Congregational News
Addressing our Founded Ministries
Yesterday, Timothy Cardinal Radcliffe, OP, spoke to representatives from our founded ministries from around the country who are gathering this week at the Martin de Porres Center.
The talk centered on "The Synod: What is Happening" -- with a focus on Synodal Reciprocity and the importance of listening and coming alive with and for each other.
He then preached at the evening Motherhouse Mass, which was also attended by ministry leaders. Please see a few initial pictures from Tuesday here.
We are thankful for his messages and making the trip to our Ministry Gathering to share his wisdom.
Lending Our Support
The Leadership Team has been following the horror and destruction of the Southern California wildfires. In searching for an effective way to lend support, we made a donation in the congregation's name to World Central Kitchens, a group that has provided food in dangerous and emergency situations around the world.
Reminder: Request from Communications
Share How You Live Jubilee: Be Part of the "Pilgrimage of Hope" Campaign
Sisters and Associates, as we mark the Pope’s Jubilee Year 2025, centered on the theme of the "Pilgrimage of Hope," we invite you to reflect on how you live Jubilee in your daily life. Whether through acts of service, prayer, community building, or personal growth, we’d love to hear your story.
Please share a brief reflection or example of how you embody Jubilee, and how your journey reflects hope in today’s world. Your response may be featured in our online campaign to inspire others along this shared pilgrimage.
Submit your reflections to ashley.apollonio@oppeace.org by this Friday, January 24.
Events
Celebrating the Vietnamese New Year
Last week, the Sisters in Great Bend celebrated Vietnamese New Year with a beautiful luncheon, featuring delicious traditional food! We’re so grateful to our Vietnamese Sisters for sharing their rich traditions with us! Please go here to see the wonderful creations and happy faces.
Special Award for two Sisters
Garden City Community College in Kansas presented the 2025 Tommy Austin Community Impact Award to Sister Roserita Weber and Sister Janice Thome during its Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day celebration.
Sponsored by the GCCC Student Government Association (SGA) and bUSters United, the event was free and open to the public, inspiring attendees with powerful stories of service and dedication that honor Dr. King’s legacy.
The Tommy Austin Community Impact Award honors individuals whose selflessness and dedication reflect the values of the late Tommy Lou Austin—a cherished community leader and the first African American woman elected to serve as City Commissioner in Garden City.
This year’s honorees, Sister Roserita and Sister Janice, are said to exemplify the same spirit of dedication and compassion. Congratulations to both! Please see a photo from the occasion here.
Webinar Series
The Center for the Study of Spirituality at St. Mary's College, Notre Dame, Indiana, is hosting a series of three webinars "Women Responding to the Spirit" in honor of the 40th anniversary of the founding of the Center and the Madeleva Lecture Series. The webinars feature online one-hour conversations among three previous Madeleva speakers.
The first webinar took place last night featuring a conversation with Elizabeth Johnson, CSJ, Nancy Pineda-Madrid, and Sr. Mary Catherine Hilkert, OP.
That webinar can be viewed at this link on the Center's website. Please click here to see it.
Announcements about the two February conversations and speakers can be found on that website as well. Registration for the events is required, but free.
Death in our Family
Dominican Sisters of Peace Associate Milly Sundell passed away on Tuesday, January 14, 2025. Her funeral will be at Guardian Angels Catholic Church in Clawson, Michigan on Friday, January 24 at 10:30 a.m. Please remember Milly and her family in prayer.
Prayer Requests
- Sr. Cathy Hilkert (South Bend, IN, mhilkert@nd.edu) requests prayer for her aunt Ramona Botzum who died January 17 and her family. Romona had been a resident at St. Edward Home and her former home in Akron was adjacent to Clarissa Hall and Our Lady of the Elms school. Her funeral will take place Monday, January 27 at St. Sebastian Church at 11 a.m.
- Sr. Cathy Hilkert (South Bend, IN, mhilkert@nd.edu) also requests prayer for her sister Christine who is recovering from surgery in Toledo, Ohio and for Fr. Edward (Ned) Weist, former Chancellor of the Diocese of Cleveland, who died January 6.
- Sr. Margaret Uche (Chicago, IL, margaret.uche@oppeace.org) requests prayer for her brother who died Sunday, January 19 after a long illness.
- Sr. Mary Ann Culotta (New Orleans, LA, maryann.culotta@oppeace.org) requests prayer for her two-year-old cousin, Vincent, who has a spot on his brain stem and was scheduled to begin chemotherapy today.
- Sr. Annette Lucero (New Haven, CT, annette.lucero@oppeace.org) requests prayer for her niece JoAnn, who has been diagnosed with an aggressive form of breast cancer. JoAnn will begin 14 weeks of chemotherapy followed by six weeks of radiation in hopes of shrinking the tumor in order to operate.
- Associate Ann C. Hall (Cleveland, OH, Halloh1@gmail.com) requests prayer for her uncle, Dennis Hall, who is in hospice.
Updates/Notes of Gratitude
Sr. Myra Arney (Garden City, KS, myra.arney@oppeace.org) sends thanks for prayer for her brother John and his deep brain surgery to relieve tremors from Parkinson's Disease. He came through the surgery nicely and went home this past Saturday.