The Dominican Sisters in Congregational Leadership on the West Coast meet twice yearly. The Congregations represented are Tacoma, Adrian, Sinsinawa, San Rafael, Mission San Jose and Oakford.
The group met on January 29 and 30, 2018 at the Mission San Jose Dominicans’ Motherhouse. Surrounded by the beauty and warmth of California and the oranges growing and the flowers blooming, this was a mid-winter oasis for the sisters from the Northwest!
Our agenda for this meeting came out of a prior meeting where we decided to have a conversation with members new to religious life – that is new within the last 25 years!
Out of this planning came a rich and diverse conversation with our newer members on the evening of January 29. Five sisters and one candidate represented Tacoma, Oakford, Adrian, San Rafael and Mission San Jose. The conversation with the newer members was enriching and enlightening as they shared their hopes and struggles. All agreed that the future is now; the future enters us long before we are aware of it.
As leaders, we were impressed with the newer members’ capacity to verbalize what they were feeling. It seems to be a new energy that we need to support. There was a diversity in the group which demonstrated their passion for religious life.
From left to right: Sisters Jane Marie Estoesta, MSJ; Teresa Montes Lara, Tacoma; Anna Oven, Oakford; Christiana Antienza, SR; Kieu Tran, candidate, MSJ; and Veronica Esparza Ramirez, MSJ.
Members of OP West from left to right: Sisters Sharon Casey, Tacoma; Cecilia Canales, MSJ; Veronica Esparza Ramirez, MSJ; Susanna Vasquez, MSJ; Lorene Heck, Adrian; Diane Bridenbecker, MSJ; Carla Kovack, SR; Sue Allbritton, SR, Mary Dolan, Oakford; and Liam Brock, MSJ.