The Nashville Dominican Sisters and the Irish Question

The video above gives an insight into the lives of some of the 'Nashville' Dominican sisters, a teaching Order of Dominican women. The congregation has been attracting many vocations in recent years. There seems to be two reasons for this. Firstly, there is a very visible and clear mission that the sisters are involved in, namely education of the young and secondly, the community have a clear and visible identity which is concentrated on community life.

Every time I encounter the 'Nashville' Dominicans or other similar apostolic religious women, I can't help but ask the question how such a congregation has not yet taken hold in Ireland. In the course of vocations ministry, I come across many women who would dearly like to give themselves to following the Lord in a congregation like the Nashville Dominicans but can't find a suitable Order in Ireland to facilitate them. So, these are young, intelligent women with a deep desire to follow God but who do not wish to be contemplatives or monastic nor indeed do they wish to join apostolic religious orders who have lost their sense of identity or do not have a coherent or identifiable mission. Many ask me is there an order that somehow hold something of the contemplative and something of the active. This would have a certain attraction for them. I am not convinced that such an order or congreagation exists in Ireland - but if one were to emerge there are definite vocations available who would relish the opportunity to be part of this type of congregation.

Follow the Nashville Dominicans here.