Marine Biologist from Tennessee
Enters Adrian Dominican Congregation

October 8, Adrian, Michigan – Erin Muldoon, a marine biologist from Nashville, Tennessee, made her Rite of Entrance into Candidacy with the Adrian Dominican Sisters in Holy Rosary Chapel, in the context of Evening Prayer. The October 7 ceremony was the culmination of a day of celebration marking the Feast of Our Lady of the Rosary, the patronal feast of the Congregation, formally known as the Dominican Sisters of the Congregation of the Most Holy Rosary.

Sister Donna Markham, OP, Prioress of the Congregation, on behalf of the Adrian Dominican Sisters, welcomed Erin. “In faithfulness you have listened to God’s call and have responded with a ‘yes’ to continue in relationship of mutual discernment for vowed membership,” she told Erin. “We welcome you into our midst to share faith and life.”

Erin expressed her desire “to become part of the great community of Adrian Dominicans. I wish to be one with the mission, vision, and mostly, the spirit I see in each sister. I ask for continued prayers on my journey. I also ask to be challenged so that my faith will be as strong as all of the sisters I have met and will meet.”

After Sister Patricia Leonard, OP, Director of Formation, and the sisters and associates in the assembly expressed their desire to walk with Erin on her journey of discernment; Sister Donna presented Erin with a copy of the Congregation’s mission statement.

Attending the ritual were Erin’s parents: her father, Sean Muldoon, who ministers primarily with people suffering from AIDS, and her mother, Moreen Muldoon, a special education teacher. Her younger sister, Kelly, was unable to attend because of her studies and work schedule. Also in attendance were Adrian Dominican Sisters and Associates and women in initial formation.

A member of St. Stephen Parish in Old Hickory, Tennessee, outside of Nashville, Erin earned her bachelor’s degree in biology from Austin Peay University in Clarksville, Tennessee. Before entering the formation program, she was a marine biologist at Aquarium Restaurant in Nashville, tending to the sea creatures that reside in the restaurant’s 200,000-gallon, floor-to-ceiling aquarium. In addition, she was a biologist in the reptile department of the Nashville Zoo.

As a candidate, Erin will live in Adrian; come to know the sisters and their ministries; study and reflect on the identity and history of the Adrian Dominican Congregation; and continue her discernment with the Director of Formation.