SEVEN CONGREGATIONS OF DOMINICAN SISTERS TO JOIN TOGETHER

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NEWS RELEASE

ST. CATHARINE, Ky. — The Dominican Sisters of St. Catharine, Ky. — who in 1822 formed the first congregation of Dominican Sisters in the United States — are poised to merge with six other communities to form a new congregation of Dominican women.

The as-yet unnamed Dominican cluster — comprised of congregations from five states — received Vatican approval for the merger in November. The congregation is expected to be officially founded on Easter Sunday 2009.

In addition to the St. Catharine Dominicans, the new congregation will include the Dominican Congregation of St. Rose of Lima in Oxford, Mich.; Dominican Sisters, Congregation of St. Mary, and the Eucharistic Missionaries of St. Dominic, both of New Orleans; Congregation of the Immaculate Heart in Great Bend, Kan.; Dominican Sisters of St. Mary of the Springs in Columbus, Ohio; and the Congregation of the Immaculate Heart of Mary in Akron, Ohio.  Together, they will have 730 vowed sisters and 500 associates — men and women who are committed to working with the sisters in ministry.

Sister Joye Gros, president of the Dominican Sisters of St. Catharine, hailed the merger as a move that will “open a lot of doors and a lot of fire — a lot of enthusiasm” for ministry.  “We can do a lot of things collaboratively that we cannot do alone,” said Sister Gros, who is one of about 200 sisters of St. Catharine. “We don’t have the population that can support a lot of new things.”  Sister Gene Poole, prioress of the Oxford, Mich., congregation and representative prioress for the cluster, echoed her sentiments.  “We rejoice that our petition to form a new congregation together has been approved,” said Sister Poole in a press release. “Uniting into one body will better enable us to continue the Dominican preaching mission, serve the needs of God’s people and speak with a stronger voice on issues of social justice.”

While the site of the new congregation hasn’t been determined, Sister Gros said Dominican Sisters will continue to minister at the Springfield campus. Sansbury Care Center, the sisters’ health care center, and the motherhouse facility are expected to remain open. St. Catharine College, which is growing, will definitely remain, she said.

The Dominican Sisters of St. Catharine formed the first congregation of Dominican Sisters in the United States in 1822 in St. Catharine near Springfield, Ky. Currently, the community has 100 associates and 197 sisters, 46 of whom live in Sansbury Care Center serving in the ministry of prayer.

Other sisters serve in education and nursing and as social workers, midwife, spiritual directors, ministry of prayer, and pastoral care providers. One works as a lawyer in Louisville. The congregation also has ministries in Massachusetts, Nebraska, Tennessee, Illinois, Mississippi, Texas, Pennsylvania, New York, Indiana and the Archdiocese of Louisville focusing on care for the earth.

The median age of the St. Catharine congregation is 74. One of the blessings Sister Gros expects to develop through the new congregation is a “sense of synergy” among the members who can draw new energy from one another. And women seeking a vocation with the Dominicans will likely find greater peer support, she said.
Sister Gros acknowledged that the transition will be challenging, but said that it can also bring “grace” and new opportunities to the community. The St. Catharine sisters voted on the merger, with 71 percent affirming it, she said.   “Every change brings some fear,” noted Sister Gros. 

The Sisters of St. Catharine have had some experience recently in collaborative ministry that, Sister Gros said, has helped them prepare. After Hurricane Katrina battered New Orleans in 2005, a handful of Eucharistic Missionary sisters came to stay at St. Catharine.   What they thought would be a temporary visit has become a long-term stay.   “We’ve had the experience of two communities living closely together, and it has brought such grace,” said Sister Gros. “The people at the motherhouse who have had experience with this found it easiest to make the decision (to merge). They’ve found grace.”

A committee of representatives from each merging congregation is working out details of incorporation and business matters such as bylaws. While others, like Sister Gros, have been charged with getting people in the congregations “heart-connected,” they also are working to form relationships among the congregations’ schools and develop personal relationships with individuals in the communities