Study

St. Dominic included study ordained to the ministry of salvation as part of the essential plan for our Order ... before all else our study should aim principally and ardently at this, that we might be able to be useful for the souls of our neighbors.  (Southern Province of Friars website)

This quote from the Dominican Constitution illustrates the importance the Order places on study. For all Dominicans, spiritual formation includes theological study. Study, however, is not restricted to theology. In the tradition of St. Albert the Great and St. Thomas Aquinas, all created order is recognized as stemming from and participating in God (the divine essence).  All of creation is, therefore, open to study and greater understanding.

Assisting Others through Study. If the chief purpose of study is to assist one's neighbor, it was to be expected that the early sisters would study teaching, nursing, and social work, taking on these woman-dominated, "traditional" service roles. Today, the sisters have a diversity of professions and are trained to assist others as “educators, administrators, lawyers, social workers, physicians, nurses, pastoral service ministers, musicians, artists, and office workers.” For more information, see the Adrian Dominican Web site.

Sponsored Educational Institutions. Not only do the sisters study and prepare for specific service-oriented careers, they also teach others to study and to use their minds for the greater good. The Adrian Dominicans currently sponsor two universities (Barry University and Siena Heights University), two high schools, and two elementary-middle schools. In all these institutions, students, staff, and faculty are given the opportunity to share their vision and to prepare for their lives in such a way that they, too, might help bring about change in the world.