DOMINICAN SISTER OF SPRINGFIELD

Dominican Sister of Springfield –  Sister Michael Brigid McGivney, O.P.                                                              “The Holy Preaching:  her life consecrated to God and practiced through                    community, prayer, and study – for the sake of compassionately preaching of the Gospel”

Foundress:  Mother Mary Josephine Meagher                                                                                      Pioneer Sisters:  Sisters Rachel, Cecilia, Agnes, Thomasina, and Catherine

Place:  Springfield, Illinois

Year:  1893 A.D.

Her Charism:  The distinct character of the Dominican Order is rooted in four pillars of prayer, study, community, and preaching (an anchor in chaos).  Inspired by St. Dominic Guzmán and St. Catherine of Siena who burned with passion  to set hearts on fire with love, this Sister is a sign of hope and the voice of truth.  Moved by its woundedness, she is called by God into a right relationship with all Creation.  Graced by Dominican life and mission, she recognizes the hunger for the Good News of Jesus Christ and preaches the Gospel through compassionate service to the sick and suffering.  This Sister has heart, zeal, and vision.  She understands the necessity of repairing the earth to avoid catastrophe and repairing our relationships with each other and with the Divine.  But one cannot rush natural processes – you cannot hurry bread dough or the growth of crops in a field – and one cannot accelerate the growth of global human consciousness.  That makes living in our world exceptionally messy right now – giving us all the “twisties” (a la Simon Biles whose grace and integrity brought to light the reality and terror of being disoriented and lost in time and space). This Sister chooses honesty, recognizes complexity, seeks ways to be interdependent, knows what is really important, and puts it all in the bigger context of the human story, finding meaning, purpose, and even joy – and helps others find it too.