What's Happening

By Sister Maria Yolanda Manapsal, OP
Chapter Prioress, Our Lady of Remedies Mission Chapter

August 28, 2025, Angeles City, Pampanga, Philippines – On the second day of their monthly Mission Chapter recollection, members of the Adrian Dominican Sisters Our Lady of Remedies Mission Chapter gathered outside their Motherhouse and started the day with meditative morning prayer before beginning a tree planting event. 

Staying true to their Dominican heritage, the Sisters practiced communal prayer to sanctify a mission that each holds close to her heart as an environmental advocate: connecting with nature and being responsible stewards of humanity’s common home.

The tree-planting ritual was the Sisters’ humble response to the call of Pope Francis in Laudato Si’ to “care for creation and hear the cry of the Earth and the poor.” The initiative is timely and vital, given the unrelenting typhoons and floods that recently have plagued the province of Pampanga and other areas of the Philippines. Each Mission Group planted one tree in the empty plot of grass next to the Adrian Dominican Sisters covered court. 

After a hearty breakfast and short break, the Sisters congregated in the conference room to share updates and reflections about seminars they had recently attended and their various ministries. 

Sisters Liberty Mendoza, OP, and Ruby Lumanlan, OP, shared their experience of serving as the Congregation’s delegates to the HOPE 2025 Convention in Rome. Sister Liberty highlighted three insights that she thought impactful: the challenge to grow in connection with God, self, and others; the spirit and power of global sisterhood; and the chance to marvel at and connect with God’s works. 

Sister Ruby added that being in Rome enabled her to experience a sense of “deepened spirituality” as she surveyed the city’s landmarks. The conversations with her fellow sisters allowed her to see firsthand the importance of “women’s participation in the revival of the Church.” Participants were challenged to “step outside your comfort zones and into global sisterhood and transformational leadership, converting walls into bridges and keeping united despite adversity.”  

The Congregation’s delegates to the recently concluded Philippine Convention on New Evangelization 2025 (PCNE), held at the University of Santo Tomas, were the next to speak. Sister Rosa Yaya, OP, shared her key takeaways from Cardinal Pablo Virgilio David’s talk, particularly on “walking together in hope” with Jesus and recognizing that “Christian hope is the gift of the Holy Spirit toward eternal life in the Kingdom of God.” She invited the Sisters to reflect on the questions: What makes us happy? What helps us persevere in our vocation?

Sister Marie Garcia, OP, expounded on Sister Rosa’s reflections, saying that the encounter at the convention inspired her to “seek the invisible and connect with the individual and with nature. We are all one under God – persons, plants, flowers. [We are reminded that] His Promise is kept.” 

In her sharing, Sister Romina Bautista, OP, marveled at the grace that was manifested in the 5,000 participants who graced the event despite a heavy downpour. What struck her the most was the emphasis on Pope Francis’s last encyclical Dilexit Nos (He loved us) and the theme of Jubilee Year 2025, Spes non confundit (Hope does not disappoint).

The last sharer among the delegates, Sister Liza David, OP, recounted her experience during a small group sessions focused on ministering with those in the margins. She said that the encounter allowed her to gain a deeper appreciation for the Congregation’s various ministries, particularly those that cater to the indigenous people, persons with disabilities, and women. “It reminded me that there is hope despite suffering,” she said. Hearing the reflections of the participants she had met from that panel also inspired her to “move forward and walk with them in the spirit of mission and through life.”

The final segment of the session was allotted for the foreign missionaries of the group, Sisters Alma Zapanta, OP, and Salvacion Valenzuela, OP, who shared updates and firsthand experiences about their mission in Norway. 

Since the mission’s foundation in June 2005 through the guidance of the late Sister Zenaida Nacpil, OP, the Congregation’s former prioress, Sisters Alma and Salve have sustained the efforts to keep the Adrian Dominican presence vibrant. 

The two missionaries have continued various apostolates started by Sisters who previously ministered in Norway, including pastoral, conventual, and educational ministries. In keeping with the needs of the times, they also established an online media apostolate where they share Sunday Gospel reflections, Rosary and Faith-Life sharing sessions through Google Meet, as well as counseling and prayer sessions. This expansion into the online space has widened the reach of the Sisters as they minister to people from Norway, England, the Netherlands, Germany, Australia, and Vietnam. 

Sisters Alma and Salve also preached the Gospel on EWTN Norway. They reported that their apostolates, and more so their presence, have inspired those around them to seek the Lord and encouraged some young women whom they have met and touched to discern a vocation to religious life.

The Sisters spent the afternoon discussing their hopes and vision for the future of the Congregation.

The day overflowed with many of God’s graces upon the Sisters: meditative prayer, connection with nature, and camaraderie through sharing and ministry. It was truly an echo of God’s peace and sending forth in the Gospel of John 20:21, “Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you!”

 

By Sister Nancyann Turner, OP

August 27, 2025, Detroit – Current and former students and volunteers, families, friars, and staff members gathered on August 16, 2025, for a spirited celebration of the 25th anniversary of the Rosa Parks Children and Youth Program of the Capuchin Soup Kitchen in Detroit. They also honored Sister Nancyann Turner, OP, who created the program and directed it for more than 20 years. 

Michelle Anderson, Director of the Rosa Parks Children and Youth Program, and Brother Gary Wegner, OSF Cap., who directs all aspects of the Capuchin Soup Kitchen, welcomed the participants and offered remarks.

The Rosa Parks Children and Youth Program, open from 4:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. on weekdays, offers young people creative alternatives to violence through after-school tutoring, art therapy for children ages 6 to 15, a large lending library, seasonal family activities such as baking Christmas cookies, a youth leadership program for teenagers, and a three-week summer peace camp.

Sister Nancyann reviewed the history and the various groups responsible for building and sustaining the multifaceted program for Detroit’s east side children and teens. She mentioned how much she had been changed and nurtured during her 23 years with the program.

“My prayer, my spirituality, and my sense of mission have been so inspired, stretched, nurtured, and blessed by my relationships with the many families, staff, and volunteers with whom I journeyed,” Sister Nancyann said. “I learned to lament. I learned to bless. I learned to accompany. I learned to give thanks for joy. My family became your family, your family became mine, and your presence in my life is still very sacred.”

Sister Nancyann concluded her remarks with a plea to keep children and youth as a top priority. “What our children think, what they create, what they feel, and what they love will create the future for generations to come,” she said. “Our children need villages; our children need to flourish, not just exist or survive.” She reminded those assembled, “Forever, you are part of this beloved community.”

The evening continued with dinner. The children of the Rosa Parks Peace Garden concluded the evening with a blessing and the presentation of a huge bouquet to Sister Nancyann.

Sister Suzanne Schreiber, OP, a long-time volunteer with the children’s program, accompanied Sister Nancyann at the event. Other Adrian Dominican Sisters who volunteered for tutoring or art at the Rosa Parks program included Sisters Katherine Frazier, OP, Mary Lou Putrow, OP, and Kathleen Voss, OP, and the late Sisters Pauline Oplinger, OP, Marie Solanus Reilly, OP, and Kathleen “Kay” Watt, OP. Numerous Mission Groups of Sisters and Associates made contributions and offered support throughout the years. 

Sister Suzanne said that the celebration was “a real testimony to community building” and to Sister Nancyann’s efforts through the years to save lives. “I was so happy to be there and to witness the love and care that Beloved Community has for [her]” and to see the familiar faces of volunteers, former students, and mothers, she said. 
 

Caption for above feature photo: Friends and participants of the Rosa Parks Children and Youth Program gather for its 25th anniversary celebration. 
Photo by Tim Hinkle, Capuchin Development Office, used with permission