Sunday, September 06, 2015

Tridentine Community News - Dominican Sisters' Vocations Growth


"I will go in unto the Altar of God
To God, Who giveth joy to my youth"

Tridentine Community News by Alex Begin (September 6, 2015):
Dominican Sisters’ Vocations Growth

Our August 16 column discussed the surge in priestly vocations in the Dominican order. It’s not just the men who are doing well; vocations are booming among the more traditional women’s Dominican congregations as well.

Locally, the Dominican Sisters of Mary, Mother of the Eucharist, based in Ann Arbor, have enjoyed strong vocations since their founding. Almost every encounter with them, whether in person, in print, or on video, reveals them to be a genuinely joyful, orthodox, and enthusiastic group. A young foundation, with an average age of 28, their new motherhouse in Ann Arbor is built with traditional architectural features [photo below]. They have released a CD of mostly traditional Latin chants and another CD of the Rosary. They are no strangers to the media, having made television appearances ranging from EWTN to Oprah to the American Bible Challenge game show. Their principal ministry is education; locally, they administer two Pre-K through 8th Grade Spiritus Sanctus Academies, in Plymouth and Ann Arbor. Elsewhere they help out with parish schools. [See this blog's earlier post on this school: "Great Catholic education," (Musings, February 11, 2011).]


A similar but much older group, the Dominican Sisters of St. Cecilia in Nashville, Tennessee [photo below], has consistently enjoyed strong vocations. Founded in 1860, they now staff schools and apostolates in locations as disparate as Minneapolis; Denver; Sydney, Australia; and Aberdeen, Scotland.


The Dominican Sisters of Summit, New Jersey are currently raising funds to finance the expansion of their 95-year old Monastery of Our Lady of the Rosary to accommodate the influx of new vocations. Known for publishing The Summit Choirbook, a traditional hymnal, and manufacturing candles, soaps, and rosaries, this is a contemplative as well as active group.

The contemplative Dominican Sisters of Linden, Virginia opened St. Dominic’s Monastery in 2008 [photo below] on a hilltop.


What do these groups of Dominican nuns have in common? Use of the full habit. Devotion to Sacred Tradition. Orthodoxy in teaching and practice. Unabashed loyalty to the Magisterium. A commitment to attracting vocations. Traditional concepts, yes, but also a Catholic, spiritual identity rather than a worldly, social justice focus. Women and men considering religious vocations are clearly attracted by congregations with a sense of purpose, with missions distinctly different than what secular charities can offer. Let us pray that an increasing number of religious communities learn from these examples and flourish upon adopting similar philosophies.

Extraordinary Faith Episode 5 Now Viewable On-Line

Continuing with our plan to post each episode of Extraordinary Faith for on-line viewing one month after it debuts on EWTN, Episode 5 – Chicago Part 2 of 2 – may now be viewed on the Episode 5 page of www.extraordinaryfaith.tv. For highest HD viewing quality of the beautiful churches we tour, the episodes are hosted on Vimeo. Each episode is also posted to YouTube for those who prefer that medium. Subscribe to the Extraordinary Faith channel on either Vimeo or YouTube, and you’ll be notified whenever a new video is posted.

Tridentine Masses Thic Soming Week
  • Mon. 09/07 7:00 PM: Low Mass at St. Josaphat (Feria)
  • Tue. 09/08 7:00 PM: High Mass at Holy Name of Mary (Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary)
[Comments? Please e-mail tridnews@detroitlatinmass.org. Previous columns are available at http://www.detroitlatinmass.org. This edition of Tridentine Community News, with minor editions, is from the St. Albertus (Detroit), Academy of the Sacred Heart (Bloomfield Hills), and St. Alphonsus and Holy Name of Mary Churches (Windsor) bulletin inserts for September 6, 2015. Hat tip to Alex Begin, author of the column.]

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