Dominican Sister of Peace Mary Jo Fox

Dominican Sister of Peace Mary Jo Fox, OP

Dominican Sister of Peace Mary Jo (Nicholas) Fox, OP, (92), died on September 19, 2021, at the Mohun Health Care Center in Columbus, OH. She was born on November 5, 1929, and entered religious life in 1947. She served God and God’s people as a Dominican Sister of Peace for 74 years.

Sister Mary Jo was the only daughter of eight children born to Nora O’Neill and Laurence Fox of Lancaster, OH. She was drawn to Dominican life by the women who taught her at Saint Mary High School and entered the Congregation in 1947. She made first profession in 1949 and took her final vows in 1952.

True to the Dominican charism of study, Sr. Mary Jo was a well-educated woman. She earned her BS in Education from Ohio Dominican, her Master of Arts in Religious Studies from Providence College, and her Doctor of Philosophy in Theology from Fordham University. She also studied to become a certified Alcoholism Counselor at Rutgers University.

Sister Mary Jo’s early ministry was as an elementary and high school teacher in Connecticut, New York, Ohio, and Pennsylvania. She went on to serve on the faculties of Albertus Magnus College, Maryknoll Seminary and Ohio Dominican University.

After her studies at Rutgers,  Sister Mary Jo began a new ministry as Program Coordinator and Alcoholism Counselor at Saint Joseph Hospital in Iowa. She valued the real-world knowledge of addiction that this work provided and was devoted to aiding and comforting her patients.

Sister Mary Jo also served as Director of Religious Education in Saint Petersburg, Florida and Ottumwa, Iowa. After serving as Religious Education Consultant for the Diocese of Cleveland, Sister Mary Jo returned to Albertus Magnus College as a member of both the faculty and Campus Ministry team.

Beginning her final ministry of prayer and presence at Mohun Health Care Center, she said that she cherished the time to renew her commitment to religious life by associating with “women living their profession as Dominicans.”

She was preceded in death by her parents Lawrence Fox and Norah O’Neill Fox, and her brothers Joseph, Lawrence, John, Hugh, and Carmen. She is survived by her brothers, Patrick and Paul, several nieces and nephews, and her community at the Dominican Sisters of Peace.

A Vigil Service was held on September 24, and the Mass of Christian Burial on September 25, 2021. Sr. Mary Jo Fox was buried at St. Joseph Cemetery in Columbus, OH.

Memorials in honor of Sister Mary Jo Fox, OP,  may be sent to Dominican Sisters of Peace, 2320 Airport Drive, Columbus, OH 43219-2098.

To donate in Sr. Mary Jo’s memory, please click here.

To download a printable copy of this memorial, click here.

Memorial gifts in Sr. Mary Jo Fox’s memory may be also be sent to the Dominican Sisters of Peace, Office of Mission Advancement, 2320 Airport Dr, Columbus, OH 43219.

Posted in Obituaries

Dominican Sister of Peace Adrienne Colson

Dominican Sister of Peace Adrienne Colson

Dominican Sister of Peace Adrienne (Donald) Colson, OP (94), died on October 12, 2021, at Mohun Health Care Center in Columbus, OH.

Sister Adrienne, one of two siblings, was born in 1927 in Columbus, Ohio, to Grace Singer and Desire Colson. She spent a few years working before she responded to  God’s call and entered the Congregation in 1953, celebrating her 65th jubilee in 2021.

Sister Adrienne earned her Bachelor of Science in Elementary Education from Ohio Dominican University,  her Master’s in Education in Religions Studies from Marygrove College, and her Master of Arts in Pastoral Counseling from the Athenaeum of Ohio. She ministered for more than two decades as an elementary teacher in New Mexico, Ohio, and Pennsylvania.

In 1978, Sister Adrienne moved to a new ministry as Religious Education Coordinator for St. Francis Parish in Newark, Ohio, and later as Director of Religious Education for the Diocese of St. Petersburg, FL.

Sister Adrienne loved being an educator, but she found herself “called to serve those who suffered physically as well as emotionally.” She served her congregation at Mohun Health Care Center, then became a Chaplain and Pastoral Minister at Mercy Hospital in Western Hills, Cincinnati. Sister Adrienne was described as showing “empathy, respect, and courtesy” to the patients, and those to whom she ministered felt blessed by her healing presence.

The Columbus Motherhouse welcomed Sr. Adrienne in 2003 where she offered prayer and service, and she entered her final ministry of prayer and presence at the Mohun Health Care Center in 2015.

Sr. Adrienne Colson was preceded in death by her parents, Desire and Grace Singer Colson. A sister, Marie Wade, and nephews, and a niece survive her.

A wake for Sr, Adrienne was held on October 20. The Mass of Christian Burial was conducted on October 21 at the Dominican Sisters of Peace Motherhouse, and Sr. Adrienne was buried at St Joseph Cemetery in Columbus, OH.

Memorial gifts in Sr. Adrienne’s memory may be sent to the Dominican Sisters of Peace, Office of Mission Advancement, 2320 Airport Dr., Columbus, OH 43219 or submitted securely at oppeace.org.

To donate in Sr. Adrienne’s memory, please click here.

To download a printable copy of this memorial, click here.

Memorial gifts in Sr.Adrienne Colson’s memory may be also be sent to the Dominican Sisters of Peace, Office of Mission Advancement, 2320 Airport Dr, Columbus, OH 43219.

Posted in Obituaries

Learning through Play

Blog by Sr. Bea Tiboldi, OP

Recently, I participated in a workshop online that started with an icebreaker that took us to a virtual “escape room.” The name of this game may sound scary, but it is a fun game if you like brain games. During the game, the brain is put to a good workout – looking for clues, decoding puzzles, solving word problems, and even trying to read between the lines of a word problem.

Before playing the game, I wondered how this game was supposed to help us strengthen the various skills we each were working on. However, I learned that the virtual escape room game was just the right fit for our workshop. This game required us to discern solutions together by listening to one another’s perspectives and findings, by having to voice each new clue or key information, and by using other compassionate communication skills (i.e. encouraging one another, cheering on the team, and staying positive – negative thoughts would have just hurt the progress.) This game offered plenty of opportunities for practicing other skills, such as staying open to others’ perspectives and having a limited time to respond helped us practice how we should not overthink the challenges.

How does all this resonate with one’s discernment? In the game, players look for clues and they do it by helping one another. Similarly, when someone is discerning religious life, IT IS A JOURNEY THAT NO ONE TAKES ALONE. We recommend talking to someone you trust, as well as working with a spiritual director and a vocation minister. You may also want to consider participating in our discernment group or our prayer group, with other women who are discerning their call to religious life. In addition, you can always count on our prayers.

Participating in the game, we could not get fixated on just one detail – similarly, when discerning religious life, we try to DISCERN FROM VARIOUS PERSPECTIVES. During the game, we shared and received insights about the things that were being discovered. During discernment, we, too, RECEIVE INPUTS AND SHARE INSIGHTS through sharing faith with one another, and through gaining insights that others may notice, but that we haven’t noticed yet. In the game, we had several “ah-ha” moments and each of those moments helped us gain clarity, which resonates with the discernment process: through PRAYER, we may experience “AH-HA” MOMENTS and AFFIRMATION, which can help us GAIN a deeper CLARITY about our vocation.

TEST IT OUT. After finding a solution in the game, we put it to the test by typing in the answer in the computer or by turning the numbers on a lock. Similar to discernment, when praying with the thoughts of discerning a life of prayer that is lived in a community, we recommend you give religious life a try to see what it feels like.

Last but not least… another element that I think resonates with discerning a call to religious life is BEING IN SYNC. When playing the game, players need to be in sync with each other because syncing ensures accuracy. We can discern our vocation more accurately, if not only our heart and mind are in sync, but also if our heart is in sync with the religious community’s charism, mission, and life in community, and ultimately and most importantly, if our heart is in sync with God. Being in TOTAL SYNC WITH GOD requires us to BE ATTENTIVE, to LISTEN, to TRUST, to be OPEN to where God guides us, and accepting that everything happens in GOD’S TIME.

If you are discerning God’s call to religious life, remember, you don’t need to walk this journey alone. We are here to walk with you. Click here to contact us.

Posted in God Calling?, Vocations Blog

United Nations Climate Conference of the Parties

Blog by Associate Judy Hardy

The 26th United Nations Climate Conference of the Parties (COPS) is being held in Glasgow, Scotland from October 31st through November 12th.

At this meeting, we pray that our world leaders will have the wisdom and courage to address climate change, that those in power make courageous changes to laws and policies to lessen the damage to the earth and that they will do everything in their power to protect the environment as serving as stewards of the earth is a moral duty.

 

 

Our Prayer for COP26

Lord, our planetary home is hurting
due to global warming and climate change.

Lord, grant us the wisdom to care for the earth.
Help us to act now for the good of future generations
and all your creatures.

Help us to become instruments of a new creation,
founded on the covenant of your love.

Amen

 

Please join the Dominican Sisters of Peace and Associates as we pray throughout the 13 days of COP26:

  • October 31st – We pray that many persons will read and share the messages of Laudato Si’
  • November 1st – We pray that all people recognize that each of us has a responsibility to do our part to reverse climate change.
  • November 2nd – We pray for a greater use of renewable energy.
  • November 3rd – We pray for legislators to enact laws that ensure clean water and air especially the release of methane gas
  • November 4th – We pray for the protection of the Amazon Rain Forest and the African forests and the reduction/cessation of logging in these and other woodlands
  • November 5th – We pray that the lands and customs of indigenous peoples be respected and protected
  • November 6th –  We pray that the works of eco-martyrs Sr. Dorothy Stang, SND, Jairo Mora Sandoval and others has not been in vain and that others may be inspired/motivated by their efforts.
  • November 7th – We pray for the reduction and removal of plastics in our oceans, lakes and rivers that threaten aquatic life.
  • November 8th – We pray for safe environments for birds, butterflies, moths, bees and other pollinators necessary for crop production
  • November 9th – We pray for people who live in poverty who most often must live in areas that are subjected to contaminated air, water or land.
  • November 10th – We pray for those experimenting with ways to reduce our carbon footprint
  • November 11th – We pray all God’s creatures and especially for those species of plants and animals that are threatened with extinction
  • November 12th – We pray that the U.S. Catholic bishops to write a public letter to the faithful supporting the urgency for action to fight man-made climate change.

 

Here are some additional petitions for this period of contemplation and negotiation for world leaders.

  • We pray that we can accept the challenges of cleaning up our rivers, lakes, and oceans.
  • We pray for the many people living on land that will be lost due to rising waters.
  • We pray that the areas of our country suffering from drought will receive the rain they need.
  • We pray that the generous harvests many are experiencing will be shared with those in need.
  • We pray that abandoned oil and gas wells that leak methane and contaminate groundwater, exacerbating climate change and causing health issues, be cleaned. We welcome the 120,000 jobs this effort would create.
  • We pray that companies will find ways to reduce the use of plastics in their products.

Click here to download a PDF of these special prayers.

Posted in Peace & Justice Blog

Dominican Sister of Peace Lin Howley

Dominican Sister of Peace Lin Howley

Dominican Sister of Peace Lin (Kevin) Howley, OP, (98) died on October 21, 2021, at the Mohun Health Care Center, Columbus, OH.

Sister Lin was born on September 22, 1923, to Margaret Langan and Thomas Howley of Youngstown, OH . She attended both St. Dominic and Our Lady of the Elms, and, as she said, the Sisters’ “‘goodness, excitement and sense of humor” inspired her to enter the Congregation at 19 years of age in 1940, made first profession in 1942 and took final vows in 1948. Sister Lin would have celebrated 80 years of faithful service to the people of God in 2022.

Sister Lin earned her BS in Education from Saint John College. She ministered as a teacher and principal in Akron, Alliance, Barberton, Cleveland, and Mantua, explaining that “education is where my vocation lies.”

In response to the many changes that she saw in the Church and the people around her, Sr. Lin began a new ministry, dedicating herself to adult religious education and missionary work in Aspen and Glenwood Springs, CO.

When she returned to Ohio,  she served as Elementary Parochial School Religion Consultant for the Youngstown diocese, DRE at St. Joseph Parish in Alliance, and in Pastoral Ministry and Grieving Ministry in Alliance and Canton.

One of Sister Lin’s most meaningful ministries was her service as the “day-to-day, on­site religious presence” and Co-Administrator at All Saints Parish. She also ministered as a receptionist and volunteer in Willowick and Leetonia before returning to the Akron Motherhouse.

Sister Lin served her Congregation as well, working committees to enrich the life of the Sisters, help draft policies, or celebrate special occasions. She also volunteered to work with the Las Casas on-site team at the White Earth Center and Hospitality House in Oklahoma.

Sr. Lin served her final ministry of prayer and presence at the Akron Motherhouse and the Mohun Health Care Center in Columbus, OH.

Sister Joan Franklin, a close friend of Sr. Lin, remembered her as a wonderful friend and a woman of great humor. “She was proud of her Irish heritage, and even more proud of being a Dominican,” Sr. Joan said. “She was a gifted preacher, and we were blessed by her preaching.”

Sr. Lin was preceded in death by her brothers, Thomas, James, and Edward. She is survived by nieces, Maureen and Keith Altier, Patricia and Kerry Paulin; nephews, Thomas and Amanda Howley, Edward and Barbara Howley; and grandnieces and grandnephews, as well as the community of the Dominican Sisters of Peace.

A Vigil Service was held on October 26, and the Mass of Christian Burial on October 27., both at the Our Lady of the Elms Motherhouse in Akron, OH. Sr. Lin was buried at Holy Cross Cemetery.

To donate in Sr. Lin’s memory, please click here.

To download a printable copy of this memorial, click here.

Memorial gifts in Sr. Lin Howley’s memory may be also be sent to the Dominican Sisters of Peace, Office of Mission Advancement, 2320 Airport Dr, Columbus, OH 43219.

 

Posted in Obituaries