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.
Foundation Day & Diamond Jubilee Celebration Read More »
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!
Feast of Mary, Patroness of the Dominican Order Read More »
“Although you have hidden these things from the wise and the learned, you have revealed them to the childlike.” These opening words from today’s Gospel caught my attention…. the childlike. That’s childlike, not childish—two very different ways of being for sure. Catherine, I believe, was childlike. She was a woman whose childlike qualities served her
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This icon of St. Mark the Evangelist is found at St. Mark Parish in Phoenix. (Ambria Hammel/CATHOLIC SUN) How often do we hear the very familiar words announcing the Gospel according to Mark? Mark’s Gospel was probably written between 65-70 CE and provided both Matthew and Luke with sources for their Gospels. Do we ever
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I commute to work via the Palisades Parkway (aka the Indianapolis 500 of NY State). The ride never fails to get my heart racing, test my automotive skills, and have me thank God that I have made it through another commute and lived to see another day. Curiously, at one point about a month ago,
“Jesus said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you looking for?” She thought it was the gardener and said to him, “Sir, if you carried him away, tell me where you laid him, and I will take him. 11 Jesus said to her, “Mary!” She turned and said to him in Hebrew,
Sent Forth in Love Read More »
Sister Lillian McNamara shares a Good Friday prayer and image from Saugerties. We thank her for this beautiful meditation from the foot of the cross.
Wash one another’s feet. After Supper Jesus and his disciples walked to the garden of Gethsemane. Jesus said to them: “The sorrow in my heart is so great that it almost crushes me. Stay here and keep watch with me.” (Matthew 26:38) Jesus asks his disciples for the simple gift of their presence, their accompaniment.
Holy Thursday – Stay With Me Read More »
Holy Week Reflection: Walking the Way of the Cross by David L. Coppola. First Published in Living With Christ, 2017.
Walking the Way of the Cross Read More »
We invite you to see through the creative eyes of our poets! Poem by Sister Joan Dolores Willemse (d.1969)
Poetry for the Soul, 2023 Read More »
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
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
Feast of the Annunciation Read More »
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 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
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
Feast of St. Patrick Read More »
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
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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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.
Saint Thomas Aquinas, OP Read More »
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
When All Was in Quiet Stillness Read More »
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
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.
What Are You Waiting For Read More »
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
Feast of the Immaculate Conception Read More »
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.
Feast of All Souls Read More »
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
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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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
Dominican Middle School Raza Abad Multan, Pakistan Read More »
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
The Litany of Loreto: A Way of Remembering Mary in the Beauty of September Read More »
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
Women of Wisdom, Giving and Receiving Read More »
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
To Jesus Through Mary Read More »