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September 2023

Reflections of the Director

A Home for All

By Nancy Mason Bordley

Director, Office of Dominican Charism

The Dominican family of Adrian champions an inclusive Vatican II religious community, preaching truth through the four pillars of community, prayer, study, and ministry. Since the Middle Ages, Dominican friars, brothers, nuns, sisters, associates, and lay partners have been active across the globe as educators, healers, mystics, advocates, scholars, and more. 

On the 800th anniversary of St. Dominic’s death, Pope Francis praised St. Dominic for being an early pioneer of a synodal Church built on the ideal of equality, which would enable the Dominicans to adapt to “changing historical contexts while maintaining a fraternal community.’’ In Dominic’s time, communities in Southern France were leaving the established church. Dominic's efforts led them to the Dominican family – a more inclusive and collaborative way of being Church.

In our own time, we are seeing an even more dramatic decline in church affiliation. As a result, Pope Francis launched a synod, a four-year process of listening and dialogue, especially with the marginalized. To summarize the recent findings of this synod, the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops published the National Synthesis of the People of God in the United States of America for the Diocesan Phase of the 2021-2023 Synod: For a Synodal Church: Communion, Participation, and Mission.

A Welcoming Church

The most common desire named in the synodal consultations was to be a more welcoming Church, where all members of the People of God can find accompaniment on the journey. The synodal consultations mentioned several areas of tension between walking with people and remaining faithful to the teachings of the Church. 

“For many, the perception is that the blanket application of rules and policies is used as a means of wielding power or acting as a gatekeeper,” according to the National Synthesis. As one synodal consultation described, “People noted that the Church seems to prioritize doctrine over people, rules and regulations over lived reality. People want the Church to be a home for the wounded and broken, not an institution for the perfect. They want the Church to meet people where they are, wherever they are, and walk with them rather than judging them; to build real relationships through care and authenticity, not superiority.”

We all know of family, friends, and acquaintances who are no longer church-goers, yet we know them to be spiritual, faith-filled folks. Our Dominican family offers a home for them today, just as it did for those in the 13th century. The Dominican family continues to provide an inclusive and participatory church. Adrian Dominicans focus on diversity, gender equality, sustainability, and spirituality. Do you know someone whose life radiates the Dominican Charism who may be searching for a beloved community to share their gifts and talents? Talk to them about your passion and love of the Charism and invite them to further discussion and reflection. Anyone, regardless of physical location, can join the Dominican family and sit at the table!

In Dominic’s time, the faithful were being confused by false prophets. This challenge inspired the creation of a Dominican family led by both vowed religious and lay Dominicans like St. Catherine of Siena. Both vowed and lay Dominicans convincingly spoke truth to a divided world. 

The modern world has also been divided by false prophets. Once again, the Dominican family – both vowed religious and Partners in Mission – are called to speak truth convincingly to a confused world. But our vowed religious need us, the Partners in Mission, to follow Catherine’s example in speaking the truth.

I am proud to have been called to be a Partner in Mission in these challenging times. I am privileged to work with our Partners who are Associates, Co-workers, members of sponsored and legacy institutions, benefactors, and friends.

Following in the Footsteps of Dominic

In the 12th century, our founder, St. Dominic, walked barefoot from village to village, preaching the faith. In fact, Dominic journeyed four times on foot to Rome. Eventually, he would send out his brothers in small groups to preach to various European learning centers. Once, Dominic said, “If grain is sown, it bears fruit, but if it is stored, it rots.”

Today, we in the 21st century are called to keep Dominic’s legacy alive and flourishing. While we can communicate through social media, building meaningful and lasting relationships still requires meeting people in person. So, like Dominic and his followers, we must use our feet and our own voices to bear the fruit of our rich Dominican Charism.

We invite volunteers to form small teams of Dominican Partners who will be willing to meet with groups in their area/region of the country. These teams will talk about our Charism and share information about the various forms of Dominican life with parish groups, intentional communities, or special interest gatherings. It should only take about a couple of hours per month. We will create a toolbox with talking points and materials. You only need to be passionate about our Charism and own comfortable walking shoes!

For more information or to volunteer for this project, or if you know someone who might be willing to join you, contact Nancy Mason Bordley at 517-226-3534.

News from the Dominican Family

In the recently created Dominican Charism Initiative, voices from across the Dominican family share their perspectives on the unique gift of the Dominican Charism. This online learning experience allows members of the Dominican family to reflect on and grow in understanding and living our Dominican Charism with ever greater integrity and commitment. 

Over the course of seven modules, participants explore varied dimensions of the Dominican Charism. Each 20-minute interactive session within the module is self-paced and consists of prayer, video presentations, guided reflections, and opportunities for collaboration with participants from across the globe. Participation is free to Sisters, Associates, and Dominican Partners.

The seven modules are: The Life, Spirit, and Mission of St. Dominic; The Call to Preach; The Call to Action; Global Dominican Family; The Call to Truth; Dominican Prayer; and Dominican Spirituality.

To participate, please complete the online registration. Following registration, you will receive a welcome email with information on how to work through the modules.

For more information, please visit the Dominican Charism Initiative website or contact me at associates@adriandominicans.org or 517-266-3534.

This is a wonderful opportunity to engage with our Dominican Family to celebrate how the gift of our charism makes a difference in our lives and in the world today.

Last month, Dominican Veritas Ministries (DVM) hosted its inaugural retreat for school presidents, trustees, and corporate members. Our small group of 24 gathered for three days to share, reflect, and be formed by the Dominican Charism.

DVM signals a new chapter in the story of the U.S. Dominican Sisters. We are a unique community, established by five congregations and developed as the future canonical sponsor of an initial nine K-12 schools in five states. Some of us have been with the Dominican family for more than six decades, others for less than six days. 

Shaping DVM requires us to bring our histories, faith, and hopes together meaningfully and invites us to be formed in new ways by the timelessness of the Dominican Charism.

Gathering at the Motherhouse campus of the Dominican Sisters of Adrian allowed us to partner with the Congregation’s Office of Dominican Charism. During planning meetings with Director Nancy Mason Bordley, I shared the goals of the DVM retreat, and together we outlined the challenges and possibilities for engaging our diverse group. 

On the second morning of the retreat, Nancy provided an excellent presentation that enriched our thinking as ministers and emboldened the presidents with new models to inspire their leadership. One president commented, “This session offered a great perspective on how our schools can impact their communities and how our leadership can guide the way.” Another expressed appreciation for the presentation and its emphasis on total quality ministry, adding, “It’s a great model for teacher and staff formation.”

As DVM continues to evolve and expand, it will need the support of those who possess a special “fluency” with the Dominican Charism and can nurture a “spiritual grammar” within those who are called to model its significance with all constituents of a Dominican school community, especially the youth. 

DVM looks forward to continuing its partnership with the Office of Dominican Charism.

Associate Judi Engel watches as high school students learn the art of pottery.

Each year, the Dominican Youth Movement USA sponsors two preaching conferences for young people: one for college/university students and the other for high school students. Both are directed toward introducing young people to Dominican life and traditions, including the Dominican Charism of preaching.

The purpose statement for the high school conference is as follows: “The Dominican High Schools Preaching Conference empowers high school students to discover and deepen the preacher within themselves through prayer, study, community, and interaction with members of the Dominican family.” Read more.

After several months of a hiatus, many are starting to see their way back to the Adrian Dominican Sisters Motherhouse Campus, where they found peace in walking the grounds and learning more about the Dominican life, history, and legacy.

Courtney Berrien, Director of the Adrian Dominican Institute of Mission and Leadership at Barry University, recently visited Adrian. She succeeds Sister Linda Bevilacqua, OP, the institute’s inaugural director in the years following her retirement as President of Barry University. 

Nancy Mason Bordley coordinated Courtney’s visit, which helped Courtney to prepare herself for her new role.

“Stepping into Sister Linda’s shoes to steward the Adrian Dominican legacy at Barry University is an awesome responsibility,” Courtney said. “As the first lay leader to direct the Institute, much of my work will involve making connections between the Sisters’ legacy and the contemporary ways Barry University lives its mission.”

She found her visit to Adrian extremely helpful. “Not only do I have a more in-depth understanding of the Adrian Dominican Charism and history, but I also built relationships with the Sisters and lay-leaders who are keeping the Charism alive today,” Courtney said. “I believe that having the opportunity to brainstorm with Nancy and the time to reflect in the contemplative spaces at Adrian provided me with a solid foundation to begin my work. I look forward to taking advantage of the network and resources offered through the Office of Dominican Charism in the months ahead.”

We welcome all our Partners to the Adrian Dominican Sisters’ home and ask that you allow us to assist you in promoting the Dominican Charism.

Reflections from the Dominican Family

I didn’t have a fondness for ice cream when I was younger. Yes, I know, that’s strange. I am more of a pastry type of person. 

During my summers as a graduate student at the Motherhouse in Adrian, however, I came to know the importance of ice cream in the lives of Dominicans and began to love it. The Sisters would gather after dinner to savor this cold treat and enjoy each other’s company. 

It was there that I came to learn the basics of Dominican preaching. I learned that preaching the Gospel message does not always need to be complex like Rocky Road or Cookies n’ Cream. It can be simple and rich, like chocolate and vanilla. I also learned that, like ice cream, the Gospel is taken in slowly and savored. As Dominicans, we bypass the “brain freeze” problem through our beautiful tradition of contemplation. 

Now, as an Associate, my summers are highlighted by trips to ice cream shops – either on my own, offering much-needed moments of contemplation, or with my students. These ice cream shops are a short walk from the office. My time there is often accompanied by heartwarming conversations, requests for prayers for upcoming exams, and joyful updates about the student’s family life. 

More recently, these walks have given way to questions like “What is an Adrian Dominican Associate?” or “Dr. Mallare, why be an Associate?” The answers are simple: to be an Associate is to become fully present and be available to the Spirit to share, through preaching, the joy of the Good News – even during a trip to an ice cream shop. 

One of our other Dominican mottos is: To Praise, To Bless, To Preach, but I think St. Dominic wouldn’t mind that in the summer months, we praise, we bless, and we eat – ice cream, that is!

I am ministering in environmental sustainability at CommonSpirit Health, a national healthcare organization of more than 140 hospitals, serving 20 million patients in big cities and small towns across America. 

The roots of our work in sustainability at CommonSpirit run deep. Looking back, it’s hard to tell where the starting line was. In the mid-1990s, we were just dipping our toes into sustainability. We were becoming aware of how health care negatively impacted the health and well-being of people and the environment. 

As we learned about the impacts these practices had on our health and the health of our planet, we felt compelled to address them by choosing healthier building materials; serving nutritious and sustainably grown food to our patients and staff; procuring products containing safer chemicals; redesigning the system to eliminate waste; paying attention to the products we purchase, who made them and under what conditions and how we disposed of them; and publicly reporting on our environmental health activities. Read more.