In his poem of praise to St. Dominic, Homage to a Saint, Simon Tugwell writes:
He founded an Order, [some] say.
Say rather: friended.
He was their friend, and so
at last, in spite of themselves, they came.He gave them an Order to found.
Never before have we Dominican women been so engaged with one another as we look at the future of our Order and envision ways to continue the founding. This was certainly unimaginable at the time of my entrance.
My vocation story is a very ordinary one but, like all calls, a mystery! There were no dramatic signs, no angelic choirs. By my senior year in high school, there was, quite simply, a gentle but persistent realization that religious life was what God was calling me to pursue. In 1963, in the midst of Vatican II, I entered the novitiate at Amityville. The journey since that entrance day almost 45 years ago has been an exhilarating one, though not always an easy one! The mystery of God’s call and God’s love continues to unfold.
As far back as I can remember, my dream was to become a teacher. That dream has been fulfilled and for 42 years education has been my ministry—initially teaching at the elementary and secondary levels, mostly in the East New York section of Brooklyn. For the past 25 years, it has been a privilege to minister at Molloy College among students and colleagues who have enriched my life in ways I could not have imagined. Throughout my years of ministry, an abiding commitment to issues of justice has been nourished by my Sisters in community and by my students and co-workers.
Dominican life—prayer, community, study, ministry—is what energizes me.
As we journey together into an unknown future, I am humbled and grateful to be part of the founding and re-founding of this Order we love.
Stories of Our Sisters
bring the Charism to Life
Here are Our Stories for December 2008
Dominican Sisters of Amityville
Archived
Sisters' Stories
December 2008
(This page's stories are listed first for each congregation.)
Dominican Sisters of Amityville
Dominican Sisters of Caldwell
Dominican Sisters of Blauvelt
Dominican Sisters of Sparkill
Dominican Sisters of Blauvelt
Dominican Sisters of Sparkill
During my 50 years of Dominican life and ministry, I - almost daily - experienced “little surprises” when I was in the junior high classroom. Some of the prophetic things the students would share were some times overwhelming. It is so true that we also learn from the students. Many times I would be in awe of what the person had shared with me during the day. They energized me daily with God’s love.
Another surprise that struck me was how the Holy Spirit worked through me. Whenever I needed a response to a difficulty the person or class would have, the Spirit would inspire me with something to say or do that was just what that person needed. As I taught and interacted with my class/students, I thought I was just doing what I loved to do – teaching. Now when I meet a former student who tells me what an influence I had on his/her entire lives, I am grateful God used me as a tool to reach these students and to help so many of them.
It was in the fourth grade that I first became interested in religious life. The Dominican Sisters of Blauvelt who taught me made their life real and attractive. In my senior year, they invited me to a gathering of women interested in religious life. Invitation, in-formation, and family were great supports for me.
In 1961 the Catholic Church was “letter of the law” as was religious life and I did a lot of thinking for myself. It was not until 1968, with Vatican Council changes, that I felt like myself again. Study and experience opened my eyes and heart to be my true and authentic self. Dominican life nurtured a healthy interdependence of self within community. Our motto of “Truth” and our four Dominican pillars of prayer, community, study and ministry felt like a perfect fit for me and still do.
The members of the Dominican Congregation of Our Lady of the Rosary Come together to proclaim with John the apostle the words of Christ:“I have come so that they may have life and have it to the full.”
In late August, I attended the ceremony of a recent graduate who entered the Pax Christi Sisters. That gathering occasioned a flood of memories of my own entrance in1961. My “call” or vocation was an ordinary experience. It was an ongoing nudge during the two years I was a 9-5 secretary. I am a lifer in terms of my education by the Dominican Sisters of Sparkill.
From a brief experience of the pre-Vatican structure of religious life; from the poets and singers of the Vietnam era to the congregation’s corporate stand response; from the classroom to the “board room” as a member of the congregational administrative team; through the life, death and resurrection experiences as a member of a family, congregation and human community, I believe I have lived life to the fullest these past 47 years.
The address at a recent assembly focused on our world view and how it changes and expands through one’s experience. Membership in my congregation has been a powerful force in shaping me into the person I am.
My primary ministry has been in high school education. Each experience has been a response to a call to be a changing force and influence in the lives of high school students at a crucial time of growth. For the past 15 years, I have been privileged to minister at our congregational high school–Aquinas. It has been particularly rewarding as we carry forward the Mission of the Dominican Sisters of Sparkill in this congregational school founded in 1923. It is in this place and time that I commit myself to “proclamation of the reign of God through a ministry for justice.” Each day brings new surprises and is never boring. The interaction with students, partnership with parents, and the collegiality among faculty and staff enable us to do together what could not be done alone. We educate young women in a community of faith and learning rooted in the Catholic tradition and committed to excellence in the education of young women–mind and heart, body and spirit (Mission Statement). The work is challenging, the rewards abundant. Through the legacy of the Dominican Sisters, the giants upon whose shoulders we stand and extraordinary leadership and dedication of the many men and women who have joined us in the ministry of education, we have and continue to make a difference. The hope of the future is in the hands of the young women we send forward to make this world a better one
Religious life for me was and is very much connected with ministry-nine years teaching followed by retreat work, parish and religious education, and then service as Vocation and Associate Director. Presently, I am a Pastoral Care Counselor and work for Global Justice.
My vocation is very much about relationship and community. In 1971, through the Charismatic Renewal, my relationship with God became very real. It has been the renewal in my life that has carried me through “thick and thin”. This work of the Spirit has revitalized the prayer, study, community and ministry, which have been so much a part of my life. I have been able to make real the Dominican motto, “To contemplate and to share with others the fruit of our contemplation”. Without a deep relationship with God, others, and myself, there would be little authentic fruit to share and I am very grateful.
www.catholicdominicansisters.org
+ Amityville + Blauvelt + Caldwell + Sparkill
