Dominican dedication
By Robert Delaney of The Michigan Catholic
Published June 23, 2006
This year is a time of celebration for Dominicans the world over, as they mark the 800th anniversary of the founding of the first monastery of contemplative Dominican nuns by St. Dominic Guzman at Prouille, France, in 1206 (the men's congregation came later).
In addition, 2006 is the centennial year for the Dominican Cloistered Nuns of the Monastery of the Blessed Sacrament in Farmington Hills.
Today, the Dominican spirit takes a variety of forms, several of whom minister in the Archdiocese of Detroit.
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Dominican Cloistered Nuns of the Monastery of the Blessed Sacrament in Farmington Hills walk in a CorpusChristi procession inside their cloister last Saturday, as they celebrate the 100th anniversary of the founding oftheir community and 100 years of perpetual Eucharistic Adoration. Bearing the cross is Sr. Mary of the Immaculate Conception, OP, flanked by novices (from left) Sr. Mary Francis, OP, and Sr. Mary Rebekah, OP. |
Cloistered nuns mark 100 years
Farmington Hills — From their founding in 1906, the Dominican Cloistered Nuns of the Monastery of the Blessed Sacrament have maintained perpetual Eucharistic Adoration. Cardinal Adam Maida helped them celebrate both the 100th anniversary of their community and the 800th anniversary of the Dominican order when he celebrated Mass for the nuns and for upwards of 300 friends and supporters last Sunday on the feast of Corpus Christi.
"On this feast of Corpus Christi, we celebrate 100 years of continuous adoration of the Blessed Sacrament, the special mission of your contemplative community," Cardinal Maida said in his homily.
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Cardinal Adam Maida makes the Sign of the Cross with the monstrance containing the Blessed Sacrament during the outdoor Corpus Christi procession last Sunday at the Monastery of the Blessed Sacrament in Farmington Hills. | "In the name of the whole Church of Detroit, I thank you for the gift of your lives poured out in loving adoration of the Lord Jesus present in the Blessed Sacrament," he continued.
At the end of the Mass, Cardinal Maida carried a monstrance containing the Blessed Sacrament in a Corpus Christi procession on the monastery grounds, pausing in front of the monastery to give benediction to all those gathered there for event.
All, of course, except for the cloistered nuns, who had remained behind, separated from the chapel accessible to the public by a glass wall and ornamental screen.
The previous day, Msgr. John Zenz, archdiocesan vicar general, took part in a similar procession within the cloister.
During his homily, Cardinal Maida also took note of the role the nuns of the monastery have played in assisting with the founding of other monasteries – in Vietnam and in the Canadian province of British Columbia – providing the formation for nuns for those new institutions.
Currently, among the 42 nuns at the monastery are six from Vietnam and one from British Columbia, as well as a novice from Nigeria and a sister from Cameroon who recently made her temporary profession.
Also among the community are three "extern" sisters, who can leave the cloister to take care of the monastery's dealings with the wider world.
Sr. Mary Thomas, OP, prioress of the monastery, expressed confidence there will always be new postulants wanting to take up the cloistered nuns' life of prayer: "I think the tide is changing. A lot of young women today are searching for something, and there's going to be a resurgence of religious life, and I mean sooner than later. So we're very hopeful about the future."
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Two nuns of the Monasteryof the Blessed Sacrament pray before the Blessed Sacrament as part of a hundred-year-old tradition of perpetual adoration at the Monastery of the Blessed Sacramentin Farmington Hills. | The chapel is open from 6:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., and visitors are welcome to come for Mass or Vespers, or just to pray during the course of the day.
Sr. Mary Thomas said she is seeing more people dropping in at the monastery of late. "The faith of our people is very alive, and there's more faith out there than hits the papers. They know where to turn in times of need," she said.
The Farmington Hills monastery traces its heritage back to the beginnings of the order in 1206, when St. Dominic Guzman gathered the first cloistered nuns at Prouille, France. The first cloistered nuns to come from Europe came from the monastery at Oullins, France, in 1888.
More directly, it was seven nuns from Newark, N.J., who arrived at Detroit by train back in 1906. They first settled in an old house on Woodward Avenue, and later occupied another house on Cass Avenue, before their first monastery was built in 1908 on Oakland Avenue not far from what is now the Cathedral of the Most Blessed Sacrament.
The community moved to its present monastery, on Middlebelt Road at 13 Mile Road, in 1966.
Sr. Mary Thomas, 67, recalled when she entered the community back in 1957. "The minute I walked into the chapel of perpetual adoration on Oakland Avenue, it was like the Lord stole my heart," she said.
For more information about the Dominican Cloistered Nuns of the Monastery of the Blessed Sacrament, call (248) 626-8253, or visit their Internet site at www.opnuns-fh.org.
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