Perhaps the Dominican Sisters of Peace are most notable for the many institutions and ministries its founding congregations have established through the years. Over their histories, the eight congregations had established sponsored ministries in education, health care, eco-spirituality, retreats, housing, and missions outside the US. As Dominican Sisters of Peace, the Sisters and Associates are in a position to promote these ministries more efficiently.
Education As early as the nineteenth century, three of the founding congregations had established academies for the education of children and young women: St. Catharine's Academy, Kentucky 1822; St. Mary's Academy, Somerset, Ohio, 1830; St. Agnes Academy, Memphis, Tennessee 1851, (founded by sisters from Kentucky and Ohio); and St. Mary's, New Orleans, 1860. As parochial schools developed following the
Plenary Councils of Baltimore of 1852, 1866, and 1884, most of the congregations responded to the requests from bishops and pastors to provide Sisters to staff these schools. Over the years as needs arose, additional high schools and colleges were founded. Later, meeting the needs of the time, this ministry expanded to include preschools, early childhood centers, and adult literacy centers. Many educational institutions established by the founding congregations of the Dominican Sisters of Peace are still in operation today. Colleges include
Albertus Magnus College, New Haven, Connecticut;
Ohio Dominican University, Columbus, Ohio; and
St. Catharine College, St. Catharine, Kentucky. High schools and grade schools include
Dominican Academy, New York City;
Our Lady of the Elms High School and Grade School, Akron, Ohio;
St. Agnes Academy-St. Dominic School, Memphis, Tennessee; and
St. Mary's Dominican High School, New Orleans, Louisiana. Adult learning centers include Dominican Learning Center, Columbus, Ohio; Siena Learning Center, New Britain, Connecticut; and Springs Learning Center, New Haven, Connecticut.
Health Care Health Care has been one of the consistently held ministries among the founding congregations. During their first 50 years, Dominican Sisters from Great Bend opened three hospitals in Kansas: St. Rose Hospital,(Great Bend, 1903); St. Catherine (Garden City, 1931) and St. Joseph (Larned, 1951), but have transferred governance and management to competent laity. Heartland Center for Wholistic Health in Great Bend continues the tradition of health care as a founded ministry in Kansas. Other health care facilities held as founded ministries include two licensed skilled care facilities: Mohun Health Care Center in Columbus, and Sansbury Care Center in St. Catharine, Kentucky. In addition the Lourdes Senior Community in Waterford, Michigan, formerly sponsored by the Oxford Dominicans, includes under a single board four facilities: Lourdes Nursing Home and Rehabilitation Center, Mendelson Home (assisted living), Clausen Manor (Alzheimer's care), and Fox Manor (independent living).
Eco-Spirituality Eco-Spirituality emerged in the late twentieth century as an important ministry for the founding congregations of Dominican Sisters of Peace. Environmental ministries are fostered at Crown Point Ecology Center, Bath, Ohio; Crystal Spring Center for Earth Learning, Plainville, Massachusetts; Heartland Farm, Pawnee Rock, Kansas; Shepherd's Corner Ecology Center, Blacklick, Ohio; and St. Catharine Farm, St. Catharine, Kentucky.
Spirituality Ministries Spirituality ministries are exercised by the Dominican Sisters of Peace, as they make themselves available to those who are seeking to deepen their relationship with God, and to all who wish to expand the spiritual dimension of their lives. Facilities where these ministries are exercised include Rosaryville Spirit Life Center in Ponchatoula, Louisiana; Heartland Center for Spirituality in Great Bend, Kansas; Dominican Retreat and Conference Center in Niskayuna, New York; and three facilities in Michigan: Dominican Center and St. Mary's Retreat House in Oxford; and Vivian's Via Rosa in Waterford. In Columbus, the Martin de Porres Center includes in its mission programs in spirituality and facilities for spiritual direction.
Housing Ministries Dominican Sisters of Peace have exercised their management and pastoral skills over the years as they worked to establish affordable housing for women, seniors, disabled and low-income citizens. In 1900, the de' Ricci Sisters opened a housing facility for women in Philadelphia and over the years established additional residences in New York City and Dayton, Ohio. In 1968, Columbus Dominicans joined with inner-city parishes in the management of Nazareth Towers, a HUD facility, and served there until 2003. Dominican Sisters of Peace continue to be affiliated with Cedar Park Place in Great Bend, Kansas.
Missions outside the US Over their combined histories, Sisters from the founding congregations have ministered in
Bolivia,
China,
Colombia,
Cuba,
El Salvador,
Guatemala,
Jamaica,
Korea,
Puerto Rico,
Slovakia, and
Taiwan. Today Dominican Sisters of Peace continue to be affiliated with missions in
Honduras,
Nigeria, and
Peru, with additional Sisters ministering in
Vietnam. == See also ==