The Order of Preachers sharing the Gospel for over 800 years.
DOMINICAN SISTERS OF HOPE
Mission Statement
We Dominican Sisters of Hope, are called to preach the Gospel to our world. In communion with all creation, we commit our lives to the transforming power of Hope.
As Dominicans we inherited Dominic’s priorities of prayer, study, community and mission. Mission is central to our lives and we recognize both Mystery and gift in our call to be Hope. We seek to enflesh Gospel values and strive to promote right relationships and mutuality with all of creation. Through our diverse ministries, simple lifestyle and commitment to peace and justice, we bring truth and mercy to a world in need. We celebrate the sharing of our lives in mission as we discern new possibilities for promoting the Dominican Charism.
A Piece of History
IIn the latter half of the nineteenth century United States, inspired by the spirit and mission of Saint Dominic and prompted by the Holy Spirit, three exceptional women found Dominican congregations to proclaim the Word of God to an immigrant Church through the education of children and the care of the destitute sick. Mother Bertrand Sheridan, Mother Augustine Neuhierl and Mother Mary Walsh began their religious journeys on three separate paths. Their companions and followers came to be known respectively as: Dominican Sisters of St. Catherine of Siena of Fall River, Massachusetts; Dominican Sisters of the Most Holy Rosary of Newburgh, New York; and Dominican Sisters of the Sick Poor of the Immaculate Conception of Ossining, New York.
After years of service, the stirrings of the Spirit and the call of the Church to a revitalized and fuller expression of religious life in collaboration with others who share the Dominican charism gave birth to something new. Our journey of transformation, begun as collaboration in 1981, led to the formation of the Dominican Sisters of Hope. While July 20, 1995, marks the establishment of our new Congregation, the journey continues…
Our Name
An important step on our journey was our naming. It was a Sunday morning, the last day of meetings in which we had been making important decisions about our lives together. The day before we had listed possible names for our new congregation on newsprint, talked about them, affirmed some names and ruled out others. We were tired, having ended the day before with no consensus, and
no real excitement, and we really didn’t know how we would be able to reach a decision about this. However, we placed ourselves in the presence of God and returned to the task. Sisters began to approach the microphones at various locations in the room, each of them speaking in support of one of the names. Still there was no real excitement.
Then something happened. At first it was difficult to perceive. All of a sudden, there was an energy among us that hadn’t been there before, a kind of hum spreading through the room, much nodding, sounds of agreement, one word spoken over and over. The sound grew louder and, as one Sister later said, “you could see excitement jumping from table to table.” It was truly a Pentecost experience.
One word- a word on newsprint that we had seen so often and that had been spoken so casually throughout our lives, taken so much for granted, we now saw as if for the very first time. “HOPE”. All of a sudden and from the beginning of time, Hope was our mission; the meaning of our Gospel study, the crying need of our times, the truth of our existence, the identity that we claimed together.
The Spirit named us “Dominican Sisters of Hope”.
Our Ministries Today
Building Self-Esteem One Teen at a Time
Sister Judy Brunell, OP is a General Educational Development (GED) teacher in the New Bedford, Massachusetts Public School Parenting Teens Program. This is what she says about her ministry, her preaching. As with anyone in ministry, I often receive much more than I give. For twenty years I have had the opportunity and privilege of preparing young teens for GED testing. These are young women who have dropped out of school, but are returning to make a better life for themselves and their children. So many of the teens come with poor self-esteem and a history of failures, broken relationships, and often, far worse. We try to offer these young women “good news”. We hope they get the message: “You are important, worth both our time and energy, capable of succeeding in education and of being a good parent. We believe in you.” It is truly a wonderful event when I see a young woman come to that very basic faith
Artists as Preachers
Photography captures fleeting beauty and holds it for us to contemplate in time. A bird flies across a magnificent sunset. In a few moments both will be gone. Yet a photograph will enable us to keep this image and
enjoy it again and again. Looking into the face of a lovely flower is a little like looking into the face of God. When there is no flower, a photograph will do – preaching to us of our Creator.
- Sister Barbara Anderson, OP.
I believe that the role of the preacher is to try to convey the mystery of God to others. Many do this eloquently with words. One way that I preach, however, is through movement and dance. For me sacred dance is prayer, prayer that expresses a relationship to the Divine Mystery, prayer that moves the dancer, as well as those watching, into a deeper relationship with our Creator. It is a joy for me when I gather others to participate in this form of preaching.
- Sister Janet Marchesani, OP Adapted from Windows on HopeOur Legacy to the Church
“Strengthened and guided by our convergent histories,
we Dominican Sistersof Hope are called to be a sign of God’s presence.
We place the diversity of our gifts at the service of the people of God.”
- Constitutional Norms, The Dominican Sisters of HopeStrategic Plan
In the 800th year of the founding of the Dominican Order, a determined group of women are stepping into the 21st Century daring to preach the Gospel to a post-modern world. These Dominicans know God as Hope. They dare to commit their lives and resources to the transforming power of Hope. The past was an obvious gift. The future is a grace yet to be revealed. Standing on the shoulders of a challenging and living tradition, they place the st ory of their future within the story of all creation in order to co-create a future full of Hope.
