Welcome to this special section of our website which we hope provides answers to some of the questions you may have about how to become a Dominican Sister of Springfield, Illinois.   Since the time of St. Dominic, more than 800 years ago, Dominicans have been living and sharing the message of the Gospel. Today thousands of sisters, nuns, priests, brothers, associates, and laity, minister in more than 100 countries around the globe... we invite you to learn more about our worldwide Dominican family.  

We are a community of women whose lives center around 4 pillars: prayer, study, ministry and community.  We call them pillars, because if just one of them were missing, our mission would fail.  Through preaching we are committed to helping create a more just and compassionate world. 

• Prayer: We chant the Liturgy of the Hours (Morning Prayer and Evening Prayer. We celebrate the Eucharist together. We have time for quiet contemplation.
• Study: We are always studying! Whether we are enrolled in degree programs or not, we are always paying attention to the things of God and God’s people, in order to better know how to preach the Gospel. Pope John XXIII called this “reading the signs of the times.”
• Ministry: We preach the gospel through education, healthcare, pastoral ministry, spiritual direction, social work and other ministries in the United States and in Peru.
• Community: We live together in our convents, pray together, have fun together and support one another in good times and bad. Our varied talents enable us to minister in ways we couldn’t by ourselves.

We live active lives, grounded in liturgical and personal prayer, with time for silence and solitude. We strive for a balanced life of prayer, ministry, study, and leisure. Through our shared life in community we encourage each other to develop our individual talents, and we rejoice in the sharing of these gifts through our variety of ministries.

We are dedicated to poor in the US, Peru, and other places where the Spirit leads us. We work hand in hand with men and women, young and old, rich and poor who are energized by the Spirit to witness to the power of the Word and the love of God.    We serve in inner-city ghettos and immigrant communities; we toil among day laborers; minister in prisons, teach in schools, nurse in   hospitals, help shelter the homeless. 

Listening to our call is a great joy, but it’s not always easy. For some women, it takes time to fully understand and make the final commitment to say, "Yes!" For others, there is no question about the call from the very beginning.  All women who choose to become Dominican Sisters of Springfield today are looking for a deeper relationship with God,  a life in community, and a desire to preach the truth. 

We encourage you to ask the hard questions about your life:  What is the deepest desire of your heart? Where is your life going? What is God calling you to be?"

Together we can struggle through the difficult questions. We want you to grow mentally, emotionally, physically and spiritually, while stretching your mind, heart, body and soul. We invite you to become a part of a community.  A community perpetually challenging what it means to be faithful to the Gospel of love and grace in today's world.

Wherever you are in your journey of faith, you will find with us an atmosphere of supportive listening, challenging inquiry, and lots of fun.

So visit us and consider belonging to a community dedicated to building the Kingdom of God; a community of genuine acceptance, mutual respect, and supportive relationships. We hope you will accept our invitation to experience the joy of Dominican life.

We thank you for taking the time to learn more about our community. This website should answer some of your basic questions regarding vowed religious life in our Congregation. We invite you to contact us, using the forms on the bottom of this page. If you are interested in associate or volunteer opportunities we invite you to view those links on the homepage.

“The Church needs your energies, your ideals, your enthusiasm to make the Gospel of Life penetrate the fabric of society, transforming people’s hearts and the structure of society to create a civilization of justice and love.”  Pope John Paul II

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