March 2010 Index

On the Cover

A graduation ceremony was held at Sinsinawa Mound on Groundhog Day, Feb. 2, in honor of 10 Sinsinawa Dominicans who were aspirants and never received a diploma on their original high school graduation date. Clockwise, top left, from left: Srs. Sharon Casey, valedictorian, and Ann Willits, keynote commencement speaker, process into the Gathering Place. Sr. Priscilla Wood, leader of ceremonies, addresses the crowd. Srs. Joan Mary Baldridge, Gloria Higgins, Josette Pahl, Tarcissia Buchele, Miguel Hearty, Cecilia Carey, and Jo Ann Dold prepare to receive their high school diplomas. Missing from photos are graduates Pancratius Ritacca and Marguerite Morrison. See page 9 to read Sr. Anne Marie Mongoven’s address from the ceremony.

A Need for Comprehensive Immigration Reform in the U.S.
During the past 20 years, the world has developed in numerous ways. We have gone through great changes politically, culturally, scientifically, and technologically. We are able to communicate instantaneously with one another. The United States leads these changes, is supporting two wars, and is in a tremendous economic and health crisis, but since 1990 its immigration and naturalization system has been stagnant. Read more . . .

Sister Monice Enjoys Ministry at Learning Center
This letter from one of our students, a woman who was being honored at a “Night of 1,000 Stars” literacy event last spring, says much about the ministry in which I am involved and even more about the reasons I both value and enjoy it. Read more . . .

BINGO!
Last October as I went to the Mound for medical rehabilitation, I wondered what it would be like to live in such a large community. Would I be able to mix with over 150 other Sisters? Would I be able or want to participate fully in community life? I have led a sedentary life. How would I ever be able to do “all that walking?” Could I ever feel at home at the Mound? Read more . . .

In Memory of Sr. Mildred
The Gelman Library System of the George Washington University is honoring Mildred Thompson, OP (1929–2009), in perpetuity by dedicating a book in her honor. Read more . . .

Building Communities for Mission
Throughout his ministry, Jesus worked to transform the culture by confronting the value system and beliefs of the society. From the very beginning, people questioned his actions and eventually turned against him. However, by the time his ministry on Earth came to an end, he had also formed a community that would continue his work to transform the culture. Read more . . .

Discerning . . . What Gives Life
This is the time of year in my ministry when the Congregation asks the women who are ready for first profession, renewal of their vows, or final profession to enter into a more immediate process of discernment about their taking that important next step. It’s a thorough process! Read more . . .

My Journey to Becoming Dominican:
There Was a Place for Me
During my senior year of high school, I visited with our youth club moderator, Rhea Bean, RSM, from Dobbs Ferry, NY, about being a Sister. She asked me what I wanted to do with my life, and I told her, “I want to teach physical education.” She had known me since at least 8th grade, and, after some discussion, she advised me to follow my dream to go to school to be a teacher and then look at religious life again after I had given myself an opportunity to experience life outside of high school. Read more . . .

Let Us Play
The following address was given by Anne Marie Mongoven, OP, at the Groundhog Day Graduation Ceremony held at Sinsinawa Mound. The ceremony can be viewed at www.ustream.tv/recorded/4398999 Read more . . .

Join Us for St. Catherine of Siena Lecture
Barbara Kingsolver’s stunning 1999 novel The Poisonwood Bible opens with a haunting scene of a struggling mother, alone and afraid, suddenly encountering an okapi at the edge of a stream. Read more . . .

Theology Class Shares Powerful Discussion
I teach theology to both day and weekend students at St. Catherine University in St. Paul, MN. Weekend College at St. Catherine is for returning students (all women), most in their 30s and 40s. Teaching an introductory theology course to 18-year-olds can be good, but a roomful of women who have an extra decade or two of life experience, struggles, successes, and/or disasters gives us all a lot more to work with. Read more . . .

DRA/Mystique Casino Awards Grant
Sinsinawa Dominicans, Inc., received a 2009 grant of $11,330 from the Dubuque Racing Association (DRA)/Mystique Casino to improve fire safety at Sinsinawa Mound. The grant was used to install a new fire alarm panel in the Academy building and purchase a thermoscan imaging system. Read more . . .

Dominican Communicators Meet in Chicago
Chicago served as the site of the Feb. 2–5, 2010, Dominican Communicators’ Network (OPCOMNET) Annual Conference. What happened there set the stage for what will surely be another progressive year as Dominicans continue to keep people in the loop via the world’s biggest forms of emerging modern technologies. Read more . . .

DVUSA Celebrates 10 Years in 2010
In 2010 Dominican Volunteers USA (DVUSA) celebrates 10 years as a collaborative adventure of the Dominican Family in the United States. The roots of the program go back farther; nearly 40 years have passed since the earliest days of the Apostolic Volunteers at Sinsinawa. Read more . . .

Wisconsin Sisters Collaborate on Immigration Ads
The Wisconsin Region 9 National Communicators Network of Women Religious (NCNWR) have been working with the Wisconsin Region 9 Leadership Conference of Women Religious (LCWR) to develop an ad campaign that brings awareness to the need for comprehensive immigration reform in the United States. Read more . . .

Sinsinawa Dominicans Cosponsor ‘Immigrant Rights and American Values’ Presentation
Doctor Erik Camayd-Freixas, a federally-certified interpreter who translated at federal hearings in Waterloo, IA, after the 2008 immigration raid at Agri-Processors, Inc., a meatpacking plant in Postville, IA, will speak to audiences throughout eastern Iowa in March. Read more . . .

St. Martin de Porres High School Celebrates 5 Years
On Oct. 19, the five endorsing communities of St. Martin de Porres High School (SMdP) joined the board of trustees and the school community to celebrate five years of innovative education in Waukegan, IL. Read more . . .

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