Adrian Dominican Sisters/ Southern Province Friars

The Roots of the Dominican Way of Life

The Dominicans, or the Order of Preachers, owe their origin and name to St. Dominic of Guzman, a priest born in Caleruega, in the Province of Burgos (Spain). Established on December 22, 1216, by Pope Honorius III, this new Order was an answer to the needs of the Church in the 13th century. It represented a new approach, a new form of apostolic life called “The Holy Preaching.” It was tailored for proclaiming the Word of God to a world in need of sound spiritual guidance and direction.

Dominican Sisters of Adrian, Michigan

The Dominican Sisters of Adrian Michigan are an international congregation of more than 1,000 vowed women religious and associates whose roots go back to St. Dominic in the 13th century. They trace their beginnings to Holy Cross Convent, a house of enclosed contemplative nuns in Regensburg (Ratisbon), Germany, founded twelve years after St. Dominic's death in 1221.

In the mid-nineteenth century, four sisters from Holy Cross Convent were sent to the United States where they founded the Convent of the Most Holy Rosary in New York City . In 1879, the need for teachers brought the first nuns to Adrian , Michigan , where their numbers continued to grow. In 1923, the Congregation separated from New York Congregation and began to flourish; its new Motherhouse was established in Adrian, Michigan.

In addition to their continued sponsorship and involvement in Barry University, the Dominican Sisters of Adrian, Michigan, minister in a variety of professions that developed from the traditional works of education, health care, and social service. They are involved in community organizing and works of peace and justice as well as ministries in law, art, education, science, business, health care, housing, administration, pastoral care, and retreat work. For more information on this exciting and dynamic congregation, please go to www.adriandominicans.org.

Southern Province of Friars

The Southern Province of Friars came into being in the wake of the Second Vatican Council. On December 8, 1979, 150 Dominican fathers and brothers formed a new Province to serve the Southern States. The brothers chose St. Martin de Porres as their provincial patron because his life was one of serving the poor, bridging the divisions between races, cultures, and classes. Their provincial territories include the states of Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Tennessee, Alabama, Georgia, Florida, and North and South Carolina. The provincial offices are located in New Orleans, Louisiana.

The Southern Province of Friars are involved in a variety of ministries including higher education at institutions such as the Aquinas Institute of Theology, Xavier University of Louisiana, and St. Thomas Aquinas University in Rome; parish ministry; preaching; university campus ministry; mass communications and the arts; foreign ministries, and Diocesan chanceries. For more information on this exciting and dynamic congregation, please go to www.opsouth.org .