Community News

In December, staff from Molloy College brought two volumes of reproductions of the St. John's Bible to Amityville Dominican Motherhouse, Queen of the Rosary in Amityville, NY.

The St. John's Bible is the first-handwritten and hand-illuminated Bible to be produced in 500 years!  In 1998, Saint John's Abbey and University in Minnesota commissioned renowned calligrapher Donald Jackson to produce the Bible. This work of art unites an ancient Benedictine tradition of art with the technology and vision of today, illuminating the Word of God for a new millennium.

In January, more than two dozen staff members from Molloy College, Rockville Centre, NY came to the Motherhouse of the Sisters of St. Dominic of Amityville, NY,  to learn more about how they are connected to the Dominican Spirit.

Molloy College was founded by the Sisters of St. Dominic of Amityville in 1955.

That day, the staff toured the nooks and crannies of the Motherhouse, listened to speakers and broke into small group discussions.

Cincinnati, OH (January 17, 2020) — On February 12, 2005, Sister of Notre Dame Dorothy Stang was shot and killed by hired gunmen as she walked along a dirt road in the Amazon rainforest of Brazil.  Her death had been arranged by influential Brazilian landowners who wanted to stop her work on behalf of farming families in the region.  It was Sister Dorothy's dream for the people to live self-sufficient lives, and to be able to use the land in sustainable ways.  The native of Dayton, Ohio had been visiting with some of the struggling farmers in the interior when she was killed.

Four Sisters of Providence began a five-year term of leadership and service for Mother Joseph Province on Jan. 1, 2020: Sister Barbara Schamber, provincial leader, and Sisters Jacqueline Fernandes, Karen Hawkins and Margarita Hernandez as provincial councilors.

In addition, two laypeople have been appointed to serve on the Leadership Team: David Neisius, provincial treasurer and Elinor Alexander, provincial secretary.

While working at a medical clinic in Memphis, Tenn., 10 years ago, Ursuline Sister of Mount Saint Joseph (Ky.) Jacinta Powers explained why she enjoyed serving the poor.

“Where God wants you is where passion and need intersect,” she said. “I’m always happy serving the poor.”

Sister Jacinta is taking that opportunity again. On Jan. 10, 2020, she departed for Brownsville, Texas, to spend six months making a daily trek across the Mexican border to serve refugees awaiting asylum hearings.

What role can religious and spiritual leaders play in this time of multiple planetary crises? The solutions we have counted on in the past are no longer enough to address our world’s extremes – e.g., increasing climate chaos, the devastation of the Earth’s capacity to sustain life, extreme polarizations, and increasing despair and numbers of suicides. When people turn to spiritual and religious leaders to help them navigate these times, what new consciousness can be offered to them that is different than what got us into these crises?

Sister Virginia Brien, SSND, 94, of the Atlantic-Midwest Province of the School Sisters of Notre Dame, was the first to offer her sewing skills for a Green Habits project coordinated by the province's Justice, Peace and Integrity of Creation office. In a matter of months, Sister Virginia stitched up more than 25 reusable grocery bags, which were recently handed out at a local Baltimore grocery store by students from the province's sponsored ministry Notre Dame Preparatory School (NDP). The goal was to encourage shoppers to opt out of using plastic bags.

On December 10, Sister Barbara Reid, OP, Professor of New Testament Studies at Catholic Theological Union, was awarded the title of Doctor Honoris Causa by the University of Graz in Austria earlier this week.  Sr. Barbara was honored particularly for her work in Feminist biblical studies, especially the creation of the acclaimed Wisdom Commentary series published by Liturgical Press.

Sister Susanne Hartung, SP, chief mission integration officer for Providence St. Joseph Health (PSJH) in Renton, Wash., was honored with the Health Care Leadership Inspiration Award by Puget Sound Business Journal (PSBJ) on Dec. 6, during a luncheon event at The Westin Bellevue.

OSSINING, NY – On Saturday, Dec. 14, 2019, four Maryknoll lay missioners and one Maryknoll sister will celebrate the beginning of their mission journeys in a Joint Mission Sending Ceremony. The celebration will be held at 2:30 p.m. in the Annunciation Chapel of the Maryknoll Sisters in Ossining, New York.

This Sending Ceremony marks the end of a 12-week orientation program, which the new missioners undertook together as they prepared for cross-cultural ministries in four countries around the world.

Sister Marie-Thérèse Gnamazo of Cameroon made first profession of vows as a Sister of Providence in a multicultural liturgy on Nov. 23, in the chapel at St. Joseph Residence, Seattle. 

Mass was presided by Rev. Fr. Peter Ely, S.J., concelebrated by Rev. Fr. Jack Walmesley, Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Mbock Mbock of Cameroon, and Rev. Fr. Colleen Nsame, S.J. from the Seattle-area Cameroonian community.

Sister Eunice Antony recently joined the steering committee of the National Benedictines for Peace (BFP). The group's mission is to give "a common voice to a vision of peace as we confront the violence of our day with the love of Christ that it might be transformed by our prayers and actions."

You can learn more about BFP and the steering committee at http://www.benedictinesforpeace.org/.

The National Religious Retirement Office (NRRO) featured the Ursuline Sisters of Cleveland in their Fall Newsletter!  "Letting Go and Carrying On:  A Community Steps into a Bold New Future"  explains the exhaustive planning, hard work, sacrifice, and— above all—faith, neccessary in moving into a new congregational home. 

CTU announces the establishment of a Visiting Scholar appointment sponsored by the Thriving in Ministry Initiative which is funded by the Lilly Endowment, Inc.  A Visiting Scholar will propose a research agenda for a stated period of time ranging  from one month and up to one academic year. Research conducted should include some element of inquiry into the thriving of Catholic men and women religious and/or lay Catholic professionals in ministry in the United States.

Watch the seventh annual Join the Journey luncheon, in support of the Sisters of Charity of Nazareth. You will be inspired as you hear stories of ways the Sisters transform lives through their ministry as they serve those most in need.

It's an unlikely alliance across communities of spirit! The Franciscan Sisters of the Sacred Heart are forming a Nuns & Nones group in the Frankfort area that will begin in January 2020. Nuns & Nones (millennials – both women and men – with no particular religious affiliation) is a movement gaining momentum across the U.S.A., knowing we all have something unique to share and something to learn from one another. 

This movement is:

November 21 is a significant date for the Felician Sisters. It marks their founding in 1855 and their arrival in North America in 1874; and on Nov. 21, 2009, the Sisters took another step in the evolution of their community as the eight North American provinces merged into Our Lady of Hope Province, effectively pooling their resources, the most important of which is the Sisters themselves, and allowing more to minister in “total availability.”

On November 3, the U.S. Province of the Ursuline Sisters of Tildonk celebrated its 95th Anniversary at St. William the Abbot Church in Seaford, NY. A gathering of over 200 Sisters, Associates, family and friends joined for Sunday mass celebrated by Most Reverend John C. Dunne, retired bishop of the Diocese of Rockville Centre, and Rev. Msgr. John Tosi.

Sisters of Charity of the Immaculate Conception (SCIC) joyfully celebrated 165 years of grace and gratitude at Ruth Ross Residence Oct. 17-20 among associates, family members, staff and friends.

“May these four days of festival release within and among us a renewed sense of God’s providence, surprise and ever-unfolding presence over 165 years,” said Sister Mary Beth McCurdy as the Festival of Thanksgiving began in Carmel Chapel.

On 22 of October 2019, the delegates of the General Chapter of the Faithful Companions of Jesus (FCJ) elected Sister Bonnie Moser as General Superior for the next six years. Aided by her Council, her role is to govern the FCJ Society, in accordance with its Constitutions.

Global Sisters Report, a project of National Catholic Reporter Publishing Company that gives greater voice to Catholic sisters around the globe, launches GSR in the Classroom. 

For this education initiative, GSR adapted many articles and columns for use in Catholic high school and middle school classes, and faith formation programs. Through these lessons, students will discover how Catholic sisters are bringing alive Jesus’ teachings and the Church’s global mission.