Reconfiguring to Become Dominican Sisters of Peace

Sometimes young people ask me about our new congregation. What made you join with seven other congregations and form a new group?

In a word, I would say our Dominican MISSION! In our globalized culture, whether we realize it or not, we need each other if we are going to preach the Good News about Jesus Christ to the people of our times. Some groups of Sisters join together with others to undertake this monumental task, believing anything one congregation can do in isolation can be done much better together: the sharing of ideas, personnel, and resources only amplifies the possibilities for our common mission and prevents duplication and diminishment of resources.

Reconfigured congregations, on the other hand, are those that result from the decision to share everything, especially their identity, forming a new entity from the combined assets, resources, and personnel, as well as the cultures and traditions of the former congregations. I do not believe that this way is for everyone, but I do believe that this was a good way to go for the Dominican Sisters of Peace. It has helped us to be more mission-minded.

I have experienced the many strengths that each founding congregations brought to this union: whether it be the approach to poverty, living out of obedience, solidarity with the poor, concern for study, or other distinctive characteristics. While these strengths are admirable, each group may have lost some focus in developing these strengths. This call to deeper collaboration releases our grip on our familiar ways of doing things and forces us to reconsider alternative ways. It invites us to think "outside of our box" in radically new ways. We realize we must do this continually if we are to have a future. We can never underestimate the energy and joy that comes to us, no matter how old we are, when we are doing something NEW.

So are you interested in doing something NEW? You are welcome to join us!