Congregation Celebrates Dedication of St. Catherine Chapel

In a fitting ceremony on the feast of St. Catherine of Siena on April 29, the Adrian Dominican Sisters celebrated the Rite of Blessing of St. Catherine Chapel and the dedication of the altar. The Most Reverend Carl F. Mengeling, Bishop of the Diocese of Lansing, presided.

Donna Markham, OP, Prioress, welcomed the assembly, in particular "those whose imagination and expertise helped to create this space. Most especially, and most warmly, we welcome home our Sisters Janet Capone, Barbara Rund, Katie McGrail and Maureen Comer. They, along with Sister Molly Giller (who is in Ireland and could not be with us), are the ones who worked so diligently to bring this great effort into being. We thank you!"

"It is perhaps no accident in the mind of God that this chapel finally reaches completion and blessing on the feast of our sister, Catherine of Siena," Sister Donna continued. "In Catherine, we see the fusion of wisdom and love that led her to open herself to the marginalized and suffering poor and, also, to the suffering within herself … If we will be whom God has called us to be as a people of faith, if we will be those who will unreservedly extend ourselves, in person and prayer, to all the places of Earth where suffering shows its anguished face, we will inspirit our world. This is the core of our Dominican vocation, as it is a constituent of all persons of faith. Let this sacred place, the St. Catherine Chapel, stand as a continual reminder of this call."

Following the entrance procession and greeting, Sister Donna and members of the St. Catherine planning committee received symbols of the building. The dedication prayer was recited, followed by the anointing of the altar and church walls, and the incensation and lighting of the altar and church. After the liturgy of the Eucharist, Bishop Mengeling and members of the current and previous General Councils signed the dedication document.

"In naming the chapel for St. Catherine of Siena, we honor a 14th century Dominican woman, our sister in mission and tradition, a woman as relevant today as she was in her own time and culture," wrote Nadine Foley, OP, Congregation historian, in honor of the dedication. "Catherine of Siena is a woman for our times celebrated, revered and invoked by women from all walks of life. The naming of this chapel for her is a tribute to the inspiration she holds for the Adrian Dominican Sisters and Associates, now and in time to come."