Sister Claire MacDonald, OP offered these thoughts as part of her reflection at Mass on the Feast of St. Josephine Bakhita on February 8. Josephine Bakhita (d. 1947) was not her given birth name, but the name imposed on her by the slave traders who seized her as a young child from her village in […]
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Today the Gospel draws our attention to two senior citizens whom we have known as Anna and Simeon. We are told they were both dedicated to Temple worship for their entire lives. Simeon had been a faithful priest for the better part of his eighty-four years and Anna who had been married and widowed at an early age was also in the upper stratosphere of aging as well (not unlike us).
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Painting of Thomas Aquinas by Sandro Botticelli, ca. 1481-2 Sister Margaret Palliser shared this reflection with our Sisters and Associates at Mass today. On this feast day, just how are we to think about our illustrious Dominican brother Thomas in this Aquinas Jubilee Year celebrating the 800th anniversary of his birth, the 750th anniversary of
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Sister Joan Correia delivered the following words at the Epiphany Mass for our Sisters and Associates. Merry Christmas and Happy Feast of the Epiphany! This is a perfect day for us to celebrate Christmas, as a community, for both feasts are so clearly linked together. It is wonderful to have everyone here with us for
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Sister Bridget Kiniry shared the following reflection at Dominican Convent. We are here to celebrate the Mass on Christmas Day. The readings chosen for this Mass leave us with a full message of all the Nativity readings, as they are called by the Church. Each of the previous Masses gave us a piece of this
Sister Helen Robert Boyd shared this reflection at Sunday’s evening Vespers at Dominican Convent in Sparkill. Today Christians throughout the world celebrate the Third Sunday of Advent traditionally known as Gaudete Sunday from the introductory phrase of the liturgy, “Rejoice in the Lord!” All the readings of today call for us to rejoice! Even the
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Today we celebrate what William Wordsworth called, “our tainted nature’s solitary boast.” Our world today has very little to boast about so it is refreshing to know that there was someone in the history of humanity who deserved such an acclamation, none other than our own Blessed Virgin Mary, our heavenly mother. As his poem
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Long Island Catholic, December 14, 1972 The doorbell rang… The boys at Holy Family School, Hicksville, New York, knew to ring the convent bell only once and wait. It was almost a city block from the kitchen to the front door and one of the Sisters would open the door so the boys could get
Sister Bridget Kiniry offered this reflection at the Thanksgiving Day Mass in Domincian Convent. Probably each of us has a heart and head full of thoughts and memories of past celebrations. Today we may find our gratefulness clouded by an awareness of all the turmoil and suffering in the world. Still, we are here giving
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From the Leadership Team: Sisters Irene, Marie Peter, Aileen, Grace and Nancy May our tables and hearts be wide as we celebrate Thanksgiving this year. May we truly become the blessing for those who hunger and thirst for justice and peace. We share with you Jan Richardson’s, ‘And the Table Will Be Wide’ along with
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Sugar kelp being grown in Shinnecock Bay on eastern Long Island, New York. Waban Tarrant and Danielle Hopson Began in front of mural created by Denis Silva-Dennies (l to r) Sister Pat Hogan, Sister Susan Dunn, Sr. Kerri Handal, Waban Tarrant, Danielle Hopson Began. Danielle Hopson Began demonstrates the tool that will be used to
Albert the Great, AKA Albertus Magnus, stamp issued in 1980. The following is a collaboration between Sister Amelia DeMarco and Sister Jeanne Shary. Sister Amelia conducted extensive research and reported on St. Albert’s life and legacy. Sister Jeanne was inspired to preach at today’s liturgy based on Sister Amelia’s writing and today’s Gospel reading from
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Sister Bridge Kiniry shared this preaching at today’s liturgy in Dominican Convent. The Lateran Basilica—How much can we say about a building dedicated in 324? Yes, it is a special Church with a lot of history. But how inspirational is that for most of us? Let’s look at the word CHURCH. It can mean a
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Students from St. Gregory Barbarigo help decorate Sister’s cemetary. Sister Eileen Gannon shared this reflection at our annual Memorial Mass at Dominican Convent. We, Dominican Sisters and Associates have times when we come together as I know all here gathered have the same. But this is my favorite and I realize that my sound strange,
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Today the Christian community specifically honors these three Archangels. While we are honoring them, we will do so by looking at this question: What is the TRUTH about angels whom we associate as heavenly messengers of comfort and courage? Just as a point of interest, as I began preparing these reflections, I came across Thomas
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Recently, there was a film series on television entitled “The Chosen,” which has been widely received as the most recent rendition of the public life of Christ. An extraordinary amount of research has been done by modern theological, archeological, and sociology scholars. What is different about this film is that it begins with the lives
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“For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, So that EVERYONE who believes in him might not perish, but might have eternal life” John 3:16 Just to pronounce, to say “EXALTED,” gives a rise to one’s spirit. We have something extraordinary to celebrate today! Yet, we are ever mindful that all
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Prophet Amos cries out: “But let justice roll on like a river, righteousness like a never-failing stream!” (Amos 5: 24) and so we are called to join the river of justice and peace, to take up climate and ecological justice, and to speak out with and for communities most impacted by climate injustice and the loss
Season of Creation Read More »
We who live in the Western world are not very comfortable with the word “mystery.” Our Eastern brothers and sisters, on the other hand, are much more inclined to be at ease with a state of unknowing. Why is that? We can trace this attitude to our ancestors the Greeks who were convinced that ultimately
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He knew all about horses and fancy trappings bells that jingled to announce their coming grooms who kept their mounts in healthy splendor and servants who ministered to riders on the journey. Off to the land of France he went right hand of the good Diego Bishop setting forth from Spain to undo damage caused
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Sister Margaret Carey delivered this reflection for the Sisters, Associates, and gathered faith community at Dominican Convent for the Feast of the Transfiguration. The Entrance Antiphon for today is: “In a resplendent cloud, the Holy Spirit appeared. The Father’s voice was heard: ‘This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased. Listen to
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We celebrate James in mid-summer, so I do feel like a haze has to lift for me to get started. Maybe, it was a hazy, early summer morning when Jesus called his first disciples and found James and his brother John with their father, Zebedee, fixing their fishing nets. (Mark 1:18) Many had probably heard something about him, but they were not expecting, after a long evening of fishing, to be called right then. But yes, he calls them to just leave their nets and follow him. And they did!
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Saint Mary Magdalene, first to share the good news of Christ’s resurrection with the apostles, is held as the Patroness of the Dominican Order, the Order of Preachers. Sister Catherine Patrice brings us this same good news today as she reflects on Saint Mary Magdalene. Sister Catherine Patrice ministers in retreat work and spiritual direction.
I Have Seen the Lord Read More »
Saint Kateri in front of Santa Fe Cathedral Sisters Helen Regina, Durso, Christine (Chris) Ferrar and Nora McCarthy served the Indigenous Peoples of the Nakoda and Aaniiih Nations at the St. Paul’s Mission Grade School in Hays, MT for 40 years. We invite you to listen to them reflect on St. Kateri Tekakwitha. https://sparkill.org/wp-content/uploads/Saint-Kateri.mp3
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Sister Helen Robert Boyd shared the following reflection with the Sisters and Associates at liturgy on June 29th. Today we celebrate two giants of early Christianity, Peter and Paul. Both are held in the highest esteem by the Church as can be seen by the prominent positions that their statues hold in St. Peter’s Square
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Some liturgical feast days are very familiar to us, and most certainly our feast today is one of them. How significant do you think it is for today’s Catholic people? Our first response might be that it has little or no significance to them. But we need to explore more deeply.
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The Visitation by Jacopo Pontormo Sister Mary Dunning shared this reflection at liturgy for today’s feast based on Luke 1:39-56. Today’s gospel is filled with impossibilities. Two obscure women meet in a remote village of a conquered, humiliated land. Mary and Elizabeth are Palestinian Jews, citizens of a land crushed under decades of the imperial
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The first chapter of Genesis ends with these words: “God looked at everything God had made and found it to be very good. Evening came and morning followed the sixth day.” Billions of years thereafter the first astronauts experienced the same vision when they looked upon this beautiful swirling blue marble from their small cockpit
The following reflection was delivered by Sister Irene Ellis to the Sisters and Associates at the Foundation Day/Diamond Jubilee Mass on May 7, 2023. Sister Irene Ellis, current Prioress, relates how the spirit of our Founder, Mother Mary Catherine Antoninus Thorpe, is alive and well today. As our early co-founders were congregational cornerstones, we are called to be living stones.
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Sister Margaret Palliser shared this reflection with the Sisters and Associates at Dominican Convent on May 8, the Feast of Mary’s Patronage of the Dominican Order. On this Feast of the Patronage of the Blessed Virgin Mary of the Dominican Order. Today we crown Mary our Mother as our Queen. Ours is a simple ritual, a far cry from the pomp and circumstance of the crowning of Charles III two days ago!
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