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June 17, 2026, Adrian, Michigan – In one of the final rituals marking the closure of Siena Heights University, members of the Siena Heights Community and Adrian Dominican Sisters participated in the Solemn Closing of St. Dominic Chapel during a profound and heart-felt Liturgy. Gathered for the event were students, alumni, friends, former and recent faculty, staff, and administrators of Siena Heights University and Adrian Dominican Sisters.
“Welcome to the solemn closing of St. Dominic Chapel,” said Trudy McSorley, who planned the liturgy with Father Tom Helfrich, OSFS, celebrant and longtime chaplain. “We’re here today as a community of believers and as a community that’s drawn to the mission of Siena Heights University. We’re here today also with very, very mixed emotions … but we hold each other in love and support.”
An Adrian Dominican Associate, Trudy taught for years in the University’s theater program, directed the University’s Child Drama Program, and served as Dean for Students.
The chapel – originally named Lumen Ecclesiae Chapel – was dedicated by Cardinal Edward Mooney, Archbishop of Detroit, on May 7, 1957. Lumen Ecclesiae (Light of the Church) was a traditional title for St. Dominic. The name was changed to St. Dominic Chapel in 2009 to reflect more clearly the intention of honoring St. Dominic.
“We’re truly standing on Holy Ground as today we assemble to remember the sacred history of this holy place,” Sister Carol Johannes, OP, said in her reflection on the readings. “We contemplate in gratitude all that God has done in us and for us here.”
Reflecting on the first reading, 1 Kings 8:22; 27-30, which recounts King Solomon’s prayer as he stood before his newly completed temple, Sister Carol noted the importance of temple worship to the people of Israel. “And yet, if we compare it to the sacred history of what has happened here in St. Dominic’s Chapel, for almost three-quarters of a century, it pales by comparison,” she said.
Sister Carol noted the many ways the University used the chapel: for daily and Sunday Mass, Baccalaureate Masses, and various prayer services. In addition, many Adrian Dominican Sisters celebrated their reception of the habit, their profession of first and final vows, funeral liturgies, the Liturgy of the Hours, and General Chapter sessions in the chapel.
Sister Carol also reflected on the second reading (Ephesians 2:19-22), in which St. Paul tells the Ephesians that in Christ, they are “being built together into a dwelling place of God in the Spirit.” She challenged the assembly, “Perhaps we might like to pray to believe in and experience the staggering implications of this truth: in communion with one another, we ourselves become the dwelling place of God. Never mind temples or chapels or churches, as important as these are.”
Finally, in reflection on the Gospel (John 14:1-3, 15-20, 27), Sister Carol assured the assembly that Jesus’ words of encouragement to his apostles before he underwent his own suffering and death are applied to them in their moment of sorrow. “We know that he’s speaking to us as well, when he tells us to ‘not let our hearts be troubled.’ Jesus assures us that closing the doors of St. Dominic’s Chapel will open new doors for us, and behind them, he will always be waiting.” [Read Sister Carol's full remarks here.]
The hymns and psalm chosen for the Mass joyfully reflected the spirit of welcome in St. Dominic Chapel, the Eucharistic feast prepared by Jesus in every Mass, and the traditions and sense of family of Dominicans.
The closing of St. Dominic Chapel was manifested at the end, when Father Tom carried the Blessed Sacrament from St. Dominic Chapel to St. Catherine Chapel on the Adrian Dominican Sisters Motherhouse. The assembly processed with him between the neighboring chapels.
Just before Sister Judith Benkert, OP, Sacristan, formally transferred the Blessed Sacrament into the tabernacle of St. Catherine Chapel, Father Tom reminded the Assembly of the meaning of faith. “We are one church,” he said. “As we say good-bye to St. Dominic Chapel, we celebrate the fact that our faith goes on. Our mission goes on.”
Watch a video showcasing highlights of the event below or on our public video library.
Caption for feature photo at top: Cheri Betz, President of Siena Heights University, leads a procession from St. Dominic Chapel at the end of the Solemn Closing of St. Dominic Chapel.
By Ciara Feehely, Head of Communications and Fundraising for Vita Impact Fund Introduction by Sister Marilín M. Llanes, OP, Director Portfolio Advisory Board
The featured organization this month is Vita Green Impact (Vita), an Irish overseas development agency that has worked in eastern and southern Africa for nearly 30 years to deliver sustainable energy, water, and forestry solutions to rural communities facing poverty and climate related challenges. Its programs aim to improve health and livelihoods – especially for women and girls – by expanding access to clean energy and safe water.
On March 26, 2026, members of the Adrian Dominican Sisters’ Portfolio Advisory Board (PAB) members approved a loan request from Vita, first-time loan recipient. Vita is committed to supporting women and their families with essential services leading to sustainable livelihoods.
Vita’s mission-driven focus is well aligned with the Adrian Dominican Sisters’ Enactment on Women as it seeks “to attain gender equality and women’s full and equal participation and decision-making in Church and society.”
Ciara Feehely, Head of Communications and Fundraising, shares a story of how Vita’s work ethos of By Women, With Women, For Women transformed the life of an Ethiopian woman and community.
In Halo Kebele, a remote village in Ethiopia’s Amhara Region, Tenaye Yisak begins each morning with a sense of relief she once thought impossible. For years, her days were shaped by a single, unending burden: the long walk for water. Every journey meant hours spent reaching shallow wells or nearby rivers — sources she knew were unsafe, yet had no choice but to use.
“We used to walk for hours to fetch water,” she recalls. “The water was often dirty, but we had no other choice. Then we spent more hours fetching wood so we could boil the water and make it clean. My back was always hurting.”
For Tenaye and for thousands of women across Ethiopia, water has never been just a resource. It has been a weight carried on the back, a risk taken for the sake of thirsty children, a sacrifice repeated daily. Drought, conflict, and a long history of underinvestment have left tens of millions of people without safe drinking water. Broken pumps have stood like silent reminders of promises unfulfilled, forcing families – especially women and girls – to walk long distances to collect water that was as dangerous as it was essential.
Into this difficult landscape has come a new kind of hope, one rooted in partnership and in the dignity of local leadership. Through the Vita Green Impact Fund partners, 1,346 broken water pumps have been repaired, bringing clean water to 485,000 people. Working under the ethos of By Women, With Women, For Women, the Fund has helped establish and train 1,346 local WASH Committees, which focus on promoting women into leadership roles. Their stewardship ensures that each water point is cared for, maintained and protected for the long term.
The impact reaches far beyond convenience. It restores time, precious hours that women like Tenaye can now dedicate to family, farming, community life, and generating additional income. It restores health, sparing children the illnesses once caused by contaminated rivers. And it restores dignity, allowing women to step forward not only as beneficiaries, but as leaders.
For women like Tenaye, the change is nothing short of transformative. “Now, I can collect clean water just a few minutes from my home. My children are healthier. Also, I have more time. Before, fetching water and the wood to boil it and clean it was the main focus of my day. I can see the water pump from my own front door and it is already clean water. I love having more time to do things and not carrying these heavy water buckets and bales of wood for long distances. This is a very happy time for me!”
Her joy speaks to a deeper truth echoed across Catholic social teaching: when women flourish, families flourish; when families flourish, communities grow strong; when communities grow strong, hope becomes tangible.
In Halo Kebele and across South Gondar, clean water is doing more than quenching thirst. It is restoring the dignity of women one restored water pump at a time.
Caption for feature photo at top: Tenaye Yisak, of the village of Halo Kebele in Ethiopa, poses with a repaired water pump that has made access to water so much easier for the women in her village.