Walking the Way of the Cross
Holy Week Reflection: Walking the Way of the Cross by David L. Coppola. First Published in Living With Christ, 2017.
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Poetry for the Soul, 2023
We invite you to see through the creative eyes of our poets! Poem by Sister Joan Dolores Willemse (d.1969)
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Palm Sunday 2023
Passion (Palm) Sunday is the day on which we celebrate and remember Christ’s triumphant entry into Jerusalem on a donkey. He was honored as a king while palm branches and olive branches were waved before him. The crowds were excited and shouted, “Hosanna!” How did we learn about this procession? Some research on the web
Feast of the Annunciation
Reflections on the Annunciation by Pauline Blandina, OP Mary, daughter of Anne and Joachim, was going about her daily routine when she became aware of a presence and of a request that was being made of her. Did she realize that this request through the Angel Gabriel was from God the Father? Certainly, she was
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The Feast of St. Joseph
Happy Feast Day dear sisters and brothers, especially to Sr. Miriam Joseph on her first feast day in heaven! What can we say about this Patron of the Universal Church? We have a conundrum today because how did a carpenter from Nazareth rise to such an auspicious status? Especially one who could be described as
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I Believe
“‘I do believe, Lord’, and he worshipped him.” John 9:38 I go to Mass on Sundays. I watch YouTube videos with sermons that examine Bible verses when I thirst for scripture. The first thing I do when I wake up in the morning and right before I close my eyes is open my lavender-colored Bible
Feast of St. Patrick
There must be something about being green—just look around! But beyond the shamrocks and harps can we, using a slightly green lens, explore how Celtic Christianity Spirituality is echoed in Pope Francis’ Laudato Si’ encyclical? Doing some web searching I found a paper by Kevin Vaughn titled: The Imagination of Interconnection: Laudato Si’ and Celtic
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Ash Wednesday
Ash Wednesday marks the beginning of Lent, the 40-day season of prayer, fasting, and almsgiving that prepares us to celebrate the Resurrection. Those attending mass on this day will have their foreheads marked with ashes as a sign of repentance. Some might question us when they see the cross on our foreheads, “Did you remember to
St. Josephine Bakhita, Patron Saint of Freedom
Today, February 8, we commemorate the Feast Day of St. Josephine Bakhita, patron saint of freedom for persons victimized by human trafficking. At 7 years of age, she was kidnapped from her small village in the Darfur region of Sudan and sold into slavery. Like other slaves, Josephine was badly beaten, abused, and sold multiple
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Saint Thomas Aquinas, OP
Sometime last year I was surfing the internet and I came upon an article titled: “A Thomistic Approach to the Moral Evils of Racism,” by Therese Scarpelli Cory, Associate Professor of Thomistic Studies at Notre Dame. The title interested me, and I scanned the article and put it away to read at a later time.
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When All Was in Quiet Stillness
When we hear the sentence from the eighteenth chapter of the Book of Wisdom, “When all was in quiet stillness and the night was during its course,” just the sound of these words takes us beyond ourselves. Where do we go? We travel into a deep and safe silence that belongs to Christmas Eve. There
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God is With Us
Since ancient times, humanity has held various versions of belief in the existence of a god or gods. The oldest civilizations in Mesopotamia, the land between the two rivers of the Euphrates and Tigris, built exotic temples to placate the gods by offering them gifts of food, and in some cases, human sacrifice. The purpose
What Are You Waiting For
The following is Lillian’s Advent Vesper reflection for the Sisters in Dominican Convent. My beloved Sisters, It is an honor to celebrate Advent and share my personal reflection with you today on the reading from James 5:7-10. I am overwhelmed with feelings of warmth and love as I read through each verse of this reading.
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Feast of the Immaculate Conception
During these past few weeks, I’ve spent more time than usual with our Blessed Mother as I worked to prepare these reflections. I must admit, it has been an unexpectedly good way to enter more deeply into this beautiful Advent season!In exploring a bit of history of this feast, I discovered that there are differences
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Feast of All Souls
During these early days of November, we are called to contemplate the great doctrine of the Communion of Saints, which we declare every time we say the Apostles Creed. Sometimes in our recitation, we may not always give it the attention it deserves. The communion of saints is the spiritual harmony that binds together the faithful on earth, those still journeying to God, and the saints in heaven as the mystical body of Christ.
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POPE JOHN XXlll
On October 11, we marked the Feast of John XXlll, which is neither his birth nor his death in 1962. However, he officially opened the Second Vatican Council. In his opening remarks at the Council, he said that the Gospel of Jesus had not changed but we have grown to understand it better. The Council
Feast of St. Francis of Assisi
We know that each of the saints in our Catholic roster tried to emulate the life of Jesus in her or his unique way. Saint Bonaventure writes that Saint Francis of Assisi became the epitome of this effort. Francis had lived a privileged and worldly youth, sought honor as a knight and experienced suffering through
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Dominican Middle School Raza Abad Multan, Pakistan
This is the first of a three-part series to introduce the educational ministry of our Sisters in Pakistan. This piece focuses on Multan, a densely populated city. The next article will focus on the small desert village of Loretto. The third installment will introduce the small city of Bahawalpur, the center of our Community’s life
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The Litany of Loreto: A Way of Remembering Mary in the Beauty of September
September comes softly; for some of us maybe with a glistening tear because that is what beauty can do. Lyrics from the musical “The Fantasticks” come to mind: “Try to remember the days of September when life was so tender that no one wept except the willow.” How can we look into all this golden
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Women of Wisdom, Giving and Receiving
You are invited to listen to Sisters reflecting on their experience of receiving care after a lifetime of giving it to others. Sisters Muriel Cooney, Natalie DeNatalie, John Rose (Peggy) Hartling, and Mary Reynolds are facing forward with hope and integrity. These women of wisdom disprove the notion that we ever stop giving. Rather, we
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To Jesus Through Mary
Today’s feast of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary is a time when I like to pause and reflect upon the young Jewish maiden who courageously gave her “yes” to become the Mother of the long-awaited Messiah—and to the mystery that constantly unfolded during her lifetime. When I do so, I discover once more
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St. Dominic Friended an Order
Bust of Saint Dominic — found in Café Inggo 1587, this is a reproduction of the same bust found in Bologna that was carved after a scientific analysis had been made of the relic of his skull, so as to obtain a true image of the holy father’s face (photo taken by Rolando Edward Lim)
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Feast of St. Dominic
We have much to celebrate in the life and legacy of Dominic de Guzmán, founder of the worldwide Order of Preachers. In his fervent desire to share the light of truth (Veritas), Dominic took a holistic approach to life and learning when he integrated the strength of four pillars of study, prayer, service, and common
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I’ve got good news: We all preach!
Mary Magdalene, Holy Equal of the Apostles © Sister Toni Harris, OP July, the month we celebrate the feast of St. Mary Magdalene, often brings to my mind the above quote from Sister Pat Walsh (RIP), who was a special part of our congregation, the Dominican Sisters of Sparkill. It is a quote I first
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Feast of Saint Kateri Tekakwitha
The encyclical letter Laudato Sí (“Praise be to You, my Lord”) was issued by Pope Francis in 2015. Sister Carolyn Wolfbauer (d. 2022) and I discussed with excitement and hope what the letter could mean for a world confronted by the destruction of climate change. Since its publication, millions of sincere and resolute people—scientists, theologians,
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Our Sisters Return from Ukraine
Sisters Valorie Lordi and Bernadette Nonnon shared their reflections upon their return from a 10-day mission experience in Slovakia and Ukraine. They went to be with our Dominican Sisters of Blessed Imelda, Slovakia, and the Ukrainian refugees whom they serve. Sister Valorie: I felt called to make this journey, to put my feet on the
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In Their Own Words
800 years after the founding of the Dominican Order, its charism is alive and well at Albertus Magnus High School in Bardonia, NY. Let’s listen to the members of the Albertus Magnus Preaching Team, moderated by Sr. Nancy Richter, reflect on their experiences. These high school students are proclaiming the Good News in their own
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Sacred Heart of Jesus, I Place All My Trust in Thee
Sister Jeanne Shary’s conversation with Sister Mary Rose Mullervy Sister Mary Rose: From early years, as children in our home, we always had a plaque with the Sacred Heart prayer in the foyer. In the bedroom, there was also lovely picture of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. I grew up with and I still frequently
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Wow! The Holy Spirit is Awesome!
During my childhood years, I was introduced to the Holy Spirit through a picture of a group of people gathered together, with small flames hovering over each one’s head. I remember thinking to myself, “Wow! The Holy Spirit is awesome!” I didn’t know then the reality and magnitude of that impression. As we celebrate the
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Siena Hall Peacemakers
Siena Hall is home to more than 40 Sparkill Dominican Sisters who receive nursing care. Join Sparkill Dominican Sister’s Chris Ferrar and Nora McCarthy as they share the story of the Sisters’ Peace Prayer for Ukraine. https://sparkill.org/wp-content/uploads/siena_hall_peacemakers_2.mp3
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