Nun Like Her!

Have you heard of the Dominican Sisters of Mary, Mother of the Eucharist, in Ann Arbor, Michigan? Well, if you haven't you've either been living under a rock, or you're fairly new to the Catholic Faith! Please, I don't mean that in a derogatory sense, at all... It's just that these sisters are AWESOME!! I had barely heard of them myself, until about 3 years ago, when my niece, finishing her third year of college here in California, decided that she was going to join the Sister's community. From spots on the morning news to breaking out on to the YouTube scene, the convent has gone high tech, and they have the GROWING numbers of young women coming forth to show for it. God is SO good!

In a day and age when the average age of women religious is retirement age, these girls are averaging in their 20's. My niece entered at the ripe age of 21 with 15 other women both older AND younger than she. She will be making her first solemn vows this coming August, trading in the white veil she has worn for the past two years, for a black one. After her first year at the convent, 11 more women entered the following summer, and another 13 women this last summer of 2007! Begining with only 4 Sisters branching from the Dominican Sisters of St. Cecilia in Tennessee, the Sisters of Mary now boast a total of 78 Sisters BURSTING at the seams of their newly built Chapel and dormitory cells. Because they are a teaching order, they are slowly but surely, begining to send some of the Sisters out to "mission" new schools across the nation, to include Florida, Arizona, South Carolina, and as of this year, even HERE in California! And if you don't have them in a nearby town, you can also catch them on EWTN with their Truth in the Heart series for young people.

It is SO refreshing to see the FIRE of the Holy Spirit burning bright in these young women, so happy and excited to do God's will! When you have some time take a tour of their website, and if you feel so inclined, send a check to help the Sisters continue to grow and expand on the great work they are doing to evangelize our little corner of the world. And don't be surprised to hear me talk, from time to time, about my "own" Sr. Catherine Marie, and her Sisters in Michigan! : )