Spring 2012 - Dominican Sisters of Peace

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Preaching with a New Fire is a periodic publication produced for donors, benefactors, friends, and family of the Dominican Sisters of Peace. We have made every attempt to be accurate and complete; if you notice an error or omission, please accept our apologies and alert us to the mistake (614.416.1900). We gratefully acknowledge all those who contributed to this issue – those featured and those listed below. Editor: Karen L. Clay, OPA Contributors: Cathy Arnold, OP Rita Birzer, OP Alice Black, OPA Ruth Caspar, OP Maria Ciriello, OP Renee Dreiling, OP Barbara Harrington, OP Jennifer Heiser, OPA Diane Kozlowski, OP Julia McCafferty Sarah McClellan Donna Medley, OPA Charlene Moser, OP Mariellen Phelps, OP Marilyn Pierson, OP Pat Twohill, OP Judith Ward, SNDdeN Editorial Advisory Council: Barbara Brown Diocese of Columbus Deborah Eschenbacher Eschenbacher & Associates Margaret Corbett Sullivan Corbett Sullivan Advertising & Public Relations (retired) Help us conserve our resources by joining our electronic mailing list! Sign up today at www.oppeace.org © 2012 All rights reserved. Dominican Sisters of Peace 2320 Airport Drive Columbus, Ohio 43219 614.416.1900 My dear friends, As you daily lift up your minds and hearts to God, we Dominican Sisters of Peace are doing the same. This issue focuses on our practice of prayer. Though special, it is an ordinary part of our lives as consecrated women. Prayer is the very breath of our lives, the essential lifegiving source of who we are and everything we do. And this is what impels us all to service, reaching out to those in need. What is the rhythm of our prayers? How do we punctuate our lives with prayer? First, we commit ourselves to contemplative prayer daily. This time alone with God under-girds all that we do – our ministry, our lives with each other in community, our study. Some of us choose early morning; others prefer the end of the day. Some of us pray best in our chapels, for others it is God’s created universe that inspires moments of contemplation. Wherever one chooses to pray, we share in common our belief that it is God who calls us to contemplation. Amid our daily prayers, we engage in such rituals as the lighting of candles and bowing at the praise of the Triune God. We also surround ourselves with symbols, especially during different liturgical seasons – a globe, bread, pictures of our Sisters and Associates in mission – to enhance our efforts to commune with God. Daily, we also pray the psalms and hymns of the Church’s Liturgy of the Hours. For most, this brings us together at the beginning and ending of each day for periods of community prayer. Often one of us prepares to preach on the Scriptures of the day. We close these prayers with intercessions, remembering the needs of the Church, the world, and our loved ones – and that means you. The Eucharist centers all of our prayer, when the Gospel is proclaimed, we are fed with the Bread of Life, and we go forth to continue the preaching. Para-liturgical prayers are prepared by our Sisters or others when a priest is not available for Eucharist and for special occasions, such as the International Day of Peace. In some of our Motherhouses, adoration of the Blessed Sacrament is observed on special occasions. To deepen our daily prayer, we commit ourselves to an annual retreat: some make it privately, others choose a preached retreat, while still others engage in directed ones. Throughout this publication you will find examples of the many different kinds and occasions of prayer in our lives. These rhythms are so much a part of our lives that we often engage in them without comment. I hope you find an echo of your own prayer life within these pages so that together we can unite our prayers with and for God’s people. Let us continue to lift up our minds and hearts to God with and for one another. Margaret Ormond, OP, Prioress Inside This Issue Prayer: the Heart of it All 3 Ways to Pray 4-5 Helping Others to Pray 6-7 Prayer in Our Ministries 8-11 The Experience of Prayer 12
Prayer: the Heart of it All For every member of the Dominican Family, whether Friar, Sister, Nun or Laity, prayer is absolutely essential. The newly approved Constitutions of the Dominican Sisters of Peace (2009) offer St. Dominic and St. Catherine of Siena as models of prayer and speak of the practices highlighted throughout this publication. Perhaps these lines from the Prologue capture best the spirit of our commitment to prayer: “God’s ever-faithful Love, discovered daily in prayer and contemplation, in Word and Sacrament, in study, ministry and community, impels us to listen and to respond to God’s Spirit with zeal, compassion, and joy.” Eucharist The Mass, along with the Liturgy of the Hours, constitutes the official public prayer life of the Church. As with all Catholics, it is the Eucharist that sustains us in all we do and unites us with all others in the Church throughout the world. Mass is celebrated on a daily basis in all our Motherhouse and health care center chapels. During these liturgies and at other prayer times, our Sisters pray for the individuals and situations written in the chapel books of intentions. It is one way we unite with our families, friends, benefactors, and donors in prayer to our loving God. We warmly invite you to attend Mass with us at any of our Motherhouses or other institutions where Eucharist is celebrated! Please call your local location for schedules and other details (scan this code for contact information). Liturgy of the Hours Known by many names and taught since the Roman times, Liturgy of the Hours or the Divine Office is the set of daily prayers meant to be recited at the canonical hours. In our Motherhouses and convents, the Liturgy of the Hours is said in community and is often sung. Individual Sisters living on mission elsewhere say the Divine Office as part of their own personal daily devotions. As all Sisters pray the Office, it is almost a rite of passage, taught to Novices during their training. Dominican Sisters of Peace novices receive this instruction at the Collaborative Dominican Novitate (CDN) in St. Louis, Missouri, where they spend their Canonical Novitiate year. The women are given direction at the beginning of the year, and as the year progresses, so does the prayer. According to Dominican Sister of Peace Joye Gros, Co-Director of the CDN, depending on the novice’s previous knowledge and musical ability, the prayers are slowly introduced. Most start with the Salve and then gradually move toward shared preaching. The goal is not to move quickly, but to pray meaningfully. Although most prayers are meant to be shared, the experience is deeply personal. “The novices really find that the Liturgy of Hours brings inner peace and a sense of daily devotion,” shares Sr. Joye. “The purpose of the Divine Office is to sanctify the day and all human activity.... [it is] the prayer not only of the clergy but of the whole People of God.” Apostolic Constitution, Canticum Laudis Dominican Sisters of Peace 3
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Page 7 and 8: Chaplaincy The ministry of chaplain
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Spring 2012 - Dominican Sisters of Peace

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