One of the fastest growing orders of women religious in the United
States is expanding to California where the Dominican Sisters of Mary,
Mother of the Eucharist, took over administration of a Sacramento
Catholic school this school year.
Perhaps more significantly, the Dominican Sisters have outgrown the
motherhouse in Ann Arbor, Mich., and are planning to build two new
houses of formation in California and in Texas.
Each would hold about
100.
The order’s lifestyle intrigued Oprah Winfrey, who featured the
sisters twice on her show in 2010.
As a result they have been nicknamed
the “Oprah nuns.”
“We had 22 young women enter in August, and we have had between 10
and 20 new vocations per year for the past five years,” said Sister
Thomas Augustine, director of California Mission Advancement.
“It has
happened to us before that by the time we finished adding onto the
motherhouse in Ann Arbor we were already out of room! This time we are
hoping to stay ahead of things so we are planning for two new houses of
formation.”
Founded in 1997 by four Dominicans from the Nashville Dominicans,
just 31 of the 110 Dominican Sisters of Mary, Mother of the Eucharist,
have made final vows so far.
The remaining religious are in various
stages of formation or education and discernment, said Sister Thomas
Augustine.
“We’re not turning anyone away. We’ll sleep on the floor. We’ll live
in kitchenettes, closets and landings. We have in the past,” Sister
Thomas Augustine said.
The land in Loomis near Sacramento was purchased by Fred and Joan
Cordova, a couple who received a direct-mail piece and called in 2005 to
say they wanted the order to come to California and would buy the
sisters land.
There are now eight sisters in the Sacramento diocese.
Four are
teaching at Presentation School, an elementary school that saw its
enrollment jump by 44 students to 196 when the sisters took over in the
2010-11 school year, said Kevin Eckery, spokesman for Bishop Jaime Soto.
“This is the first increase in enrollment in five years,” Eckery said.
Under the city of Loomis’ planning and building regulations, the
sisters expect their application to be approved Jan. 18 and after
negotiating details and meeting regulatory requirements to be able to
build by 2012, Sister Thomas Augustine said. Funding for construction
still needs to be raised, she said.
The religious’ primary apostolate is teaching. Sisters are sent out
in small groups.
They are teaching and administering Catholic schools in
California, Texas, Arizona, South Carolina, and Michigan.
A new mission
will open next year in Columbus, Ohio, Sister Thomas Augustine said.
Fifteen sisters are obtaining their teaching credentials this year and
will go out to teach next year.
“We deliver a Catholic education because we are in the business of saving souls,” she said.
The order is part of a worldwide resurgence among religious orders
who embrace the traditional religious life as part of Pope John Paul
II’s call for a new evangelization, Sister Thomas Augustine said.
“The thing to note is what we all have in common: the habit, living a
common life, devotion to the Eucharist and Our Lady, absolute fidelity
to the Church’s teachings and the influence of John Paul II,” said
Sister Augustine, who was a New York lawyer before she joined.
Find more information at www.sistersofmary.org or contact Sister Thomas Augustine at mao-cadirector@sistersofmary.org.