Prayer Service Opens Weekend with
Spirit of Joy and Community
In a spirit of great joy, homecoming and community, Adrian Dominican Sisters, Associates, and special guests assembled in Holy Rosary Chapel on May 15 for the Evening Prayer Service that opened the 125th anniversary weekend. The service sent a beautiful and sacred tone for the rest of the weekend.
The service opened with music, color and movement as the Paschal Candle was carried in procession, followed by liturgical dancing with the incense. Sister Rosa Monique Peña, OP, of the General Council, greeted the assembly, welcoming the Sisters and Associates back home and extending a special welcome to visitors. She briefly reflected on Holy Rosary Chapel and on what it has meant to the community over the years.
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| Sister Lorraine Reaume, OP |
Sister Lorraine Reaume, OP, a pastoral minister at Our Lady of Guadalupe Church in Anchorage, gave a heart-felt and moving reflection on the reading, 1 Thessalonians 3:12-13. She noted the love and care that the Sisters show for one another but also the struggles involved in love and community. St. Paul, like us, knew the struggles of community life, yet in 1 Thessalonians, he rejoiced in the love of the Thessalonians. “I am sure were he here today he would be rejoicing at all the love demonstrated among us,” Sister Lorraine said. Yet, she added, that love must extend to others. “The love among us bonds us and strengthens us to reach out to others.”
Sister Lorraine noted that, in a challenging time such as ours, we must especially strive to be witnesses to the world of that “superabundant love” that St. Paul prayed for. To do this, she said, we must “root our hearts in holiness, that is we place ourselves ‘in the orbit of God’s transcendent [and imminent] presence’ through acts of prayer, and trust, and faith,” Sister Lorraine continued.
Evening Prayer concluded with the traditional singing of the Salve, in tribute to the Blessed Virgin Mary, and the Lumen, in tribute to St. Dominic. The concluding Sign of Peace gave those assembled the opportunity to greet one another with a joy and excitement that carried over into the socials held in the Adrian Room in Madden Hall and in Weber Center.
Sister Lorraine’s reflection