Adrian Dominican Associates
Celebrate Rites of Acceptance of
New Associates and Retreat
August 9, Adrian, Michigan – About 35 Adrian Dominican Associates from throughout the United States spent the weekend of July 30 to August 1 on retreat at Weber Retreat and Conference Center in Adrian, reflecting on the effects of transitions in their lives and formally welcoming two new members. They came from the Midwest and from as far away as Washington State and New Mexico to attend the gathering.
The retreat began with the Ritual of Acceptance into Associate Life of Arlene Bachanovand Anna Conley during a brief ceremony held in Holy Rosary Chapel. “Arlene and Anna are here to celebrate the growth of the Dominican charism in their lives,” said Mary Lach, an associate and the Director of Associate Life. “The Dominican family becomes enriched through the commitment of these two women.”
Sister Mary Ellen Youngblood, OP, Anna’s mentor, recalled the first time she met Anna, then the mother of one of her more rambunctious first-grade students. Sister Mary Ellen described Anna as a woman who is “full of energy” and who has a “passion for life and a huge love for God.” The two reconnected years later at a social function.
In speaking of her decision to become an Adrian Dominican Associate, Anna described her early desire to enter religious life – until, at the age of 16, she met her future husband. Widowed in 2003, she recently completed her spiritual direction internship program at the Dominican Center for Religious Development, (DCRD), founded in Detroit in 1980 and currently directed by Sister Joanne Podlucky, OP. Assigned to write a paper about a mystic, Anna chose to write about St. Catherine of Siena, the great 14th-century Dominican mystic and church reformer. “She got ahold of me, my heart, my mind,” Anna noted. In studying about St. Catherine, she began to feel that she was “coming home to the Dominicans.”
Sister Nadine Foley, OP, introduced Arlene Bachanov, whom she had mentored through her formation period. Arlene is known by many Adrian Dominican Sisters at the Motherhouse for the articles she has written as a freelance writer for the Daily Telegram. Most recently, Arlene wrote about the July 3 Celebration of Leadership, during which the new General Council took office.
Arlene recalled meeting the Adrian Dominicans 20 years ago and volunteering to cover the news of the Congregation for the Daily Telegram. One of her assignments then was to interview Sister Nadine, who was Prioress of the Congregation from 1986 to 1992. In May, 2009, she returned to the Adrian Dominican Sisters Motherhouse to cover the 125th anniversary of the Congregation’s foundation in Adrian. Upon entering Madden Hall, “I felt that I had come home again,” she noted.
During the ritual, the two women and their mentors signed the agreement of association, a document which declares their formal relationship with the Congregation. Anna and Arlene also received their associates’ logo, along with the affirmation and blessing of the Adrian Dominicans who were among them. The celebration continued with a reception at Weber Center.
Throughout the rest of the retreat, the associates received input from Sister Mary Sue Kennedy, OP, on transitions in life. “The theme of transitions encompasses the changes in our lives that we encounter on a daily basis,” Mary Lach explained. “How we handle these transitions determines how we author our lives. Participants in the retreat will reflect on their own transitions in light of the grace that accompanies them.”
Associates are women or men – married, single, divorced, or separated – who are at least 18 years old and who share the values and vision of the Adrian Dominican Sisters in a non-vowed commitment. They stay in contact with the Adrian Dominican Sisters through ministry at one of the Congregation’s sponsored institutions or through membership with some of the sisters in a mission group or a sojourner group.
For further information on Associate Life, call Mary Lach at 517-266-3531.