Women Take Next Steps
in Becoming Dominican
by Mary Ann Nelson, OP, Director of Initial Membership Programs
Sr. Mary Ann Nelson
At the General Chapter 2000 we stated in an enactment that “We affirm the establishment by the General Council of a house of discernment in Trinidad, knowing that it may evolve in unanticipated ways . . . and we accept the responsibilities this mutual discernment will ask of us.” Who would ever have guessed that just eight years later we would have a community of Dominican Sisters of Sinsinawa from Trinidad? Currently we have one Sister in final profession, two in temporary profession, two novices, and one candidate.
The process of incorporation into the Congregation for those who are discerning a call to this life is an important responsibility and an evolving one. Up until now, women were offered periods of time as discerners living in community at the House of Discernment. While there were benefits to this, it extended the time of formation before novitiate and first profession. Beginning this summer, only candidates and professed will live in community at the House of Discernment. They will continue to invite women in for study, conversation, retreat days, and weekends. This better reflects our common practice.
After establishing a novitiate in Port of Spain in 2004, a year ago Pat Mulcahey, OP, informed the Congregation that, “. . . it seems best at this time to place all of our canonical novices in the Collaborative Dominican Novitiate (CDN) in St. Louis. . . .” A year later, Sisters Christine Walcott and Lystra Long, along with Sister Priscilla Torres, are completing their nine months at the CDN. Christine and Lystra are both very glad that they had the opportunity to be at the CDN this year. They experienced numerous challenges: cultural adjustments, distance from family and friends, and the experience of racism. There were also many benefits: a broad experience of religious and Dominican life; a “crowd” of peers with whom they went through this experience; a grounding in the four pillars; a development of skills for living Dominican life; a strong identity as Dominican women of Sinsinawa; and, not the least, the Mound has become home for them. With this foundation, they will enthusiastically return to Trinidad and, with our Sisters there, continue to live into the reality of being Dominican.
As with any of our women in Initial Membership, decisions for our Sisters from Trinidad are made on an individual basis. In that light, Lystra requested to make her first profession at the Mound. This will occur on Sunday, Aug. 10, during Community Days. Christine will stay in the United States for her non-canonical year. Decisions are based on the individual’s needs as she is becoming Dominican.
In these years since the General Chapter of 2000, we have welcomed Trinidadian women, “begun” to accept the responsibilities of having Trinidadian Sisters, and entered “into a process of change that carries our past into the promise of the future” (Constitution #33). Our Sisters from Trinidad are being transformed. We are being asked as well to open ourselves “to their influence and to the Spirit speaking in them.” How are you opening yourself to be transformed by this relationship?