Adrian Dominicans have strong presence in archdiocese
Robert Delaney of The Michigan Catholic
Published June 23, 2006
Detroit – Adrian Dominican Sisters have a major impact on the life of the Archdiocese of Detroit at many levels. With nearly 200 sisters in ministry in the archdiocese, they have one of the largest presences of any women's religious community serving the local Church.
And their roles can range from parish work, such as Sr. Kathleen Gaynor visiting with senior citizens who live downtown near her work at St. Aloysius Parish, to work with Church-related institutions, such as Sr. Nancyann Turner's after-school program for children at the Capuchin Soup Kitchen on the city's east side, to administrative responsibilities, such as Sr. Frances Nadolny's role as archdiocesan director of Education or Sr. Janet Schaeffler, associate director for Faith Formation for the Office for Faith Formation/Catechetics (and Michigan Catholic columnist).
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Sr. Betty Flaherty, OP, former associate director ofcatechetics for the archdiocese, now teaches part-time at Sacred Heart Major Seminary. | Adrian Dominican Sisters also address the problem of illiteracy in Detroit through their sponsorship of the Dominican Literacy Center in northeast Detroit and the Siena Literacy Center on the west side.
From their motherhouse in the southern Michigan city of Adrian, the nearly 950 sisters go forth to serve not only in other parts of Michigan, but also in 30 other states, the District of Columbia, the Common wealth of Puerto Rico and six other countries.
In the field of higher education, they sponsor Siena Heights University in Adrian and Barry University in Miami.
In recent years, the sisters have explored new frontiers of ministry in places "with really dire needs and few resources available," such as parts of Alaska and the east African nation of Kenya, says Sr. Donna Markham, OP, prioress of the Adrian congregation.
In Kisumu, Kenya, the sisters are collaborating with Dominican friars to serve children who have been orphaned because of the HIV/AIDS crisis.
Like most Dominican congregations in the United States, they trace their heritage back to the 19th-century missionary efforts of the great Dominican monastery in Regensburg, Bavaria, founded in 1233.
And, of course, like all Dominican sisters worldwide, they date the founding of the order to the establishment of the first Dominican monastery in 1206 in Prouille, France, by St. Dominic Guzman.
Eight hundred years later, today's Adrian Dominicans still feel connected with their founder and the early Dominican sisters, Sr. Markham says.
Sr. Marlene Lieder, OP, works with two students at the Dominican Literacy Center in northeast Detroit. | "I think there's a very strong connection, because of the foundations of the order in preaching truth and justice in light of the heresies of the day. That's medieval language, and the issues of the day have changed, but Dominicans are still preaching truth and justice," she says.
And the Dominican commitment to study and prayer is as strong today as it ever was, Sr. Markham adds.
Because the entire Dominican community includes a broad spectrum of people – not only religious women and men, but also priests and lay associates – Dominicans feel a "prophetic challenge" to "model a way to be Church," Sr. Markham continues.
"If we can model a way to show respect for each other, we would really stand as a light for the whole Church," she adds.
For more information on the Adrian Dominican Sisters, call (517) 266-3400 or access their Internet site at www.adriansisters.org.
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