New Springtime: Dominican Nuns to Buy JPII Cultural Center in Washington, DC

There could not be a place more suited for the truth, beauty and joy of the Catholic religious life of these Dominican Sisters than at the John Paul II Cultural Center in the heart of Washington, DC.The Dominican Sisters have signed a contract to buy the JPII Cultural Center in Washington, DC, to be used as a House of Studies for the continuing education and formation of their Sisters.

NASHVILLE, TN (Catholic Online) - If you've ever prayed for a revitalization of goodness in Washington, DC; for more purity, decency and peace, your prayers have been answered. The Dominican Sisters of Mary, Mother of the Eucharist have signed a contract to buy the JPII Cultural Center in Washington, DC, to be used as a House of Studies for the continuing education and formation of their Sisters, and are currently in the inspection phase of that agreement.

As an exciting new option for the center that is currently the Washington location for EWTN studios, the Sisters hope their religious women will be "fully alive for Christ there." Because the city is at the forefront of what the world sees when they think of America, the Sisters feel that their presence there as religious women of faith who are bringing the truth to the world is especially appropriate.

After their move to Ann Arbor, MI the vocations "poured in" according to Mother Mary Assumpta Long, OP, and it was necessary to make a new foundation of Dominican Sisters for the flourishing Order. To aid in expansion needs all over the country, the Sisters hope to convert part of their new space into a House of Study to enable centralized professional education and training, and another into living quarters for the sisters suitable as a monastic setting where their spiritual formation and community life can continue to flourish.

Because study remains an essential part of the religious life of a Dominican and is present at all stages in a Sister's life, they searched extensively for a place close to a Catholic university "that they believed in" where graduate level studies and apostolic venues were readily accessible and that would be located within a supportive ecclesial environment. The cultural center is happily adjacent to the Catholic University of America, is part of the Archdiocese of Washington, and close to a House of Study for Dominican Friars already located and thriving there.

Founded in the Dominican tradition to spread the witness of religious life according to Pope John Paul II's vision for a new evangelization, the community's initial impetus for the new location was spreading the message in the spirit and heart of John Paul the Great. After their first profession of vows, the Sisters begin preparing for a teaching profession through both Catholic and secular studies.

Their studies continue throughout their religious lives in order to maintain teaching certification and effectively engage in the teaching apostolate and new evangelization. From the newly appointed JPII Cultural Center, they are confident the Sisters will go into schools all over the nation, exploding all over the globe, and setting the world on fire, "wherever obedience and Mother Church needs them."

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Sister Mariana feels a particular, even more personal, connection to John Paul II. "[He] was a big part of my vocation. His call to just not be afraid to give your life totally to Christ really reached me at that time, and I think part of it was that he was such a beautiful example of that. You could just tell by looking at him that he was filled with God's love," she said.

Through profession of the vows of chastity, poverty, and obedience, along with a contemplative emphasis on Eucharistic adoration and Marian devotion, the community exists for the salvation of souls and the building of the Church throughout the world, and its apostolate, as spiritual mothers, is the preaching and teaching of Truth. Through this call, the Sisters feel that wherever the Holy Spirit leads them is where there is the greatest need for their charism. Indeed, there could not be a place more suited for the truth, beauty and joy of the Catholic religious life of these Dominican Sisters than in Washington, DC.
 
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Sonja Corbitt is a Catholic speaker, Scripture teacher and study author, and a contributing writer for Catholic Online. Visit her at www.pursuingthesummit.com.

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