Changing Landscape at Sinsinawa Mound
With more than 175 years of history, the Dominican Sisters of Sinsinawa are familiar with change. Over the years, they have navigated many transformations at Sinsinawa Mound—times of building and expanding and times of contraction and deconstruction to adapt to changes in membership and needs of the local community. In 1966, the Congregation reached its peak membership at 1,983 women. To accommodate that growth, many new buildings were constructed, including the addition of Queen of the Rosary Chapel and the buildings connected to St. Clara Convent by diamond-shaped walkways. Today, our membership is approximately 250 Sisters. Many of those buildings erected in 1964 sit unused with unsustainable maintenance costs and a hefty carbon footprint. Thus, we are adapting again to fit our current needs. “Change can be challenging but also provides an opportunity for improvement,” said Sister Christina Heltsley, OP, Prioress of the Sinsinawa Dominican Congregation.
Wherever we go and whatever we do, we are guided by our mission to build a holy and just Church and society. Navigating this transition at our Motherhouse is no different. The challenge of right-sizing our space at Sinsinawa Mound and planning for the future has provided new opportunities to serve and care for creation. We have sought mission-driven solutions to these challenges, consulting with environmentalists, agriculture and ecological educators, historic preservation experts, and financial advisors to ensure we make informed decisions. Sinsinawa Mound will continue to be home with us, and we are preparing to update our home and welcome our neighbors in the following ways.
We are in the process of updating the Stone and Convent buildings and renovating our historic St. Clara Chapel in order to house a retreat and conference center that will be open to groups and tours in the summer of 2025. An exhibit featuring the history and legacy of our Congregation and our founder, Father Samuel Mazzuchelli, OP, will also be available to visitors in the Stone building. These buildings will use geothermal heating and cooling systems so that we honor our commitment to care for Earth.
Sinsinawa Mound Collaborative Farm continues to thrive and offers opportunities to beginning farmers to grow food locally and learn best practices from others in the farming community. We share a community garden and offer educational programming about ecology and agriculture and prairie restoration efforts.
Fields of Sinsinawa is a new farmer-led learning center at Sinsinawa Mound that is working to cultivate and maintain relationships with neighbors and farmers around the world. This budding initiative focuses on regenerative agriculture and the benefits it offers to our food systems and to the health of those in our communities.
The following is a list of links to news articles that detail some of the changes that have happed at Sinsinawa Mound over these past few years.
Congregation Ends Negotiations with Tricon Construction
This Dubuque Telegraph Herald article from July 12, 2024, was written after the Dominican Sisters of Sinsinawa and Tricon Construction ended negotiations. Tricon was considering renovating some of the buildings constructed around 1964 at Sinsinawa Mound for a senior housing project and/or an event center.
https://www.telegraphherald.com/news/tri-state/article_70d22db2-3fcf-11ef-891b-17546d02181b.html
Sinsinawa Dominicans Spread Mission through Collaborative Farm Programs
This National Catholic Reporter article from April 18, 2024, covers the Sinsinawa Mound collaborative farming efforts and future plans for a training center on regenerative agricultural practices using Sinsinawa land.
https://www.ncronline.org/news/sinsinawa-dominicans-spread-mission-through-collaborative-farm-programs
Historic Dubuque Property Being Restored into Neighborhood Gathering Space
This Telegraph Herald article from March 24, 2024, highlights Roux & Lucia Bakery, a restoration project by Conlon Construction in Dubuque, Iowa. The Sinsinawa Dominicans have partnered with Roux & Lucia to produce Sinsinawa Bakery goods when they open in August 2024. To learn more about the availability of Sinsinawa baked goods, visit https://rouxandlucia.com/
https://www.telegraphherald.com/news/public_announcements/article_6351d336-8af8-11ee-b563-0bcc51474d50.html
Sinsinawa Sisters Reflect on Past, Future Ahead of Major Changes
The Telegraph Herald did an in-depth story about the Sinsinawa Dominicans’ Mound Center on Dec. 4, 2022, digging into the challenges for the future and their decision to list the property for sale.
https://www.telegraphherald.com/news/tri-state/article_4714c152-6f0f-11ed-983d-e70a772405b9.html
