Mission & Ministry Summer 2018

Summer 2018 · Vol. XVII

with open hands

In this Issue: • "Together we Parish" in Mackinaw City • Iconography—Contemplation of the Mystical Divine • Formation & Transformation: Celebrating 25 Years at Dominican Center • A New Chapter

Inspired by and

Hope

community, we go forth...

Table of Contents: 2

From the Prioress

3

Building Faith in Community

5

Iconography— Contemplation of the Mystical Divine

7

Dominican Center: 25 Year Anniversary

14 2018 Jubilarians 15 Another Chapter

With Open Hands Featured Sculpture: “Mercy”

by Lucianne Siers, OP

Front Cover: Chris Herald, OP welcomes churchgoers from around the world at St. Anthony of Padua Parish in Mackinaw City.

Hope means to keep living amid desperation and to keep humming in the darkness.

Hoping is knowing that there is love; It is trust in tomorrow, it is falling asleep and waking again when the sun rises In the midst of a gale at sea, it is to discover land.

In the eyes of another it is to see that he understands you as long as there is still hope there will also be prayer.

And God will be holding us in his hands. ~ Henri Nouwen

Greetings...

And so, another question that we Dominican Sisters ask ourselves is: What is the experience of God that people will find within our doors on the Marywood campus? We ask not only: Where will our mission lead us? But also, Where will our mission lead others and where will others lead us?

In the Dominican tradition, so much of who we are and what we do is based in community. In initial formation, we learn how to be individuals within a community. As a congregation, we learn how to be in community with others around us. In 1985, this reality was illustrated graphically when we renovated Dominican Chapel, turning it from a place of mostly private communal prayer to an open, hospitable, welcoming space of community prayer. This opening flourished further in the creation of Dominican Center, 25 years ago, as a place of transformation and inclusion. By laying the foundation for a spirituality center 25 years ago, the Dominican Sisters~Grand Rapids opened doors to encourage and inspire others to break down walls.

When Joshua led the people through the desert to the Promised Land he instructed them to “follow the ark of the covenant that you may know the way to take, for you have not gone over this road before.”

If that doesn’t sound familiar! For we, too, have never gone this way before – not exactly. We, too, are invited to follow the plans of our faithful God. We are blessed with familiar guideposts on our path: the presence of God, deep prayer, the companionship of each other, the gifts of faith, hope and community. At each of the new moments in our history, we have been given what we need, and mission has flourished. In the words of the Marty Haugen hymn: “All are welcome, all are welcome, all are welcome in this place.”

Later in this issue you will be introduced to our new Leadership Team, and our new pledge of direction.

It has been a privilege to walk this sojourn with you as Prioress for six years. We will never pass this way again; with grateful hearts we say thanks for all that has been and yes to all that will be. I pray God’s choicest blessing on each of you.

Sister Maureen Geary Prioress 2012-2018

www.grdominicans.org

2

from the prioress

The torch, of course, was lit in the time of Dominic with the formation of the Order of Preachers and continues today as a visual image of the “spark” that Dominican life provides to our call to preach God’s word. The question, What will we do with it? is ever present. In the 800 years since the creation of the Order, we have celebrated and deepened our charism while also embracing the understanding that the flame is carried by each person on Earth, not only vowed Dominican religious.

Recall the story of the clay and the potter in Jeremiah.

In the potter’s hands the clay is reused—reshaped— never thrown away. So too God has reshaped us again and again (individually and communally) making of us another preacher of whatever sort God has pleased.

We, and our future, are in the hands of our potter God. And when we, the clay, help bring about our own growth-filled change through prayer, dialogue and collaboration, our God prompts us to further transform the shape of our future by the choices we make in the present.

Johnny “Q” Photography

For generations, Dominicans have paused at periodic crossroads to convene Chapter: a time for reconnecting with our charism, re-examining our mission, setting direction, and electing new Leadership. Sister Barbara Hansen was prioress of our Congregation when she opened Chapter 1999-2000 with these words: Sisters dear, we are responsible for the torch’s flame on this watch. What will we do with it?

building faith in community

Mackinaw City—Michigan's most popular tourist destination—attracts people from around the world; visiting Catholics often find their way to St. Anthony of Padua Catholic Church in Mackinaw City.

Creative Vision –

Building Faith in Community St. Anthony of Padua Parish in Mackinaw City Michigan has been in a state of creation for nearly two decades.

Chris Herald, OP serves as pastoral administrator, a Church role developed under Pope St. John Paul II, when the number of priests available to serve smaller, mostly rural communities was dwindling.

For more than 17 years Sister Chris has been sharing her creative vision and energy with this parish and broader community that attracts members and visitors to this scenic northern Michigan region.

According to Sacramental minister Fr. Paul Megge, “Sister Chris’ spontaneity, excitement, courage, and authority have molded this parish. She has an aversion to people sitting way in the back pews on Sundays. She invites everybody forward, closer… and they come forward.”

3

mission

ministry • Summer 2018

Art and craft are approaches toward which Sister Chris gravitates in community ministry-building.

Her creative spirit plays a powerful role in her own continuing faith formation and practice—and she extends that passion to others through parish space renovation projects, icon writing retreats, and other reflective engagement. And the people come.

“We all look for a place to express our passion. I see myself as someone who recognizes in another person what they may be unable to articulate themselves.

And I can assist their movement into their spiritual life,” says Sister Chris.

“I hope I enable someone’s search for deeper meaning in their life and a stronger connection to God… however they might be doing that. I see it in people’s experience in sacramental life… The parents who bring their kids for baptism and confirmation and first Eucharist... For people seeking the sacrament of reconciliation in moments of death.”

Left: On Tuesday, June 13, 2017, the Feast Day of St. Anthony of Padua, the faithful gathered in community for Mass. Right: Sister Chris shares communion with a worshipper.

Parishioners like Marcia Wyderkl, a Detroit native who summers in Mackinaw City, may spend part of the year far away geographically but maintains a strong connection, even from afar. “I miss this parish when I’m gone,” Marcia explains.

“Sister Chris gets people moving. We have a very nice, close-knit community, and wonderful people who help out in this parish. Sister is fun. She’s personable and gets people engaged in our annual raffle and garage sale, our two big fundraisers. We have a community exercise class Sister graciously insisted should be a form of fellowship beyond Church members,” says Marcia.

“For the sanctuary and the community room projects? I didn’t buy things from a catalog. I find people in the parish with a passion. Woodworking projects, I find guys in the parish. These are the guys that admit ‘I’m never going to gather in a study group.’ But if my invitation is: 'I need a railing'… then the men gather and the railing gets built,” says Sister Chris. “This is what engaging others in service and in the life of the parish may look like. Each gift is a gift to Christ in community."

“There are so many people here who keep things rolling,” continues Marcia.

“Four years ago, Sister Chris asked if we would start a service for seniors. Cliff Kennedy and I now head up a service for residents of Pine Crest Village for Seniors. We go on Sundays after Mass at St. Anthony. We bring communion.

We sing. That ministry is my baby.

The people are so happy and thankful we are there. It’s a beautiful ministry.”

A Cross hangs high in the front of the sanctuary. Local artist and creator Anne Gildner and her talented assistant Mary Zinke designed it. “It became such a noble task to create a design which showed the traditional lines of the Cross. I've been a frequent visitor to Marywood as my aunts are Dominicans: Sister Verona Wangler and Sister Michele Wangler (now deceased).

What a joy to help create this inspirational symbol—and yet create a unique expression for St. Anthony of Padua,” shared Anne.

The Cross was engineered, constructed, and installed by Onaway, Michigan-based Moran Iron Works, led by Tom Moran.

Per Sister Chris, “When we built the new community hall, our vision or motto was based on Proverbs: Without a vision, the people perish. The sign above the main entry door of the sanctuary reads: With a vision, the people parish.

"Our vision statement while working on the sanctuary renovation was Prosper the work of our hands, Psalm 90:17," says Sister Chris. "It was so fitting because all of us prospered, no matter what gifts were brought forward."  www.grdominicans.org

Together we Parish.

The Mission of St. Anthony of Padua Catholic community.

4

Iconography –

Contemplation of the Mystical Divine Icon writing has put me in touch with prayer and the sacred strokes God has worked in my life. I realize that joy and sorrow, laughter and tears work together in time to reveal God's mysteries.

iconography

–Teresa Gallmeier, OP Sister Teresa once shared that "My preaching has come through sharing stories of beauty seen, observed and expressed in a variety of creative mediums." Icon writing is one of those mediums. Residents and visitors to Aquinata Hall enjoy a gallery of her icons lit by the natural light of the atrium windows.

Images of Christ, Mary, angels, martyrs and saints go back to a time in history when few people could read or write. Images, rather than words, drew people into holy experience and prayer. Author Mary Jane Miller, in the book Icon Painting Technique, writes of icon writing as an extraordinary kind of prayer.

"Through the discipline of painting and interior silence, one gains more insight into the teachings of Christ, as well as a new way to commune with the Spirit.

Icons are not portraits; they are windows on a world that calls us to be still,

5

mission

ministry • Summer 2018

Sister Teresa Gallmeier with a favorite icon: Christ the Teacher. In June, Sister Teresa died peacefully at Marywood Health Center. Her faithful and creative spirit will be missed.

to look and reflect, to be at peace with ourselves, and to rest in a place of thankfulness with God." Both icon writing and gazing upon an icon reveal deep communion with God, explains icon artist and icon writing teacher Jane Cardinal.

“I begin each workshop with these words: 'Upon you rests many choices which have the ability to reawaken, deepen, and direct faith in yourself and those who will venerate your icon. Be mindful of the presence you bring each time you compose yourself to write this icon.

Your continual reflective focus will be the subtle spiritual key that has the power to open the way to many spiritual graces. In truth your soul is the icon you are writing!'"

"Some look at icons and see only misshapen figures with long thin noses, huge eyes, and irregular fingers in strange positions. However, to the one who prays with an icon, these figures express a spiritual state which is not material but mystical," says Linda Schoenborn, OP, who has been writing icons since 1999.

"The written icon is a symbolic language in its color, geometric symmetry, tilt of the head, position of the fingers, and direction of the gaze," says Sister Linda. "Each icon creator is enlightened by the silent reflection on the saint, the story, symbolism, prayer, and meditative writing/painting techniques.

"I find myself drawn to different icons at different times in my life.

I know that I have experienced a maturing of my contemplative life through this prayer form."

"The term 'icon writing' may confuse, but iconography has a nomenclature all its own," says Cardinal, who studied in Russia with Master Iconographer Vladislav Andreyev of the Prosopon School of Iconography. "It is called icon writing, rather than icon painting, because the brush-holder is encouraged to be obedient to a very specific process.

We are not painting a portrait, we are writing an icon of God." Sister Linda concurs, "Obedience to the process is about letting go of your need to control your writing as you are writing it. And when the icon is finished, and you gaze upon it, there is the reminder that contemplation is about letting go and letting God."

Linda Schoenborn, OP sits with the icon Hesychia, one of her favorite icons in her room at Marywood.

Hesychia is Greek for the practice of withdrawing from the external world, focusing on inward stillness, contemplation, and prayer.

...every person is a vessel for all that is good and holy in this world.

"The language of God is silence; everything else is translation," said St. John of the Cross. "Hesychia exemplifies contemplative prayer in its highest form," says Sister Linda.

Opening Doors to Formation and Transformation

Her hands are crossed, her palms held up and open wide.

The expression on her face is one of holy contemplation. In the world of icons, Hesychia is the Angel of the Countenance of God or the Angel of Blessed Silence.

“We must contemplate our responsibility as priestly people and our own willingness and ways to share the fruits of meditation and worship with others. There is a stirring in our consciences to assume responsibility for the needs of our neighbor,” said Aquinas Weber, OP, to her Sisters in Christ.

That stirring of conscience would grow, and contribute to the communal spirit of Holy experience at Marywood for years to come.

"She is in a state of constant contemplation of God, and when I gaze upon her I engage in her vision of the Divine. And she gazes back upon me, inviting me to divine peace."

What draws a person to the icon writing prayer practice? That is a mystery in itself.

John and Joann Orlyk travel from Northville to Conway, Michigan for an icon retreat each year. For several years, he accompanied her to the retreat center and each morning when she set off for morning prayer, meditation, and icon-writing, he set out with his fishing gear. For just one day, he decided to join her instead of heading to the lake.

Advent Icon Retreat Advent is a season of preparation, a time to contemplate peace and divine mercy. Write an Advent icon with Diane Hamel at Dominican Center at Marywood Dec. 3-7, 2018

As a retired jeweler, icon-writing proved to be an experience of beauty, the play of light, natural colors, the quality of minerals and earth—it captured his imagination. Now, each year, when the two prepare for their northern Michigan retreat, the fishing gear stays home.  www.grdominicans.org

Divine Peace

6

It was 1985, when Dominican Chapel, where Sisters prayed in community, was renovated and opened its doors so the Sisters could welcome a much larger community to worship. Sunday Assembly was born of a common vision of unity and relationship: sharing the Word of God and recognizing the face of God in one another.

By 1993, emboldened by this experience of ever-widening community, the Sisters next opened the doors of Dominican Center. The pillars of Dominican spirituality: prayer, common life, study, and service, informed their vision of this new space that would welcome others to share the campus where Sisters live.

Hearing the preached words, We are one in Christ, we respond to the call to quest for relationship. The vision for Dominican Center evolved out of the Sisters’ own contemplative quest for growth-ful communion with others.

7

mission

ministry • Summer 2018

to look and reflect, to be at peace with ourselves, and to rest in a place of thankfulness with God." Both icon writing and gazing upon an icon reveal deep communion with God, explains icon artist and icon writing teacher Jane Cardinal.

“I begin each workshop with these words: 'Upon you rests many choices which have the ability to reawaken, deepen, and direct faith in yourself and those who will venerate your icon. Be mindful of the presence you bring each time you compose yourself to write this icon.

Your continual reflective focus will be the subtle spiritual key that has the power to open the way to many spiritual graces. In truth your soul is the icon you are writing!'"

"Some look at icons and see only misshapen figures with long thin noses, huge eyes, and irregular fingers in strange positions. However, to the one who prays with an icon, these figures express a spiritual state which is not material but mystical," says Linda Schoenborn, OP, who has been writing icons since 1999.

"The written icon is a symbolic language in its color, geometric symmetry, tilt of the head, position of the fingers, and direction of the gaze," says Sister Linda. "Each icon creator is enlightened by the silent reflection on the saint, the story, symbolism, prayer, and meditative writing/painting techniques.

"I find myself drawn to different icons at different times in my life.

I know that I have experienced a maturing of my contemplative life through this prayer form."

"The term 'icon writing' may confuse, but iconography has a nomenclature all its own," says Cardinal, who studied in Russia with Master Iconographer Vladislav Andreyev of the Prosopon School of Iconography. "It is called icon writing, rather than icon painting, because the brush-holder is encouraged to be obedient to a very specific process.

We are not painting a portrait, we are writing an icon of God." Sister Linda concurs, "Obedience to the process is about letting go of your need to control your writing as you are writing it. And when the icon is finished, and you gaze upon it, there is the reminder that contemplation is about letting go and letting God."

Linda Schoenborn, OP sits with the icon Hesychia, one of her favorite icons in her room at Marywood.

Hesychia is Greek for the practice of withdrawing from the external world, focusing on inward stillness, contemplation, and prayer.

...every person is a vessel for all that is good and holy in this world.

"The language of God is silence; everything else is translation," said St. John of the Cross. "Hesychia exemplifies contemplative prayer in its highest form," says Sister Linda.

Opening Doors to Formation and Transformation

Her hands are crossed, her palms held up and open wide.

The expression on her face is one of holy contemplation. In the world of icons, Hesychia is the Angel of the Countenance of God or the Angel of Blessed Silence.

“We must contemplate our responsibility as priestly people and our own willingness and ways to share the fruits of meditation and worship with others. There is a stirring in our consciences to assume responsibility for the needs of our neighbor,” said Aquinas Weber, OP, to her Sisters in Christ.

That stirring of conscience would grow, and contribute to the communal spirit of Holy experience at Marywood for years to come.

"She is in a state of constant contemplation of God, and when I gaze upon her I engage in her vision of the Divine. And she gazes back upon me, inviting me to divine peace."

What draws a person to the icon writing prayer practice? That is a mystery in itself.

John and Joann Orlyk travel from Northville to Conway, Michigan for an icon retreat each year. For several years, he accompanied her to the retreat center and each morning when she set off for morning prayer, meditation, and icon-writing, he set out with his fishing gear. For just one day, he decided to join her instead of heading to the lake.

Advent Icon Retreat Advent is a season of preparation, a time to contemplate peace and divine mercy. Write an Advent icon with Diane Hamel at Dominican Center at Marywood Dec. 3-7, 2018

As a retired jeweler, icon-writing proved to be an experience of beauty, the play of light, natural colors, the quality of minerals and earth—it captured his imagination. Now, each year, when the two prepare for their northern Michigan retreat, the fishing gear stays home.  www.grdominicans.org

Divine Peace

6

It was 1985, when Dominican Chapel, where Sisters prayed in community, was renovated and opened its doors so the Sisters could welcome a much larger community to worship. Sunday Assembly was born of a common vision of unity and relationship: sharing the Word of God and recognizing the face of God in one another.

By 1993, emboldened by this experience of ever-widening community, the Sisters next opened the doors of Dominican Center. The pillars of Dominican spirituality: prayer, common life, study, and service, informed their vision of this new space that would welcome others to share the campus where Sisters live.

Hearing the preached words, We are one in Christ, we respond to the call to quest for relationship. The vision for Dominican Center evolved out of the Sisters’ own contemplative quest for growth-ful communion with others.

7

mission

ministry • Summer 2018

Who could have imagined all the people who would respond to the Sisters’ welcome in subsequent years and how many would be moved by the spirit and openness found in this space?

Prayer is a meeting with God, an experience of God. Prayer begins with a person’s loving conscious response to God’s presence, whether he reveals Himself to the eyes of faith in the transparency of an event or person, or in a solitary reflection.

– Norbert (Marjorie) Vangsness, OP †

Celebrating

BREAKING DOWN WALLS

25

In June 1994, Sister Carmelita reported to the Congregation: “Dominican Center… [is] causing boundaries of separatism to dissolve and people, regardless of race, class, creed, or gender, are coming to Marywood Campus.”

th Dominican Center Anniversary

Experiencing Formation & Transformation at Dominican Center In 2018, we celebrate the 25th Anniversary of Dominican Center at Marywood. It is a special place where, with Dominican hospitality, we invite people of all faiths to gather and live into this Dominican Spirituality.

The Dominican Order of Preachers preaches and teaches our Trinitarian God, whose very being-inrelationship leads us to welcome others and experience the largesse of the love that God promises.

Dominic de Guzman believed in following the energy of love, felt deeply inside of himself; a love so large as to encompass all the world’s people.

8

mission

“The ideal we express through Dominican Center is a belief that in every person is a vessel for all that is good and holy in this world. That is the essence of what formation and transformation at Dominican Center is all about,” says Margarita Solis-Deal.

“By laying the foundation for a spirituality center 25 years ago, the Dominican Sisters~Grand Rapids opened doors to encourage and inspire others to break down walls in order to open us to the Other (our living God) and the other (our neighbor),” says Maureen Geary, OP. The year the Center opened, Carmelita Murphy, OP expressed

ministry • Summer 2018

a sense of rightness of direction: “Our values for growth and transformation, prayer and lifelong learning and collaboration have been shared by hundreds of lay persons new to the Center.”

“This ministry of the Dominican Sisters~Grand Rapids continues its quest to companion with others on their search for sacred quiet and connection with the deep Holiness who created us and bonds us to one another and the world,” says Margarita Solis-Deal, director of Dominican Center. “Our programs are intentional, reflective approaches to help people find their path to God's love and grace.”

“Here, there is a convergence of where we celebrate diversity in unity. Mine might be different from yours, and that’s alright,” says Lisa Mitchell, characterizing the openness she sees on the Marywood Campus. Lisa is a Dominican Associate since 2012, participant in Sunday Assembly, and now director of Dominican Associate Life.

That spirit of inclusivity has been intrinsic to Dominican Center programs: people of all faiths coming together to seek deeper relationship with God. “We encourage and inspire growth in awareness and confidence in the Word. That often leads to greater

confidence in personal foundation faith,” says Ann Walters, OP, spiritual director and presenter.

EXPERIENCE WITH THE SPIRITUAL DIRECTOR PRACTICUM “Individual relationship with God is at the heart of everything.

The Spiritual Director Practicum program helps others strengthen their awareness and sensibility to that quality of spirituality,” says Mike Wood, deacon at St. Mary Magdalen Catholic Parish in Kentwood, Michigan and a Dominican Associate.

Mike was in the second Spiritual Director Practicum class at Dominican Center. As an ordained deacon, he sought additional resources to support his role in his parish. “Being a spiritual director is profoundly deaconate. Learning the holy listening; it’s something that informs everything I do.

Mike Wood, Deacon

and profound learning with and from people who were deeply grounded in their realities of faith and spirituality. They were imparting experience as well as knowledge.

It was grace.

“It’s all part of the Ignatian spirituality that invites you to enter, to imagine, and be open to our thoughts and experiences of divine grace. It’s life changing—and that’s what conversion is supposed to be.”

“In the 90s, this experience wasn’t offered anywhere else. And during and after completing the program, I personally felt, and still do, that this Dominican Spiritual Director Practicum should be a requirement for the deaconate.

“The staff and presenters were exceptional. Sister Suzanne Eichhorn was brilliant; Jerry Toshalis, a Methodist Ann Walters, OP pastor and psychotherapist, was so open and integrated in his own spirituality.

“There were no lectures. It was an interactive

“Here, there is a convergence of where we celebrate diversity in unity. Mine might be different from yours, and that’s alright,”

– Lisa Mitchell, a Dominican Associate since 2012, participant in Sunday Assembly, and now director of Dominican Associate Life.

Who could have imagined all the people who would respond to the Sisters’ welcome in subsequent years and how many would be moved by the spirit and openness found in this space?

Prayer is a meeting with God, an experience of God. Prayer begins with a person’s loving conscious response to God’s presence, whether he reveals Himself to the eyes of faith in the transparency of an event or person, or in a solitary reflection.

– Norbert (Marjorie) Vangsness, OP †

Celebrating

BREAKING DOWN WALLS

25

In June 1994, Sister Carmelita reported to the Congregation: “Dominican Center… [is] causing boundaries of separatism to dissolve and people, regardless of race, class, creed, or gender, are coming to Marywood Campus.”

th Dominican Center Anniversary

Experiencing Formation & Transformation at Dominican Center In 2018, we celebrate the 25th Anniversary of Dominican Center at Marywood. It is a special place where, with Dominican hospitality, we invite people of all faiths to gather and live into this Dominican Spirituality.

The Dominican Order of Preachers preaches and teaches our Trinitarian God, whose very being-inrelationship leads us to welcome others and experience the largesse of the love that God promises.

Dominic de Guzman believed in following the energy of love, felt deeply inside of himself; a love so large as to encompass all the world’s people.

8

mission

“The ideal we express through Dominican Center is a belief that in every person is a vessel for all that is good and holy in this world. That is the essence of what formation and transformation at Dominican Center is all about,” says Margarita Solis-Deal.

“By laying the foundation for a spirituality center 25 years ago, the Dominican Sisters~Grand Rapids opened doors to encourage and inspire others to break down walls in order to open us to the Other (our living God) and the other (our neighbor),” says Maureen Geary, OP. The year the Center opened, Carmelita Murphy, OP expressed

ministry • Summer 2018

a sense of rightness of direction: “Our values for growth and transformation, prayer and lifelong learning and collaboration have been shared by hundreds of lay persons new to the Center.”

“This ministry of the Dominican Sisters~Grand Rapids continues its quest to companion with others on their search for sacred quiet and connection with the deep Holiness who created us and bonds us to one another and the world,” says Margarita Solis-Deal, director of Dominican Center. “Our programs are intentional, reflective approaches to help people find their path to God's love and grace.”

“Here, there is a convergence of where we celebrate diversity in unity. Mine might be different from yours, and that’s alright,” says Lisa Mitchell, characterizing the openness she sees on the Marywood Campus. Lisa is a Dominican Associate since 2012, participant in Sunday Assembly, and now director of Dominican Associate Life.

That spirit of inclusivity has been intrinsic to Dominican Center programs: people of all faiths coming together to seek deeper relationship with God. “We encourage and inspire growth in awareness and confidence in the Word. That often leads to greater

confidence in personal foundation faith,” says Ann Walters, OP, spiritual director and presenter.

EXPERIENCE WITH THE SPIRITUAL DIRECTOR PRACTICUM “Individual relationship with God is at the heart of everything.

The Spiritual Director Practicum program helps others strengthen their awareness and sensibility to that quality of spirituality,” says Mike Wood, deacon at St. Mary Magdalen Catholic Parish in Kentwood, Michigan and a Dominican Associate.

Mike was in the second Spiritual Director Practicum class at Dominican Center. As an ordained deacon, he sought additional resources to support his role in his parish. “Being a spiritual director is profoundly deaconate. Learning the holy listening; it’s something that informs everything I do.

Mike Wood, Deacon

and profound learning with and from people who were deeply grounded in their realities of faith and spirituality. They were imparting experience as well as knowledge.

It was grace.

“It’s all part of the Ignatian spirituality that invites you to enter, to imagine, and be open to our thoughts and experiences of divine grace. It’s life changing—and that’s what conversion is supposed to be.”

“In the 90s, this experience wasn’t offered anywhere else. And during and after completing the program, I personally felt, and still do, that this Dominican Spiritual Director Practicum should be a requirement for the deaconate.

“The staff and presenters were exceptional. Sister Suzanne Eichhorn was brilliant; Jerry Toshalis, a Methodist Ann Walters, OP pastor and psychotherapist, was so open and integrated in his own spirituality.

“There were no lectures. It was an interactive

“Here, there is a convergence of where we celebrate diversity in unity. Mine might be different from yours, and that’s alright,”

– Lisa Mitchell, a Dominican Associate since 2012, participant in Sunday Assembly, and now director of Dominican Associate Life.

EXPERIENCE OF BEING PRESENT FOR ONE ANOTHER "We believe we bear fruit in the ordinariness of everyday—and oftener, perhaps, than we like, in the hardship of pain and loss and Barbara difficulty. For the kind Hansen, OP of love with which we are blessed is also the kind of love that must be willing to be poured out—in sacrifice and love – for others—in tasks that are bigger than ourselves."

These words were spoken to the Congregation by Sister Barbara Hansen on July 1, 1994 when she was installed as Prioress.

What the Dominican Sisters~Grand Rapids hoped for in Dominican Center was that people would find welcome and community.

For a time, it seemed that it was women who were most open and responsive to our Spiritual Direction and early programs, recalls Barbara Hansen, OP. “Many women have been able to move out of difficult times in their lives—divorce, deaths, life changes. What they found at Dominican Center and Dominican Chapel was safe refuge. Men followed soon after.”

Kelly Wysocki-Emery recalls her experience during a personal retreat.

“I sought out a silent retreat. I had only 48 hours, but the time allotted for my silence, my grieving, and sitting with my pain (both past and present pain) was a godsend. Having no distractions, not having to put on a happy face for anyone and being alone to process what I was

experiencing was just what I needed. I consider it an incredible gift that we have this space in Grand Rapids.”

Dot Ledrick, a Dominican Associate and retired marriage and family counselor, was one of the lay persons invited to join the first advisory board for Dominican Center. “Commitment recognizes relationship. It distills, refines, clarifies, and challenges daily living. Dominican life has taught me many ways of being and many ways of being with. How do we best engage our questions? How do we walk humbly? How do we collaborate?

How do we listen to the gentle probing of the Spirit?

"Being on campus, working and volunteering with the Sisters, ministering with the Spiritual Formation Program, practicing Spiritual Direction, working on the Associate Advisory Board for twelve years has had a profound impact on my life. With much gratitude, I have been woven into the fabric of this beloved community.”

Dot Ledrick & Val Keller, Dominican Associates

the impact of the Center's renewed commitment to be a safe, inviting, and accessible place for all. A willingness to assess the Center through a lens of diversity, equity, and inclusion and a willingness to pause, and in that pausing, honestly and intentionally assess and ask questions like: 'Who comes through our doors and who doesn't? What is the demographic composition of our classes? Who is missing? Who knows about us and who doesn't? How do we bridge that gap?' Asking these tough questions has resulted in a shift in the way in which the Dominican Center lives out its mission and great commission in community."

EXPERIENCE LEARNING, HOSPITALITY & INCLUSIVITY Shannon Cohen is a differencemaker: author, motivational speaker, trainer, and co-founder of the organization Sisters Who Lead.

"Dominican Center at Marywood is such a gift in our community.

Under the leadership of Margarita Solis-Deal, I have personally seen

Shannon Cohen

www.grdominicans.org

10

Explore Dominican Center.

Request a copy of our program mailer at dominicancenter.com /dominicancenter Follow us on Facebook

Lisa Sharon Harper & Margarita Solis-Deal

A MESSAGE FROM MARGARITA SOLIS-DEAL, Director, Dominican Center The invitation to be in union with God is always open. We are pleased to welcome all to attend programs where reflective listening, study and dialogue are gifts to be shared.

If one's gospel falls mute when facing people who need good news the most—the impoverished, the oppressed, and the broken—then it's no gospel at all.

– Lisa Sharon Harper, author and human rights activist, joined us for Dominican Center's 25th Anniversary Prophetic Voices series.

11 mission 9 mission

The transformation and growth of persons, communities and organizations is the mission of Dominican Center. We look back 25 years in gratitude for those who have been part of this transformation and we set our sights ahead realizing there is still so much work to do.

Our world moves at lightning speed and the news of the day reminds us how much spiritual transformation, for the sake of a just society, is needed.

We stand on 25 years’ worth of planting seeds on Dominican fertile soil. These seeds have taken root and these roots continue to nurture the spiritual formation and contemplative learning experiences our community seeks. We also stand on 25 years with our ears attuned to the Spirit as we continuously move towards a vision that transforms persons, communities and organizations. Dominican Center responds, staying rooted in the Dominican commitment to preaching truth and reaching out to the periphery

ministry• •Fall Summer ministry 2017 2018

to stay relevant to the needs of the local and global community.

In this 25th year, we are intentionally inviting presenters to share messages of hope, justice, inclusivity, and peace in our Prophetic Voices Series. These truthsayers celebrate our 25-year journey and bring light to paths not yet traveled.

There is still so much work to be done in our world, as these Prophetic Voices share.

In A Yes for Humanity: One Step Closer to Nuclear Disarmament, Carol Gilbert, OP and Ardeth Platte, OP gave witness to their life commitment to global peace in working for a nuclear free world. In

Carol Gilbert, OP

Shanda Vaughn, Shlynn Rhodes, & Misti Stanton, Sisters Who Lead Conference

Peace and Hope Remain, Ambassador (ret) Mary Ann Peters, CEO of the Carter Center and a Marywood Academy Alumna, emphasized her hope for our world. She shined a light on the connection between nonviolence and our mandate to care for all creation—in unity with all creation. In the Sisters Who Lead conference, over 175 local women leaders of color gathered at Dominican Center to share their lived experiences and to empower and support one another in their mission to promote justice and break through invisible walls and ceilings.

LISTENING & AWAKENING TO THE HOLY We hear a yearning from those who are contributing to making our society a just society. It is from this that our newest formation program has been developed. Foundations in Wisdom offers the tools and resources, and experiences to renew one’s spiritual foundation, as well as the resolve to live in this world with compassion, and to respond with contemplative service.

We hear a desire from a young community of diverse faith perspectives or not affiliated with a faith tradition, to continue to be a

safe place to learn, reflect and heal and to discover Spirituality from the wisdom of the Dominican Sisters.

Nancy Brousseau, OP, former Dominican Center director, wrote in 2001 that Dominican Center is in a “unique position to help people integrate the spiritual healing questions into their lives”. This vision is a reality today as Nones (those who claim to be spiritual but do not identify with a specific faith tradition) and Nuns (Dominican Sisters) gather to learn, discover, and build relationship so that by leaning into each other a collective sacred wisdom is shared.

We hear from a community seeking holistic health where the mind, body and spirit are integrated.

Hearing the preached words, We are one in Christ, we respond to the call to quest for relationship. The vision for Dominican Center continues to evolve out of the Sisters’ own contemplative quest for growth-ful communion with others. welcome. We listen and as we do we continue to fulfill the mission to foster transformation and growth of persons, communities, and organizations through prayer, learning, and collaboration in an inclusive, hospitable environment for many more years to come.

We listen to the Holy as we move into the next 25 years and we welcome you to Dominican Center at Marywood to listen and learn, contemplatively, and to experience transformation—in the Dominican way.

Interfaith Youth Camp

“In a society of quick fixes and easy remedies, Dominican Center is needed to support walking the spiritual path with people for a lifetime,” wrote Sister Nancy.

We hear from a community of people of color looking for a place where their voices are heard, their participation valued, and their life experiences and cultures respected and integrated into our offerings and services.

We are listening to the Holy Spirit, always guiding Dominican Center to respond with hospitality and

Now is the time—You can help us extend voices of hope, justice, inclusion, and peace! Support our ministries, register for an upcoming Prophetic Voices presentation or another program of interest at dominicancenter.com.

www.grdominicans.org

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Anissa Eddie Photo: Sisters Who Lead Dominican Center embodies Grand Rapids Dominican Sisters’ physical expression of welcome and invitation to share in the essential elements of Dominican Life: prayer, study, community, and ministry.

WITNESSING THE FRUITS OF OUR LIVES “I think Dominican Center is one of the best things we’ve done as sisters. It’s helped me to see our role in the wider world, not just a parochial Catholic world, but a much wider world. It is an opportunity for us to do what we’re called to do which is to preach the gospel, tell the whole world the good news of God’s love and everlasting kindness. I think it’s helped me fulfill my vocation.”

– Mary Navarre, OP “Choosing to renovate our chapel into a lovely, simple place to pray has been the foundation for Dominican Center. It’s been the foundation for Sunday Assembly. People come to pray, to participate, they come to welcome people.

And it’s people from all places. There’s not exclusion, it’s inclusion. Dynamic new programs and even older traditional practices, like Lectio Divina, are helping people. Maybe this was God’s blessing on us. That we put our money where our mouth was spiritually and this, this place called Dominican Center, it flourishes.

– Teresa Houlihan, OP "Building our ministry of the Bookstore at Dominican Center with thousands of titles, both inhouse and special order, has enriched the learning and formation experiences of so many people since opening in 1996. There are many dimensions to this little ministry corner at Marywood. Committed volunteers minister through service; we couldn’t exist without each of their gifts. We witness for and support indigenous women by selling fair trade products, while our Sister-made products, always in great demand, become gifts given in love and appreciation around the country."

– Kathleen Przybylski, OP

Dominican Center's mission is to foster the growth and transformation of persons, communities, and organizations through prayer, learning, and collaboration in an inclusive, hospitable environment.

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mission

ministry • Summer 2018

2018

Jubilarians The human heart is drawn by love.

-St. Catherine of Siena

Inflamed with contemplative love, we die and are reborn, as we walk together, preaching justice.

75 YEARS ~ 1943

Geraldine Fox Mary Edward Plamondon Verona Wangler

70 YEARS ~ 1948

Catherine Ann Winowiecki Carol Ann Nowak Emma Kulhanek Helen Miller Rita Barreras Audrey Sanchez John Therese Kusba Stella Jozwiak Louisa Mogdis Thaddeus Kowalinski Eunice Cronin Rose Patrice O’Donnell Barbara Ann Seymour Mary Courtade Vita Licari

60 YEARS ~ 1958

Katrina Hartman Dolores Abeyta Joyce Ann Hertzig Margaret Mary Birchmeier Nancy Malburg Marie Joy Yuhasz Patrice Konwinski Ann Hehl Catherine Williams Teresa Gallmeier Mary Jo Beckett Patricia Kennedy Yvonne Greiner Gail Ann Martin Janet Brown Jean Kramer Alice Wittenbach Diane Dehn Anne Francis Erndt Joanne Davey

50 YEARS ~ 1968

Gretchen Sills Lucianne Siers Roxane Dansereau

ASSOCIATE JUBILARIANS: 25 YEARS ~ 1993 Mary Morris Christine Reid

www.grdominicans.org

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Our 2012-2018 Leadership Team About Us

Maureen Geary, OP, Prioress Sandra Delgado, OP, Vicaress Lucianne Siers, OP, Councilor Mary Ann Barrett, OP, Councilor

Another Chapter

2025 Fulton St. East Grand Rapids, MI 49503-3895

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

The Dominican Sisters ~ Six ago, four women Grand Rapids areyears a community of vowed women movedreligious forward from the body and Associates who follow the Congregation of the the Catholicoftraditions of St. Dominic Dominican and St. Catherine Sisters ~ Grand of Siena. Since 1877 we have Rapids and stepped intoJoin the us at Dominican been praising, blessing, and role love of Leadership. preaching God’s through all we do.

They were called forth, elected by their Become aware Sisters, to contribute their gifts for the Ministries good of the body. of how the • • • • •

–Order of Preachers, Fundamental Constitutions, VI

www.grdominicans.org

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works with you and around you.

In March 2018, the Congregation gathered once more for a tradition called Chapter Dominican Center at Marywood Foundations in Spirituality 2018 – 2019 to set strategic direction and elect the Prioress Marywood Campus Foundations in Spirituality is a serious reflective study that introduces the and Council who will lead for the next six Justice practice of contemplative prayer and presence as basic to living a spiritual life. years, 2018-2024.

Dominican Chapel/Marywood

Health Care & Spiritual Companioning Aquinata Assisted LivingChapter, The term,

Explore the rich preaching of saints and wisdom teachers of history. Enrich

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a new chapter

Thus the laws of the Order… fidelity to our profession calls us to respond with generosity, mature responsibility and Christ-like obedience to what is asked of us, for the good of the Order and its mission.

Grand Rapids, MI Permit No. 451

originated during your faith and spiritual knowledge. Saturdays beginning in September.

• Marywood Health Center Dominic de Guzman's lifetime. Chapter was • Care Resources Foundations in Wisdom 2018 – 2019 established as a gathering, a point in time, • WORD – ESL Foundations in Wisdom is a nine-month serious reflective study that explores when the work of the Order was carried out.

• Partners in Parenting connections of humanity. We will study with wisdom teachers such as Pope Fr. Timothy Radcliffe, OP characterized the • Aquinas College Francis, work, process, and governance style of the Dorothy Day, Howard Thurman, Cesar Chavez, Richard Rohr, Malal • Maternidad de Maria, Chimbote, Peru Yousafzai, and others. This course introduces contemplative prayer and Order of Preachers in this way: “What is • Centro de Obras Sociales, presence for a rich spiritual life. Saturdays beginning in September.

Dominican about this kind of democracy is Chimbote, Peru that it is primarily concerned with the needs de Guzma a of Avila f the Cross n res of the mission rather than the will of the no inic e h T m o Mission & Ministry Editorial Team majority.

Our democracy is only Dominican • Maureen Geary, OP – Prioress if our debating and voting is an attempt to • Danny Lynn – Art Director hear the Word of God summoning us to • Stacy Spitlerwalk – Editor/Contributor in the way of discipleship”.

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(Left to Right): Sisters Mary Ann Barrett, Sandra Delgado, Maureen Geary, Lucianne Siers

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Center beginning in September

Spirit

• Prayer

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We celebrate the gifts of these vowed women

Sisters assemble for general chapter 2018

prayer & Christ will make His home in your heart as you discernment arrive with an openness to transformation. trust in Him. Your roots will grow down into

All photos are from the Archives of the Dominican Sisters Sisters~Grand RapidsChapter as a "hopeful characterize (DSGR) unless place otherwise noted. connection". We pray to of precious

Above all, this work and the relationship

Like us on Facebook is fueled

by Prayer.

Dominican Sisters ~ Grand Rapids Dominican Center at Marywood

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mission

ministry • Summer 2018

God's love and keep you strong.

– Ephesians 3:17

Chapter was shepherded

by Providence Associate and experienced facilitator, Susan Weber, who, through the lens of Appreciative Inquiry, guided Sisters through reflection and group discussion.

Dominican Associates joined the contemplative conversation with Sisters for a weekend to explore what new and deeper union God is creating among us.

Introducing our 2018-2024 Team Introducing our 2018-2024 Congregational Leadership Team Sandra Delgado, OP, Prioress Joan Williams, OP, Vicaress Maureen Geary, OP Councilor Megan McElroy, OP, Councilor

small & large group discussion

They began their term July 1, 2018.

visualize current & future direction

(Left to Right): Sisters Sandra Delgado, Joan Williams, Maureen Geary, Megan McElroy

We are invited to follow the plans of our faithful God. We are blessed with familiar guideposts on our path: the presence of God, deep prayer, companionship, gifts of faith, hope, and community. So may we, in this life, trust to those elements we have yet to see or imagine.

www.grdominicans.org

Nonprofit Organization U.S. Postage

PA I D

We celebrate the gifts of these vowed women

Grand Rapids, MI Permit No. 451 2025 Fulton St. East Grand Rapids, MI 49503-3895

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

Our 2012-2018 Leadership Team About Us

• Prayer

(Left to Right): Sisters Mary Ann Barrett, Sandra Delgado, Maureen Geary, Lucianne Siers

•

Dominican Chapel/Marywood

•

Dominican Center at Marywood

•

Marywood Campus

•

Justice

•

Health Care & Spiritual Companioning

•

Aquinata Assisted Living

•

Marywood Health Center

•

Care Resources

•

WORD – ESL

•

Partners in Parenting

•

Aquinas College

•

Maternidad de Maria, Chimbote, Peru

•

Centro de Obras Sociales, Chimbote, Peru

Mission & Ministry Editorial Team • Maureen Geary, OP – Prioress

Thus the laws of the Order… fidelity to our profession calls us to respond with generosity, mature responsibility and Christ-like obedience to what is asked of us, for the good of the Order and its mission.

–Order of Preachers, Fundamental Constitutions, VI

www.grdominicans.org

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Become aware of how the

Spirit

works with you and around you.

Foundations in Spirituality 2018 – 2019 Foundations in Spirituality is a serious reflective study that introduces the practice of contemplative prayer and presence as basic to living a spiritual life.

Explore the rich preaching of saints and wisdom teachers of history. Enrich your faith and spiritual knowledge. Saturdays beginning in September.

Foundations in Wisdom 2018 – 2019 Foundations in Wisdom is a nine-month serious reflective study that explores connections of humanity. We will study with wisdom teachers such as Pope Francis, Dorothy Day, Howard Thurman, Cesar Chavez, Richard Rohr, Malal Yousafzai, and others. This course introduces contemplative prayer and presence for a rich spiritual life. Saturdays beginning in September. m

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Join us at Dominican Center beginning in September

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The 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 praising, blessing, and preaching God’s love through all we do.

St. Do

Maureen Geary, OP, Prioress Sandra Delgado, OP, Vicaress Lucianne Siers, OP, Councilor Mary Ann Barrett, OP, Councilor

re Te

sa of Avila

• Danny Lynn – Art Director • Stacy Spitler – Editor/Contributor

All photos are from the Archives of the Dominican Sisters~Grand Rapids (DSGR) unless otherwise noted.

Like us on Facebook Dominican Sisters ~ Grand Rapids Dominican Center at Marywood

Christ will make His home in your heart as you trust in Him. Your roots will grow down into God's love and keep you strong.

– Ephesians 3:17