Visioning Dominican Retirement
by Mary Hopkins, OP
More than 30 women gathered at Sinsinawa Mound to discuss Dominican retirement. Sr. Mary Hopkins (right) facilitated the event. Photo by Tricia Buxton.
Ten years ago Germaine Hietpas, OP (Racine), and Mary Hopkins, OP (Sinsinawa), were having a conversation about retirement that led to their inviting Sisters of other Dominican congregations to come together to engage in conversation around the topic of retirement. This led to the sharing of ideas, ways of collaborating, and building a support system.
Initially the gatherings were small, but through networking, participation quickly grew to our present membership, which includes Sisters from Adrian, Akron, Amityville, Blauvelt, Caldwell, Columbus, Catherine de Ricci, Grand Rapids, Great Bend, Houston, Maryknoll, Mission San Jose, New Orleans, Ossining, Oxford, Racine, St. Catherine, San Rafael, Sinsinawa, Sparkill, Springfield, and Tacoma. The meetings are hosted at various Dominican motherhouses, which allows participants to gain new ideas and insights into the ways Sisters from various Dominican congregations are living out their years of retirement. Attention is also given to the fact that some Sisters are living outside of their motherhouse and finding meaning in their years of retirement.
The members of Visioning Dominican Retirement have come to believe that during this phase of life who we are is far more important than what we do. However, we do value the importance of the individual continuing to be engaged in life and outreach to others. One’s mode of outreach highly depends upon one’s individual gifts.
At the meeting this year, held at Sinsinawa, topics included congregations’ policies on the Sisters’ use of cell phones, the Internet, and magazine subscriptions; the obsessive-compulsive disorders of hoarding and cluttering and ways to help Sisters who have these problems; the organization, functions, and makeup of pastoral teams; preretirement planning; meaningful ministries for retired and semiretired Sisters; retreats for Sisters with dementia; and collaborative efforts among various Dominican congregations, including the progress toward the union of seven Dominican congregations.
The 2009 Visioning Dominican Retirement meeting will be held at Adrian, MI. Topics that will be covered include dealing with difficult preretirement issues; parameters of medical care; and recognizing the who and how of bullying. Participants also will take the “retirement success profile for religious” or the “gifts of experience profile for religious instruments.” As part of that process, they will discuss the topics of staying healthy and care for caregivers.
In this age of collaboration, it becomes essential for us to share information and ideas with one another. There is a richness that we are gaining from our visioning together.
Information regarding Visioning Dominican Retirement can be obtained from Mary Hopkins via e-mail at marycbh@aol.com or by writing her at 585 County Road Z, Sinsinawa, WI 53824-9701.