Being Mission Driven

The primary charism of the Dominican Order is to preach.  This preaching takes many different forms in our daily lives.  You can find Dominican Sisters preaching through their ministry to the poor, in social justice, in parishes and in education, in care for creation, and through spiritual retreats and the arts.

For a glimpse into these ministries, check out these videos here.

Peace and Justice Ministries

Peace Center (7 minutes) — At this outreach center, several Sisters continue the commitment of the Dominican Sisters of Peace to the people of New Orleans within the Marlyville-Fontainbleau neighborhood. Listen to Sr. Therese Leckert, O.P. as she describes the various ways the Peace Center is serving this neighborhood.

Protect Dreamers (4 minutes) – Our congregation reaches out and supports immigrants and this video highlights the issues that Dreamers face and how we are advocating for their needs.

Ecology Centers

Crown Point Ecology Center (6 minutes) — Crown Point Ecology Center is a non-profit ecology center of the Dominican Sisters of Peace in Bath, Ohio and its mission is to demonstrate the practical application of ecology, its connection to spirituality, promoting justice and practicing environmental protection. Watch this video to learn how Crown Point provides organic food, how they help their local community fight hunger, and how they enhance ecological education.

Heartland Farm (22 minutes) — “Expressions of the heart come to life at Heartland Farm.” Many of the Sisters in Great Bend, Kansas grew up on family farms. Inspired by Wendell Berry’s vision, the Dominican Sisters purchased a farm on which to build a strong community, where they worked to protect and preserve the land.  

Making Peace with Air (12 minutes) — The Dominican Sisters of Peace are committed to fostering God’s web of life. Learn about air, air pollution, and various ways to restore ecosystem health, to improve habitat quality, to reduce indoor and outdoor air pollution, and to care for air and all God’s creation. You can learn more about our commitment to the environment by visiting our Ecology Centers webpage.

Shepherd’s Corner — Shepherd’s Corner, founded in 1992, is an ecological ministry of the Dominican Sisters of Peace, located in Blacklick, Ohio. This 160-acre natural oasis serves as a center for ecology, spirituality, and education. The property’s diverse range of habitats offers a haven for wildlife and native flora, plus a place of peace, natural beauty, and spiritual refreshment.  In these four videos, you can learn about our chemical-free naturally grown gardens, chickens, sheep, a llama, a turf labyrinth, greenhouses, and meditation trails.

Education Ministries – Adult Literacy and Learning Centers

Dominican Learning Center (14 minutes) — In 1994, the Dominican Sisters started a literacy center to work with the poor, the marginalized, and to help adults obtain their GED.  Located in Columbus, Ohio, this center is a place where adults can learn to read and write and acquire math and computer skills.  Immigrants can also learn to read, write, and converse in English as well as prepare for citizenship tests and employment opportunities.

Siena Learning Center (6 minutes) — Siena Learning Center (New Britain, Connecticut), a founded ministry of the Dominican Sisters of Peace, serves adult learners from largely Spanish and Polish-speaking populations, along with students from many countries around the world.  This holistic literacy program has a special emphasis on ESL speaking, reading, and writing skills.

Education Ministries – Primary and Secondary Education

St. Agnes Academy-St. Dominic School (2 minutes) — Step inside our school with this virtual tour, where “students are encouraged to bring the best version of themselves,” where “everyone finds their place” and where “everyone is part of the whole community here” and where “everyone does his or her part to make things happen.”

St. Mary’s Dominican High School (5 minutes) — At St. Mary’s Dominican High School in New Orleans, Louisiana, students are at the heart of all we do and we help them prepare for college and the future.  One student commented that the school is “more than just your studies and your schoolwork, it’s also about the bonds and the friendships.” Here, students also learn that there is more than ‘one way’ to pray to God and to be with God’s people. 

Dominican Academy (1 minute) — The only All-Honors high school for girls in New York City, New York, Dominican Academy “feels like a home,” where creativity and curiosity is nurtured and where teachers challenge and guide students to reach their full potential. One student shares that what she “got here is unparalleled, and she knows it has prepared her for college.”

Education Ministries – Higher Education

Albertus Magnus College — (2 minutes) — Founded in the Dominican tradition, Albertus Magnus in New Haven Connecticut, is a college that is rich in history, tradition, success, and values. The college offers undergraduate, graduate, and adult accelerated degree programs available in person and online. “With its groundbreaking adult programs, Albertus caters to working adults, veterans, and students looking to be empowered with quality education close to home that will take them farther than they’ve ever dreamed.”

Ohio Dominican University (1 minute) — With small class sizes and personal attention, Ohio Dominican University offers Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees, based on the foundations on faith, values and ethics. The university welcomes all who seek to find and share truth, trusting in the rigor of reason and the light of faith to unite their diverse community.

Preaching with Scripture

How the Good Samaritan was Called by God by Sr. June Fitzgerald, OP (11 minutes) — Sr. June offers a reflection on the Gospel reading, Luke 10: 35-37, and talks about how God uses our daily life experiences to touch us, to guide us, to call us to new possibilities.  She comments on how like the Good Samaritan was called as he was on his daily trek to respond to a need, the call to religious life can happen in everyday times and circumstances.  Sr. June encourages discerners to be open to hearing God’s invitation in their lives and to respond in whatever way is best for oneself and for God’s kingdom.

Preaching through the Arts

Little Tapestries of Life by Sr. Thoma Swanson, OP (9 minutes) —  After many years as a professor of art, Sr. Thoma embarked on a new journey, travelling to Peru, working with indigenous women to create hand-made tapestries to share their culture and to sell to support their families.

Spiritual Life

Heartland Center for Spirituality (10 minutes) — In Great Bend, Kansas, the Heartland Center for Spirituality is a place for personal growth and spiritual renewal that nurtures body, mind and spirit. It offers a place where one can experience an atmosphere of hospitality, serenity and personal growth.

Martin de Porres Center 15th Year Anniversary (4 minutes) — What are ways Dominican Sisters of Peace are called “to be missionary to reach out with the Gospel of Jesus Christ?” Watch this video about our Martin de Porres Center in Columbus, OH, on the occasion of its 15th anniversary.

Mission for Peace Talks

During our virtual 2020 Mission for Peace program, Sisters shared with discerners about their ministries and culture as they build and preach peace in the following nine videos.

Catholic Native Americans (48 minutes) — “To Stand with Christ, is to stand for all, especially where there is great injustice.” As a descendant of the indigenous peoples of the Americas, Sr. Rachel Sena, OP, shares about the importance of integrating and weaving truth of our culture and our spirituality as one.

Dominicans in Ecology (31 minutes) — Sr. Jane Belanger, OP, explains and exemplifies how Dominicans care for creation.

Ministry of Presence (37 minutes) — Sr. Janice Thome, OP, shares about her ministry of presence with those living on the margins in Garden City, Kansas. She defines it as a “direct ministry to the economic poor, and it doesn’t matter who they are, where they’re from, why they are poor, just that they are in need, and we never ask.”

Mission Experience at the Texas-Mexico Border (47 minutes) — Sr. Joye Gros OP, Sr. Mary Vuong OP, and Sr. Margie Davis OP share how they responded to the call to be with those in need. Watch this video to learn how Sisters lived the mission as they cooked and served meals, helped with transportation, offered translation services, among other tasks at the Texas-Mexico border in welcoming immigrants.

Mission in Nigeria (56 minutes) — In 1952, when Dominican Sisters in Great Bend, Kansas, celebrated their 50th anniversary, they asked: “What return can we make to the Lord for all these blessings?” After some conversations, in 1956, four Sisters embarked on their journey to Nigeria as missionaries. Watch this video to see how their mission flourished and continues today.

Peace and Justice (52 minutes) — Sr. Judy Morris, OP, shares several practical ways how Dominican Sisters of Peace respond to violence in our world, speak against the exploitation of poor people, and advocate for the protection of our planet.

Responding to the Needs of Our Times (53 minutes) — Sisters Suzanne Brauer OP, Pat Thomas OP, Ceal Warner OP, and Phuong Vu share about how they respond to the needs of our times in the New Orleans area.  After knocking on doors to identify the greatest needs of the New Orleans area, the Peace Center continually reevaluates and serves the community’s changing needs.

Understanding Ourselves from the Perspective of Deep Time (37 minutes) — Sr. Claire McGowan OP shares that “Being a Dominican involves being a relentless pursuit of God in a community of others.” She explains deep time as a new perspective on humanity that “connects our personal, communal, and species stories with the larger story of the evolution of the universe.” She also explains cosmology as a “perspective, a worldview that gives meaning to the journey of life.” To learn what the five principles of deep time are, watch this video.

“Oh eternal Father… the light of faith, feeds the fire in my soul and makes it grow; make it so it can only burn with the fire of charity.” (Catherine of Siena, Prayer 17)