Dominican Sisters of St. Cecilia (Nashville Dominicans)

I had several Dominican Religious I could have chosen from to start with on this the feast of St. Dominic. But I finally decided on the Dominican Sisters of St. Cecilia (Nashville Dominicans). There were several reasons why I decided to look at them. 1 of the reasons is what will happen at their Motherhouse on 10 August 2009.

On that date, the latest group of postulants will begin their journey. Last years' class had 15 women in it. & as of now they have about 45 women at various stages in the formation program. In 2008 11 women took their perpetual vows. Add to that 230 sisters serving in 34 schools in the United States. Also, they recently started a ministry in Australia.

Doesn't exactly sound like a dying order, does it? There is no vocation crisis here. So why are they drawing in so many new members? The answer is simple, their focus is Jesus Christ. They are faithful to the Magesterium & they are faithful to the true Dominican charism of their founder.

& the type of women they are attracting also take their discernment process seriously as well. Last June CNA had an article on 1 of the women joining this month, Kelsy Wicks. So how did she discern the call? She did so by "immersion in the Sacraments, the assistance of a spiritual director, and a strong prayer life were crucial components in the discernment process. 'You really need to spend time talking to God and getting to know Him,' she said. 'And then falling in love with Him. It’s an amazing experience!' ” She also stressed spending time in silence to listen for the voice of the Lord.

"Wicks said she was particularly attracted to the Nashville Dominicans by their profound charism of joy, as well as their deep prayer life and spirituality. 'It was such a beautiful thing to watch 100 nuns doing their daily prayers,' she said. 'There is this twinkle in their eyes. You can just see that they really know the Lord.'”

So what is the life of a Nashville Dominican like that attracts so many women to an order that will celebrate its 150th Anniversary of it founding next year? There is so much that is there & I will try to share a little from what they have on their website. But I suggest you check out the site as well since it is impossible to describe it fully in the limitted space I have.

Let's start with what they see as their charism. "The essence of what it means to be a Dominican Sister of St. Cecilia is summarized in the community’s Ratio Institutionis, which outlines our program of initial and ongoing formation. Our charism is defined by the following characteristics:

Contemplative Focus

We live the contemplative dimension of Dominican life by our monastic practices which include:
Places and times of silence
Cloister appropriate to our life
Wearing of the religious habit
Living community life
The greatest aids to this contemplative spirit are:
Devotion to the Mass and the Blessed Sacrament
Choral recitation of the Divine Office and the Rosary
A dedication to prayer and the Passion of Our Lord
We are committed to:
A regular prayer life
A life of poverty, detachment and simplicity
A classical sense of our Dominican charism
Active Apostolate

Living the Dominican motto “to contemplate and to give to others the fruits of our contemplation,” we are committed to:
A love of study and a strong preparation for the apostolate of teaching
Excellence in education
A thorough background in theology and philosophy
The religious formation of youth in the Catholic faith
Strong Community Life

In our convents we strive to have:
A loving and wholesome community life which strengthens us for a loving service of the people we serve in our schools
A strong spirit of joy and camaraderie
Pride in our community and a spirit of loyalty
Love of the Church

We draw on the wisdom of the ages and with a deep awareness of our identity as women religious we:
Love the Church and seek to serve her in fidelity
Treasure our vows
Foster a reverence for the priesthood and the Church’s Magisterium
Share with enthusiasm the truth of the Gospel
Witness to our consecration by the wearing of a distinctive habit
Look to the Virgin Mary as our model and mother, seeking to imitate her humility and recognizing in her what is meant by true womanhood

I think that speaks for itself. To live this out they follow a daily schedule of prayer & work. As they put it: "The Dominican day gravitates around the liturgy. The supreme act of the day is the sacrifice of the Mass, the highest praise man can offer to the Holy Trinity. Providing a setting for the Mass is the Divine Office. It prepares for the Mass and draws from it, carrying its graces into the entire day. Distributed at key points in the daily schedule, the Office consecrates every part of the day to the divine service, sanctifying each passing hour with some liturgical act."

As Dominicans they follow the call of their founder, St. Dominic, to evangelize. "For 800 years, the Order of Preachers has sought to bring the Truth that is Christ to a world in need of evangelization. In our Congregation’s one hundred and fifty year history, we have lived the motto of the Order, “to contemplate and to give to others the fruits of our contemplation,” by giving the fruits of our contemplation in the apostolate of Catholic education."

"The purpose for which St. Dominic founded his Order was that of preaching and the salvation of souls, an aspiration our sisters embrace as well. The light of faith is at the heart of who we are, what we do, and how we do it. Planting the seeds of faith in our students’ souls has ramifications far beyond the years during which they attend our schools. Those seeds are meant to bear fruit in eternity." "The sisters can now be found in 32 schools located in 13 states, helping students from preschool through college to deepen their knowledge of God and the teachings of the Church, while at the same time providing quality academic education." They do so in 16 US dioceses as well as in Australia.

On 15 May 2009 they had a visit by Cardinal Francis Arinze. While there he celebrated Mass. "He preached on the love of the Church, love of Mary, and the need for prayerful reading of Scripture. He exhorted us to continue to "love the actual Church, not the Church that could exist" because "love of the Church shows our love for Christ.""

Well, that should give you a little idea bout what these faithful daughters of St. Dominic are doing to follow in his footsteps. & while the Congregation relies primarily on the sisters’ teaching stipends as the regular source of income to provide for the costs of operating a Motherhouse, they also are in need of additional support. While this is not intended as a plug, I would be remiss if I didn't point out their ongoing needs.

As I said, this is only a partial look at who they are & what they do. These "Brides of Cbrist" are truly striving to live out their vocation in love. & by doing so, they are helping to raise up a new generation of Catholic youth who will know the eternal truths Jesus revealed as well as equiping them to live out their faith in a world that is in stark contrast to the message of the Gospel.