From Sr. Pat Twohill, Prioress
Sr. Eloise Hertel, OP
1322 N. Woodlawn, Apt. 222
Wichita, KS 67208
(c) 316-640-6530
Vocations Blog
Please see our vocations blog today, A Time of Transition, from Associate Mary Ellen George. This is her last vocations blog but she may have more to say on other subjects soon! Please click here to read.
Peace & Justice Update
Spotlighting Haiti in December
During the Dominican Month of Peace, Tim Hall, Racine Dominicans Justice Promoter, has put together a 3-part series on Haiti.
The Monday, December 16 OPPeace News included Parts 1 and 2 of his presentations (which can now also be found on the private pages).
Please click here to see Part 3 of the series: Understanding Haiti, What the Church and Dominican Brothers and Sisters are doing.
*The recording also requires this passcode: c%rsk?t8
Congregational News and Greetings
Special Blessing from Associates
Please see a special holiday greeting from our beloved Associates by clicking here. We appreciate the "card," and all our Associates who spread God's peace in this world!
Leadership Webcast Recaps
Last night we received a special Christmas message from our Leadership Team and heard about important things to come in 2025!
Here are a few dates and events to keep top of mind:
Live-stream of Keynote by Cardinal Timothy Radcliffe, OP, Tuesday, January 21 from 2 pm – 4 pm Eastern
Spring Mission Group Meetings via Zoom, Saturday, March 22, 2025 or Monday, March 24, 2025
DSC Gathering, Encuentro 2025, October 8 – 12, 2025
You can find all of these dates and more on the Private Pages. Click here for a reminder of how to log in and where to find the calendar functions.
Associates and staff will be given access to the Private Pages in 2025 … stay tuned!
February Zoom and See, February 7-9
We hope our Sisters and Associates will post this "Zoom and See" flyer on their Facebook, Instagram pages or church bulletin boards if possible. Click here for the graphic you can use for this.
We are also glad to share this latest poster of our Sisters in formation. We wanted to show you here so you can keep these Sisters in prayer.
In case you missed the Leadership Webcast last night or if you'd like to watch it again, please click here.
Office News
News from IT / Reminder of Scams
The Keytel Help desk will be closed on Christmas Eve, December 24, and Christmas Day, December 25.
Look out for Holiday Spam! And, no, it’s not a terrible Christmas appetizer, but it is out there. "Holiday spam" is just a more festive way of describing calls, texts and emails trying to get your personal information. Seems that just like St. Nick, the bad guys work extra hard during the holidays, so you need to be extra diligent!
A few examples to watch for:
A Sister received an email from a staff member asking for her help with a project. The email was actually from a “spammer” – they wanted personal information to break into her accounts. This Sister was smart – she checked out the sending address and realized that she did not recognize it!
Another Sister received a phone call from a person saying they were with Chase Bank. This Sister checked with the Finance Team first and helped uncover a scam. Anytime you get a call from a bank, hang up and call the phone number on the back of your credit card to verify that any charges on your credit card are valid.
Still another Sister got a text saying that her Federal Express package could not be delivered and would be forwarded to a new destination. The text asked for her credit card to pay for the extra shipping. The Sister called the shipper and found out this was a scam too!
Most internet bad guys can be beaten with some common sense and a call to an expert. Remember, Keytel and the Congregational Team are always here to help you decide what’s real and what’s just spam.
OPP Newsletter
There will be no newsletters sent out on December 25, 27, and December 30. The OPPeace News will be back on January 3.
In The Media
Dominicans featured in Nigeria
Dominican Sisters of St. Catherine of Siena were featured in Global Sisters Report for their involvement to help stop teen pregnancies. Please click here to read the story.
Sr. Ellen Coates,OP in the News
Please also take note of Dominican Life USA's story on Sr. Ellen Coates perpetual vows by clicking here.
Events
Christmas comes Early
The Columbus staff got together today with Sisters for a time of merriment and to celebrate Christmas just a few days early. There was a serenade of Christmas carols from students at Ohio Dominican University, prayers, a lovely feast and gifts passed around. Staff members were thanked for their service, and some were recognized for reaching milestones in their careers. Please go here to see a few pictures.
Prayer Requests
Sr. Renee Dreiling (Great Bend, KS, renee.dreiling@oppeace.org) requests prayer for Associate Kim Pitner-Keller’s sister, Karen Pitner Luckett, who fell and fractured her C5 and C6 vertebrae. Surgery seemed to go well but there is a chance she will be paralyzed from the neck down and blood clots are also a risk.
Sr. Carol Davis (Columbus, OH, carol davis@oppeace.org) requests prayer for Rev. Sally Heiligman who is beginning treatment for cancer.