a candle to symbolize that calling.

Dr. Shaunie Wall, Associate Vice President of Alumni and Donor Relationships at Barry University, said the retreat was “a spiritual reminder of where I came from,” a student at an all-girls Catholic school run by Dominican Sisters in Trinidad. “So much of who I am now is because of that foundation,” she said. “Spending time with the Sisters brought a type of joy that I can’t even express.”

Victoria Poore, Communications Manager at Siena Heights University, said the retreat “was a grounding experience that reminded me of the deeper purpose behind our work. I walked away from the retreat feeling more rooted and inspired to communicate in a way that’s purpose-driven and aligned with who we are, and individually as well.”

 

Caption for above feature photo: Faculty and staff from Siena Heights University and Barry University participated in a Dominican Charism Retreat at the Adrian Dominican Sisters Motherhouse campus.