mission & ministry fall 2015

Leaven ~ An Essential Element · The Power of Community Prayer · Fall 2015 · Vol. XII

being with

Inspired to Walk with Others

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2 mission ministry • Fall 2015

Table ofConTenTs:

From the Prioress03

Reflections on Laudato Si', the Encyclical by Pope Francis

16

Leave a Legacy of Truth18

Being With ~ Inspired to Walk with Others04

General Assembly09

Leaven ~ An Essential Element10

The Power of Community Prayer14

Dominican Center at Marywood12

On the Horizon19

Tapestry in TimeNow Available

Vatican II radically transformed the Roman Catholic Church, including convents and monasteries, around the world. In this book several Dominican Sisters tell candidly what life was like for them during the decades after Vatican II. The story they tell is one of change, growth, and empowerment.

Organized around the four essentials of Dominican life – prayer, study, common life, and ministry – Tapestry in Time weaves together written and oral histories from the Sisters themselves to describe how the introduction of then-radical changes such as worship in the vernacular provided the thrill of something new and meaningful – but also how the move toward greater inclusivity led to challenges and opposition.

“A Tapestry in Time was being stitched as the years of renewal were being lived by the Dominican Sisters of Grand Rapids. Now is the time to celebrate the hanging of the tapestry for all to see! A remarkable story.”

~ Ann Willits, OP, retreat leader

www.grdominicans.org 3

Front Cover: Sister Janet Brown greets Jim and Sandy Rademaker in Dominican Chapel/Marywood.

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Tapestry in Time Published by Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co.

$20.00

Available in the Bookstore in

Dominican Center at Marywood

Right: Fifteen of the seventeen Sisters who were writers, researchers, or members of the task force for Tapestry in Time. (Front row, L-R) Sisters Rose Marie Martin, Michael Ellen Carling, Mary Ellen McDonald (2nd row) Sisters Marie Celeste Miller, Mary Navarre, Teresa Houlihan (3rd row) Sisters Mary Ann Barrett, Mary Pat Beatty, Orlanda Leyba, Mary Kay Oosdyke, Margaret Mary Birchmeier (4th row) Sisters Sue Tracy, Mary Donnelly, Megan McElroy, Diane Zerfas

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For 800 years, Dominicans have been sent out on mission. Our mission can be described in various ways, but I have always resonated with the description to

praise, to bless, to preach. Notice that this charge does not address the “how” – such as teaching, nursing, pastoral care. Mission flows from a desire to share our faith in Christ Jesus, by praising, blessing, and preaching. And, sharing requires someone with whom our faith convictions are opened and offered, where there is mutual exchange. Sharing begets sharing; a ripple causes a wave of impact.

Another of the hallmarks of Dominican life is itinerancy. Dominic himself traversed on foot throughout present-day Spain, France, Denmark, Italy, and other countries in fulfilling his mission. He had companions with him, sisters and brothers drawn to his compelling missionary community. From the beginning, Dominic’s mission flowed from a “being with” as he preached to the Cathars in southern France and ultimately drew many of them, and others, into his fledgling Order of Preachers. These Dominicans were not rooted (except in the Gospel!); they sowed seeds and moved on.

The parallels with the life of Jesus cannot be missed. The stories of Jesus’ accompaniment of people and his challenges to the society of his day are the Gospel stories that we read, ponder, and preach each day. The Syrophoenician woman, the woman with a hemorrhage, the wedding feast at Cana, the woman at the well, the daughter of Jairus, the woman who anointed his feet – all of these accounts reveal how the story of God’s love was made flesh in the accompaniment of Jesus. People were changed and they in turn fostered change.

These days, our mission card includes a ministry of prayer as well as a ministry of service. Praising, blessing, and preaching happen in many diverse settings and manners. This is the ministry of accompaniment, which enriches service and makes

it transformative. Always, the Dominican preacher sent on mission is changed by the people she encounters and the service she performs. Always, the student exceeds the teacher in service and love, if only we allow our mission to be the mission of Jesus. There is nothing to fear in taking leave of beloved ministry and places of ministry. This is itinerancy. Changed by our encounters, we move into new mission fields, confident that the ones we helped to shape are now in capable hands and loving hearts. Thank you for joining the Dominican way through your offering of resources, service, and prayer.

Walking together, in mission,

Sister Maureen Geary Prioress

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Sharing begets sharing; a ripple causes a wave of impact.

The Sisters shared the Dominican Blessing during our General Assembly this summer.

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Being With ~ Inspired to Walk with Others Dominican Sisters Accompany Many Through Prayer-filled Ministries

Like many who visit Dominican Center and are a part of Sunday Eucharist at Marywood, Jim Rademaker finds inspiration and insights in liturgical experience. Jim draws on the Word he hears at Marywood as he is sent forth to walk with God and community. Somewhat unusual is that Jim’s walks take him inside the walls of West Michigan prisons. His community includes prisoners, the “fellows” as he calls them.

“I’m not a theologian, I’m a lay person who is looking for the guidance of the Holy Spirit,” he said, referring to all that inspires him to volunteer with the Grand Rapids Diocese Prison and Jail Ministry. “You have got to bring the fellows some good news, and the messages that I hear among the Dominican Sisters are good news.”

“When I hear a message or a blessing that really seems to hit home, I’ll approach whomever said it and ask for it in writing,” he continued. “When I go to the prison and share the message, it opens the men’s eyes and they see the love, concern, and compassion that people can have for one another.”

Jim says that he knows the Sisters accompany him as he travels to the prison to either share communion or lead spiritual study sessions. “The Sisters accompany me by their attitude, their graciousness, their interest in every person, and in their prayers, for I know they are praying for me as well as for the men I encounter. The Sisters model what I strive to be,” Jim continued.

“Wherever there is a need or an important cause, the Sisters try to be there. They are like Jesus in the streets,” Mary Ann Howe said. As an Associate of the Dominican Sisters, she has been inspired to volunteer in her hometown of Muskegon. “The Sisters really make the word Catholic come alive and that inspires me to walk beside others.”

Another Dominican Associate and community volunteer, Sally Tardani, notes that the Sisters have taught her to do a better job of paying attention to others, especially in her role as greeter at Sacred Suds, a community center providing homeless people in Muskegon County with showers, laundry facilities, and access to job search tools. “The Sisters are always present with a person instead of thinking about what they are going to say next. I try to do that. I’ve learned about presence and acceptance from the Sisters as well as how to really listen.”


Jim Rademaker prepares to take Communion to prisoners as part of the Diocese of Grand Rapids Prison and Jail Ministry.

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Being Present with Joy

The idea of companionship and accompaniment that so many feel through relationships with the Dominicans is reciprocal. Each Sister offers much through her ministry and her commitment to friendship, outreach, and prayer, and she receives similar gifts along the way.

Eva Silva, OP, a psychotherapist working in private practice in Albuquerque, says that St. Dominic’s gift to the world was a presence and preaching of the Good News in a time when people’s lives were characterized by great hardship and severity. Eight hundred years later we share that same good news.

Megan McElroy, OP, attempts to describe the essence of being Dominican. “We don’t have to have answers,” the co-director of the Collaborative Dominican Novitiate said. “Instead we focus on being present in such a way that other people encounter Jesus Christ through mercy, compassion, joy, and in prayer.”

“The way we welcome others and let them know that we're delighted they're here with us, hopefully, gives them a sense of being embraced and welcomed with joy, whether that is at Dominican Chapel at Marywood or in one of our ministries,” Sister Megan continued.

Compassionate CompanionshipAbout her practice as a therapist, Sister Eva says, “My ministry is a ministry of presence and a privileged witnessing of people’s pain, trauma, loss, and the healing transformation in their lives. It is a listening presence. Being listened to nonjudgmentally by another and given space for our inner work opens up spaces and places we did not know existed in us.”

Sister Eva points out that Rachel Naomi Remen, MD, an author and clinical professor of family and community medicine at University of California San Francisco School of Medicine, says it this way; “Our listening creates a sanctuary for the homeless parts within another person.”

“When you listen generously to people, they can hear the Truth in themselves, often for the first time,” Sister Eva continued.

In the Diocese of San Pedro Sula in Honduras, Joan Williams, OP, has an outreach ministry for people with HIV and for prisoners. Sister Joan describes the idea of “Being With” others as being attentive to one another, showing sincere interest, concern, and respect. It means rejoicing when one rejoices, it means feeling deeply for and with one who mourns, it means keeping an open mind and heart to receive another at a deeper level than simply courtesies, and it means going the extra mile when necessary.

Sometimes going the extra mile means helping those you serve to overcome great obstacles in themselves. Francetta McCann, OP, does just that in her role as First Step House outreach coordinator. The transitional housing program through United Methodist Community House serves single women struggling to overcome substance abuse and/or prostitution. “I show the women I serve

Sister Joan Williams celebrates alongside her neighbors during a street fiesta in Honduras.

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Sister Eva Silva

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how to make different choices,” Sister Francetta said. “I wish people could know the women that I know. Who they are inside. They have deep faith.”

Through her work with the women seeking recovery and safety at First Step House in downtown Grand Rapids, Sister Francetta often sees incredible strength rise above habits of fear and self-recrimination. “I see the beauty of each woman emerge from within. It is like watching a flower bloom,” she said. “The transition is really something, seeing all the potential that they don’t see in themselves.”

Many Sisters have ministries that involve compassionate visits with those who are ill or bringing communion to

people who are confined to home. Joyce Kolasa, OP, combines both ministries in her visits to parishioners of Sacred Heart Parish in Grand Rapids. Her companionship of each homebound person allows her to witness them accepting Jesus through the Eucharist and offers her an opportunity to share in their faith.

“I’m bringing them joy but it also brings me joy,” she said.

“It isn’t easy to see people when they are not feeling well or are in pain. It is meaningful to them to have support from someone whom they know and trust,” Sister Joyce continued. “Bringing the Eucharist to them draws them ever closer to Jesus, and really, draws me closer to Jesus too.”

“Accompaniment is very much a part of the Dominican Sisters’ ministry.” ~ Janet Brown, OP, Liturgical Life Director

Walking beside others is second nature to every Dominican Sister, including those pictured here (clockwise from upper left): Sister Joyce Kolasa, Sister Joyce Ann Hertzig; Sister Francetta McCann; and Sister Mary Ellen McDonald.

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Stitching Transformed Lives TogetherBernice Garcia, OP (far left in photo above) a founder and board member of Southwest Creations Collaborative in Albuquerque, accompanies the women who participate in the Collaborative mostly through prayer today. “I’m not bodily with them any longer, but they are surely part of my prayers,” she said. “God blesses them because of the good they are doing. I’m part of that too, asking God to bless them so they can continue to do good for others.”

Sister Bernice was instrumental in organizing the Collaborative in 1994 as a sewing and handwork poverty alleviation project with a single goal: to provide dignified, living wage employment to women from low-income communities in New Mexico. The founders recognized that when a woman is given an opportunity to earn an income, she will invest in her children and family first. This organization, today, has annual revenue over $1 million and contributes more than $100,000 each year to support social impact programs.

All of this good work reflects the power of accompaniment between the Sisters and the team at the Collaborative. As Sister Bernice commented recently, “They won’t let me quit. They call me their founding mother. I continue to give them life through prayer.”

The number of families and children whose lives have been affected by the opportunity to work for a fair wage through the Collaborative, and to benefit from the social programs, continues to multiply after more than 20 years.

“From the very beginning, it has been about others, from the women who work, to their children, to those who are touched by the outreach they fund,” Sister Bernice said. “They say they are blessed because the Dominican Sisters ~ Grand Rapids took a chance on them. Today they thank us for having the courage to help them when they needed it.”

Even in ministries that engage with people who are not directly connected with the Sisters through faith, a similar chord resonates. In the case of Joyce Ann Hertzig, OP, serving as a professional tutor with the adult education program at Grand Rapids Community College, she believes that being with others means that in that moment you show them that they are vitally important.

“You are there. You accompany them where they are and encourage them to do a little bit more so that they arrive at a new point,” she said. “Along the way, I rejoice in their success.”

The Congregation’s Pastoral Care Program at Marywood Health Center, under the coordination of Mary Ellen McDonald, OP, includes Cecilia Faber, OP, Kateri Schrems, OP, Sue Tracy, OP, and Jean Reimer, OP. “God is the healer and through our visits we help people connect with their faith, which provides a sense of hope during their recovery period,” Sister Jean said.

Guests who arrive from local hospitals are asked if they would like to receive a pastoral visit from a Dominican Sister. This involves Sisters stopping by daily to pray with them. Communion is offered to Catholics. Others welcome the assurance that all of the Sisters are praying for and with them. Family members and those receiving rehabilitation services also may participate in prayer services and Mass in the Chapel of the Word and seek the healing peace and solitude in this holy space. The Sisters feel blessed to continue their mission and ministry through the Marywood Health Center in partnership with Porter Hills.

While every Sister, through her ministry, accompanies others through word, action, or prayer, all are in agreement that they are not alone. “We can do together what we cannot do individually. I am never alone in this ministry,” Sister Eva said. “There is an energy and confidence and grace available to me in knowing that this is not just my ministry…it is our ministry.”

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Preaching with PresenceThe idea of companionship is commonplace for the Sisters vowed in the Order of

Preachers. They preach each day with their very presence.

The Order of Preachers was founded 800 years ago by Saint Dominic. Preaching is the act of sharing the Word of God. As members of the Order of Preachers, we are always mindful that we preach with our very presence. We are called to witness to God's redeeming Word in all we say and do.

Joyce Williams, OP, chaplain at St. Louis University Hospital, shared that helping people avoid feeling alone in a crisis is what she does every day at the hospital. She considers this her ministry of presence.

“For me as a chaplain in a level one trauma and surgical center, that could mean supporting a patient and possibly the family of a patient when one is suffering from injury or illness. Being present sometimes means listening, giving feedback, encouraging, challenging, and praying,” she said.

“Being with others means being in their space and it is holy ground. They are the ones extending the hospitality,” Sister Joyce continued. “Witnessing the strength and faith of others during life changing events is a powerful experience. I often feel like I am witnessing grace.”

“When you talk with someone, you show that they are important to you. When we do that we are living out the Gospel. We are showing God’s compassion, kindness, and interest,” Jarrett DeWyse, OP, said.

As the director of housing development for Dwelling Place of Grand Rapids, Sister Jarrett notes that she is more often paving the way for creation of new housing than working hand-in-hand with those seeking a safe place to live. Even so, she knows that they are on the same path. “I acknowledge them and they acknowledge me,” Sister Jarrett said. “We take part in one another’s life journey, if only for a moment or a day.”

Megan McElroy, OP, describes accompaniment as something that is not always expressed in words. “By our very person, the Word of God comes to life as Dominicans. It is so much a part of us,” she said. “With any luck, what people encounter when they see us is the Word of God, Jesus the Christ. When we welcome others, it need not necessarily be verbally, but in our

attitude, our openness, our joy. Hopefully, who they encounter in the welcome is Jesus.”

As one of the directors for canonical Dominican novices from across the country, Sister Megan finds herself in the position of accompanying future sisters on their journey. “I am aware that everything I do and say is being watched and listened to by the novices, and that becomes a way of companioning each woman,” she said.

“I don't have to be perfect along the way, but I do have to be faithful. That means I continue to discern the questions of religious life and say 'yes' to this calling," Sister Megan continued. "It is a matter of constantly being open to who God is calling me to be. My own witness of ongoing discernment gives the novices the freedom to realize that becoming Dominican is a lifelong venture. They don't have to feel like they have to have it all figured out in this one year of novitiate.”

“The fact that I love this Dominican life is a witness; they see that in me,” Sister Megan said.


Above: Sister Joyce Williams ministers to a patient. Below: Sister Megan McElroy says a Dominican blessing with two novices.

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Among the activities of our annual General Assembly, August 5-8, Dominican Sisters and Associates examined our role as preachers of justice, listening closely to one another during discussions within the constructs of:

• The call by Pope Francis to all the baptized to be missionary disciples and evangelists.

• The closely related Christian virtues of compassion, justice, mercy, and love.

• The Ministry of the Word as it is practiced in catechesis, pastoral care, justice, and prayer and contemplation.

As members of the Dominican Order, which celebrates its 800-Year Jubilee in 2016, we thrive knowing that the spirituality of Saint Dominic and our membership in the Dominican family are sources of great vitality in our lives as women religious. Most humbly, we recognize our enlightenment, our

compassion, our love comes from our willingness to go deep into a contemplative space, again and again, and come up to testify to what we have seen and heard in Christ. Then, we must accept and share the urgent, prophetic task of radical hope. This is our past, our present, and our future.

General Assembly ~ Accompanying Each Other

Each year, Sisters gather from near and far at Marywood. Together, we experience the love and joy that comes with reunion and focus on the continuing renewal and revitalization of our Dominican life and mission. (L-R) Sisters Elaine LaBell, Maribeth Holst, Jean Karen Woloszyk, Ann Thielen.

Above: (L-R) Sister Lynne Hansen, Sister Sylvia Wozniak, Associate Lisa Mitchell, Sister Catherine Williams; Right Top: (L-R) Sister Lorraine Rajewski and Associate Nancy Eacker; Right Bottom: (L-R) Sisters Jean Reimer, Marjorie Stein, Joellen Barkwell, Ann Terrence Wieber.

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Leavening agents: baking powder, baking soda, and yeast play a vital role in

baking. Without them we would eat dense and flat baked goods rather than

items with volume and texture.

Dominican Sisters are like leaven. We strive to be agents of transformation.

The Leavening AgentJesus presents a parable to us asking the hearers to take the perspective of the woman mixing dough. According to scripture scholar and Dominican Sister, Barbara Reid, OP, in her book, Parables for Preachers: The Gospel of Luke, Year C, the most common interpretation of this parable focuses on the small amount of yeast that is used to produce a loaf of bread. The woman uses something so small to permeate three measures of bread, approximately 50 pounds.

According to Sister Barbara, the leaven is thought to be Jesus’ preaching, which grows throughout time and history. The theme of leaven appears in scripture in both the Old and New Testaments representing evil influence or corruption. To present yeast in a

positive way and turn the negative meanings into a positive element is significant. This particular parable of the woman mixing yeast into dough presents God’s reign as a locus of the sacred, yet incorporates persons who would be considered corrupt or unclean. It invites those who are on the fringes of society to see themselves as “leaven” or a vital component of membership in the community. For those already members, they are invited to change their attitudes and invite outcasts to provide the active ingredient for growth of the community.

The parable also offers us an image of God as a baker woman, mixing yeast into dough and offering the critical ingredient for vitality and transformation. The addition of this leavening agent causes the entire loaf to rise into its fulfillment in order to feed the entire community. Hence, this parable portrays the work of women as a vehicle of God’s revelation.

The Call to be LeavenGrand Rapids Dominican Sister, Marie Celeste Miller, OP, baker and purveyor of The Peace of Cake, said, “Leaven is essential to all good cakes. It makes them rise and provides the space for the batter to breathe and remain moist.”

As Preachers of the Word of God, we Dominicans, and all followers of Christ, are invited to be leaven in the world. We continue the preaching of Jesus to our world for our generation, allowing space for the breath of life.

Sisters are invited to include those who may feel left out or those who are excluded to be vital members

Leaven ~ An Essential Element

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Sister Barbara Reid is a scripture scholar who has authored several books. She serves as Vice President and Academic Dean at Catholic Theological Union.

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Leaven is the essential element in both bread

and wine, which are central symbols of our

Christian lives. It is as leavening agents

that humans grow far beyond ourselves.

Isn’t it incredible that something so small can

be so transformative?

within our community. We agitate the status quo and shine light on the injustices in our cities, nation, and world. We educate ourselves and others and we speak to those in power and share our concerns regarding issues such as immigration, human trafficking, and care of Earth.

As an essential ingredient of God’s work today we look to the root causes of injustice, collaborating with individuals and other organizations working to raise awareness and provide support when and where we are called.

We accompany people who have experienced oppression, speaking out on critical issues. Through this we have realized that our small efforts have a bigger impact when joined with others who are concerned with the same issues. We support them through sharing of resources, space for mediation, speaking out on their behalf, finding ways to assist with personal needs, listening to their stories, and above all, praying for them and with them. There are countless ways Sisters serve as leaven in our communities and the world at large.

~ Lucianne Siers, OP

Sisters Marie Celeste Miller and David Therese Korson work in The Peace of Cake kitchen to prepare baked goods to sell atDominican Center and throughout West Michigan.

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Suzanne Eichhorn, OP, and Larry Slager (pictured together at Marywood) met as spiritual director and directee at Dominican Center in 1996. Larry discovered Sister Sue to be a “calm authority and so grounded in this teaching.” He would come to know “this dear, kind, loving soul who knew how to listen.”

Sister Sue continues to see spiritual directees. Some have been coming to her for decades. When Sister Sue retired from her ministry at the St. Francis Retreat Center in DeWitt, Michigan, nearly 20 of her directees decided to follow her to Grand Rapids for their sessions. “It fills me with awe knowing that they continue to see the value of spiritual direction in deepening their relationship with God and others.”

Dominican Center Teaches and Nurtures the Spiritual Practice of “Being With”“I learned listening for God from Sister Sue and others at Dominican Center,” Larry Slager said.

Larry, an early participant in Dominican Center at Marywood’s Spiritual Formation and Direction Programs said his preliminary search for courses in the Presbyterian tradition pointed him to San Francisco.

A friend asked if he knew there was a spiritual direction program in Grand Rapids at Marywood. Raised in the Christian Reformed tradition, now a Presbyterian, he wasn’t sure he would be welcomed to this Catholic program. He was assured it was interfaith. He recalls, “In my initial group of eight, there were several Protestants, a couple of Catholics, and a woman who was Jewish. Immediately, I felt embraced in this place; I never felt like an outsider.”

“Being here at Dominican Center opened a whole new world for me through the relationships I found, through books I was reading. This place was very life giving for me. Dominican Center is a treasure.”

With an educational and professional background in clinical social work and marriage and family counseling, Larry described his early approach to counseling as problem-based. “As a clinician, you tend to listen for the pathology, through that sieve of clinical training, themodel is diagnostic. Find a problem to fix.”

“Spiritual Direction is quiet, a respectful listening for the movement of God,” Larry described. “In the contemplative model taught by the Dominican Sisters, I learned that I’m allowed to listen and wonder with others about life, about God, to explore where God’s

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All Are Welcome

If faith and spirituality are the roots of Dominican Center programs, then hospitality and inclusivity are the soil that feeds its flourishing. “Authentic hospitality is about sharing a physical space with great joy, sharing a meal with great generosity, or offering a listening ear with no judgment,” said Margarita Solis-Deal, Director of Dominican Center. “It is accomplished when an interpersonal connection is developed that is both genuine and mutual.”

Since it was established in 1993, Dominican Center has attracted a diverse group of friends and program participants. All are welcome to prayer, shared study, and being together.

“When you are invited to Dominican Center, we invite you on a deeper level,” said Diane Zerfas, OP, Director of Programs at Dominican Center. “This profound welcome is the sharing of our spirit. For generations the Sisters have prayed, taught, and lived in this space. Joining us for prayer or a program means that we surround you with our prayerful peace and ask God’s blessing to include you.”

Education is central to the Dominican Sisters’ mission, and at Dominican Center at Marywood spirituality is not only practiced but also taught.

In the coming year, Dominican Center will honor the 800th year of the Dominican Order by presenting opportunities to explore spirituality, study, and social justice in the Dominican tradition.

Program participants can explore Saint Dominic as he preached the word of hope in the 13th century. They can follow Saint Catherine of Siena, the beloved model for active contemplation, who heard God call her to walk on two feet to love God and to love her neighbor. They can learn about Fra Angelico who preached through beauty in art. They can have an introduction to Dominicans who called for just treatment of indigenous people and preached truth to power; and to Meister Eckhart and Catherine de Ricci who excelled in the mystical depths of God’s revelation.

“This year, we are especially focusing on the Dominican call to preaching justice and mercy,” said Sister Diane. “But more than that, we hope that people will learn about how we pray, how we preach, how we think, and how we love.”


spirit may have been present within life experiences. Early on I recognized that this more contemplative model, this creating spiritual space for relationship with God, was the model I wanted to provide to others.”

“Where might God be in this Experience?”

That’s the question Larry now welcomes and listens for in his interactions with men at Guiding Light Mission and in his own Spiritual Direction practice at Marywood.

The men who arrive at Guiding Light Mission are without home or means as a result of addiction, they have worn out their welcome with family and friends, lost jobs and homes. These are the kinds of places where, at first, desperation shouts louder than hope.

In this Mission, in many places like it, “faith doesn’t always come with a perfect language, a perfect practice,” allowed Larry. “I have a directee who came to the Mission when he was beyond hope, considering suicide. Out of the blue, this old AA buddy calls him, hears his depression and dejection, and says, `wait, I’m coming to get you. I know a place.’ He brought him to Guiding Light Mission. As his friend dropped him off at the door, my directee asked, ‘What made you call me?’ His friend looked upward and said, “George said to call you.”

Like the kind friend, Larry treads lightly with his choice of words, and so, for now, when describing some experiences, director and directee might refer to the spirit of “George.” Because, for now, the word “God” shall remain silent, safe for another day. And yet the two men share hope in faith.

All are welcome to prayer, shared study, and being together.

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The Power of Community PrayerSunday Assembly Unites the Sisters with the Greater Community

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Over the buzz of conversation and laughter the sound of soulful chimes quietly calls everyone to settle. Those gathered are here for our Sunday Liturgy. All agree that the community connections set the stage for the experience of communal worship. The chimes are enough – simple and unadorned – to signal that our Sunday Eucharist at Dominican Chapel on the Marywood Campus is about to begin.

“The chimes call us to what we are really there for. To pray together,” Janet Brown, OP, said. As Liturgical Life Director for the Dominican Sisters ~ Grand Rapids, she coordinates liturgical services for the Marywood Campus. “Because we are so open to one another in our conversations before Mass, we find that our hearts also are open to prayer.”

Since fall 1985 the Dominican Sisters have invited others to join them in their Sunday worship on the Marywood campus. The group that gathers for Sunday Eucharist, a mix of Sisters and laity, has come to be known as “the Sunday Assembly,” and they experience this communal worship with deep delight. “We are so happy that we’ve opened the doors to people from the larger community,” Sister Janet commented.

Our priest celebrants at Sunday Eucharist add their gifts to create a very meaningful Celebration of the Eucharist.

“Our chapels are holy places,” she continued. “Although we cherish our contemplative space, we are grateful for the opportunity to praise God with our Sunday Assembly. We are not only a gift

Music is very important to the Liturgical experience at Marywood.

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All participate in the Liturgical experience, guests (below) and our choir (above) share their voices in prayer and song, led by Sister Joan Thomas, Choir Director.

Sunday Assembly Dominican Chapel/Marywood

10 am – Every Sunday

Liturgy as a Springboard for Life

One way that the Sunday Assembly participants have devised to "be the Eucharist to each other" outside of the celebration of Mass is to share a meal and camaraderie periodically with others from the worshipping community. Learning more about each person along the way, including the Sisters who participate in this “Dinner for Eight,” deepens the experience of worship at the Sunday table of the Eucharist.

“Dinner for Eight is so much fun! But there are serious conversations too. We talk about what has happened at Mass, or what was preached. It is about everyone’s lives,” Sister Janet Brown said. “Just a sharing of lives at table.”

to them – they are a gift to us. All come as we are, with our sorrows and our joys, and we are given the support and strength we need to live out the rest of the week.”

Sunday Assembly allows the Congregation to blend worship, prayer, and contemplative moments with the Dominican value of hospitality. The importance is not lost on participants. “It is a privilege to be invited in,” frequent Sunday Assembly participant Sandy Rademaker said. “They don’t make us feel like guests as much as we are one of them.”

That sense of entering a holy place resonates with frequent Sunday Assembly participant, Jim Rademaker, who is Sandy’s husband. He finds that sense of holiness envelopes him in a very personal way each Sunday. “Everyone wants to have a home. You have a home that you live in and another where you worship,” he said. “When you come to Mass at Marywood, you feel the enthusiasm people have for being in this place.”

“I love walking in and seeing all those people and just feeling a part of it. I feel such a sense of joy and peace,” Sandy added. “I wouldn’t miss it for the world. I want to be there, it is not an obligation, it is a joy.”

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Sister Janet Brown prepares the Liturgy for Sunday Assembly weekly.

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Reflections on Laudato Si', the Encyclical by Pope Francis

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“LAUDATO SI’, mi’ Signore” – “Praise be to you, my Lord.” These are the words

Pope Francis used to open his encyclical on ecology and care for God’s creation.

These words are originally from the first line of Saint Francis of Assisi’s beautiful 13th century canticle. The canticle continues with stanzas that remind us that Earth, our common home, is like a sister with whom we share our life and a beautiful mother who opens her arms to embrace us.

As vowed women who live in community, we found ourselves leaning into Pope Francis’ words. They remind us that our foundation in Catholic Social Teaching and our Congregation’s mission to walk in Jesus’ footsteps, mean we must keep asking: how can we, standing in solidarity with others, work to be better stewards of Earth? How can we share and support social and economic solutions that safeguard human beings, especially people who are poor or marginalized?

Pope Francis writes: “A true ecological approach always becomes a social approach; it must integrate questions of justice in debates on the environment, so as to hear both the cry of the earth and the cry of the poor.”

The encyclical, Laudato Si’, presents themes that link every human being, by moral obligation, to consider and address the destructive impact our choices can have on people and societies around the world and within the natural world.

Like Saint Francis, our Congregation’s patron saints, Dominic de Guzman and Catherine of Siena, also were defenders of nature. Both also preached grace. Both believed that justice can not be had without grace.

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Above: Sister Mary Lucille Janowiak and Rachel Hood-Petroelje, executive director of the West Michigan Environmental Action Council, demonstrate the type of collaboration that shares our Congregation's commitment to education, community-building, and action to protect West Michigan resources.

Below: Care for our Common Home was the message carried by Sisters Barbara Hansen, Cecilia Faber, and Janet Brown, with Sunday Assembly participant Marilyn Torborg. Here they stand together with Aquinas College students, Matthew Hurthand and Allison Dible, and Aquinas College faculty Chad Gunnoe, who proudly wore "i can be the change" T-shirts at the Mayors' Grand River Cleanup and at the West Michigan Climate March.

Sister Janet Brown held the banner with Mayor George Heartwell as they led the West Michigan Peoples' Climate March along the Grand River in downtown Grand Rapids on Sept. 19, 2015.

Since 1992, the Dominican Sisters ~ Grand Rapids have been engaged in initiatives in support of our Relationship with the Earth direction statement:

We commit ourselves to foster the contemplative stance that all the Earth is sacred and interconnected; respect and accountability for the Earth are necessary to the survival of life. We affirm that actions which impact the environment will be preceded by the question:

Is this action which I (we) are performing supportive of the environment?

Our Congregation has always associated deeply with the waters surrounding our home in Michigan. From the Great Lakes with their stunning majesty to the swiftly running waters of the Grand River, we connect to our commitment of Care of Earth through water. Because of this commitment, Saint Francis’ reference to Sister Water has always resonated with us. Seeing it brought to heightened awareness in the world through Pope Francis’ encyclical is especially satisfying.

Shall we together embrace the integral nature of Pope Francis’ message and approach the world in which we live with a new sense of wonder and grace? For it is together that we will nurture and harvest the fruits of Earth, our common home.

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Excerpt from The Canticle of Brother Sun by Saint Francis of AssisiBe praised, my Lord, through Sister Moon and the stars; in the heavens you have made them, precious and beautiful.

Be praised, my Lord, through Sister Water; she is very useful, and humble, and precious, and pure.

Be praised, my Lord, through our sister Mother Earth, who feeds us and rules us, and produces various fruits with colored flowers and herbs.

We invite you to read the Canticle in its entirety at grdominicans.org.

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M&M Fall15 Issue V9_HLS.indd 17 10/30/15 10:12 AM

It has been my observation during my 61 years of priesthood in the Grand Rapids Diocese that the Dominican Sisters have had a tremendous influence on Catholic education and spirituality… Their dedication to Aquinas College and the determination to reach out to all people in the area as a source of strength and learning is unparalleled in today’s society.

I would like to make a gift that would, in the future, help to continue that work for many years to come. Therefore, I have designated the Dominican Sisters as a beneficiary of a block of stock in my will.

May God continue to bless all the Sisters in their work.

Monsignor Charles D. Brophy

From a letter to the Dominican Sisters ~ Grand Rapids


We are grateful to our current Veritas Society members:• Anonymous

• Francis Baker

• Betsy Beaton Borre

• Msgr. Charles D. Brophy

• Fred Cariano

• Carol Charbonneau

• Theresa Clark

• John and Judith Covell

• Pamela Daoust

• Polly Decker

• Jack Dumas

• Carol Hale

• Teresa Handlin

• Catherine Haney

• Janet Hansen

• Joan Hoffman

• David Hofman

• Julie Huston

• Sue Ann Jabin

• Raymond Knape

• Mary Grace Macdowell

• Cynthia Mader & Pamela Olsen

• Jeanne Mayan

• Ethel Niles

• James and Rosemary Potter

• Patrick and Rita Quinn

• William Ryan

• Dolores Schroeder

• Earl & Joan Solberg

• Katherine von Gruben

• Dennis & Suzanne Haas Williams

• Linda Wright

• Mary Jane Yarrington

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“When we were young we cast stones into the water and watched the ‘dead men’s ripples’ go out, and asked in childish wonder where those ripples ended. Devoted parents told us that they ended on the most distant shores.

Tell me, dear Sisters, what far shores will feel the final impulse of our combined efforts…? Only God and the Angels will keep the record of their distances.”

In September 1929, Mother Eveline Mackey wrote these words to the Congregation of Grand Rapids Dominican Sisters. Even during a time of worldwide depression, Mother Eveline’s years as Prioress were marked by mission expansion - growing opportunities for education and nursing in New Mexico, Michigan, and Canada. Eighty-six years later, her words continue to resonate as we bear witness to the far-flung impact that the lives and service of all the Dominican Sisters have had on so many individuals and communities.

Today the Sisters debut a new giving society to help keep the ripples of their mission expanding – the Veritas Society. Members of the Veritas Society are people who have seen and experienced the impact of the Sisters’ work and who, out of gratitude, desire to expand the Sisters’ influence. They do this by letting us know they have included the Dominican Sisters ~ Grand Rapids in their will, or as a beneficiary of a retirement plan, life insurance policy, or IRA.

We have chosen the name Veritas, meaning “Truth,” as it is the motto of the Dominican Order and serves as a foundation for the Sisters’ very mission. So too the gifts of Veritas Society members help create a lasting foundation for the Sisters’ mission and ministries.

If you are interested in learning more about making a legacy gift to the Dominican Sisters, please contact Susan Halteman, Director of Development, at 616-514-3110 or [email protected]. Please consult your financial advisor to learn how a legacy gift can provide tax benefits for your situation.



Last month, the Sisters celebrated a very special evening at a once-in-a-lifetime event: Life Stories from the Dominican Sisters: A Special Event with The Moth. After weeks and weeks of crafting stories about a deeply personal experience, Sisters Mary Navarre, Laurena Alflen, and Joan Williams took the stage at Wealthy Theatre in Grand Rapids to share their stories in the Moth style. Since its launch in 1997, The Moth has presented thousands of stories, told live and without notes, to standing-room-only crowds worldwide. NPR now runs some of these stories weekly on The Moth Radio Hour.

It was a remarkable night – dare I say even magical. Those of us in the audience laughed, cried, and even joined our voices with the storytellers. Surely it was the Sisters’ stories that made the magic of the evening – these are great tales – stories of deep faith and transformation presented with heart wrenching, hilarious, or heartfelt anecdotes.

But in retrospect, I realize that the magic of the night can be credited in large part to the audience. What the audience didn’t know is that together they carried the Sisters (each admittedly had butterflies in her stomach) through the telling of their stories. Our responsiveness, our rapt attention, our cheers, our laughter – we buoyed up each Sister as she took the stage to share her story. Each Sister felt the strength of your presence – and your very presence turned each story from moving to magical.

When I reflect on this Mission & Ministry’s theme of being with, I realize that everyone whose life has intersected with the Sisters’ lives and mission is part of this “audience.” Perhaps as much as a Sister in your life left an indelible impression on you – so did your presence leave an indelible mark on her. The Sisters’ lives of prayer and service are with you, but it is your being with the Sisters that elevates each thing they do – from the everyday to the transcendent.

So thank you for the role you play in being with the Sisters. Your support – whether through friendship, prayer, or financial gifts – carries each Dominican Sister further in her mission. Your being with the Dominican Sisters elevates their voices as they praise, bless, and preach the Good News of our loving God.

Susan HaltemanDirector of Development

With Blessings,

Dear frienDs of The DominiCan sisTers:

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Prefer a digital copy?Request to be added to our electronic mailing list for the next issue of Mission & Ministry at [email protected].


As Dominicans, We Advocate for Justice• Care of Earth

• Economic Justice

• Human Trafficking

• Migration/Immigration

• Peace and Security for All Life

• Ending Homelessness

Campus Ministries • Liturgy - Dominican Chapel/Marywood - Chapel of the Word (MHC) - St. Catherine of Siena Chapel/

Aquinata

• Dominican Center at Marywood

• Health Care & Spiritual Companioning

- Aquinata Assisted Living - Marywood Health Center

• WORD~ESL (English as a Second Language)

• Partners in Parenting

Overseas Ministries• Maternidad de Maria,

Chimbote, Peru

• Centro de Obras Sociales, Chimbote, Peru

• San Pedro Sula, Honduras

Mission & Ministry Editorial Team

• Maureen Geary, OP ~ Prioress • Danny Lynn ~ Art Director• Maureen Fitzgerald Penn ~ Editor• Lucianne Siers, OP ~ Advisor• Stacy Spitler ~ Managing Editor


2025 Fulton St. EastGrand Rapids, MI49503-3895

T 616-459-2910F 616-454-6105grdominicans.org

Nonprofit Organization

U.S. Postage

PA IDGrand Rapids, MIPermit No. 451

About UsThe Dominican Sisters ~ Grand Rapids are a community of vowed women religious and Associates who follow the Catholic traditions of St. Dominic and St. Catherine of Siena. Since 1877, we have been leading efforts to educate children and adults, care for people who are sick, and advocate for vulnerable populations. We have established and staffed schools, a college, and missions in Michigan, New Mexico, and abroad. Today we are teachers, caregivers, spiritual companions, advocates for peace and justice, artists, musicians, authors, and poets. Together we praise, bless, and preach God’s love through all we do.

Marywood Campus Resources

Information 616-514-3325

View Chapel services and upcoming events at grdominicans.org

View programs at dominicancenter.com

Dominican Center at Marywood Event Bookings 616-514-3335

Dominican Associate Life 616-514-3115

Marywood Health Center 616-588-1645

Aquinata Assisted Living 616-259-1702

Dominican Sisters ~ Grand RapidsDominican Center at Marywood

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Life Stories from the Dominican Sisters

To learn more, or to sign up to receive notifications of how our Moth stories will be shared, please visit www.grdominicans.org/moth

or call 616-514-3110.

On September 16, 2015, Joan Williams, OP, Mary Navarre, OP, and Laurena Alflen, OP, took the stage at Wealthy Theatre in Grand Rapids to share personal stories of faith and transformation in the Moth style.

This special event with The Moth — the acclaimed not-for-profit organization dedicated to the art and craft of storytelling — gave the Sisters a rare and wonderful opportunity to share a piece of their story with a live audience. Stories from Moth events may be heard on The Moth Radio Hour airing weekly on National Public Radio stations.

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mission & ministry fall 2015

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