Dominican Nuns Drogheda launch new website

Our Dominican contemplative nuns in Siena Monastery in Drogheda, County Louth launched a new website for the community today August 8th- to coincide with the feast of Saint Dominic. You can find it here and it is well worth a visit!

The attractive website gives a very good insight into the life and ministry of the nuns. It boasts up to date information on upcoming events, vocations, preaching, reflections, the hospitality afforded to guests and much more.

The nuns are also Facebook (search for Dominican Nuns Ireland) and also host a blog - www,dominicannunsireland.blogspot.com

Dominican Nuns Drogheda - Vocation Weekends

The Dominican nuns at Siena Convent Drogheda, County Louth have organised a number of vocation weekends during the coming year. These 'formal' weekends are provided for single women who are attracted to the way of life of the sisters. Apart from the dates below, other weekends can be arranged by contacting the vocations promoter Sr Mairead OP.

The scheduled dates for these monastic weekends are as follows:

February 15th to 17th, 2013
March 8th to 10th, 2013
April 26th to 28th, 2013
May 17th to 19th, 2013
September 13th to 15th, 2013
October 25th to 27th, 2013

Further information can be had by contacting Sr Mairead OP, Monastery of Saint Catherine of Siena, The Twenties, Drogheda, Co. Louth. Tel +353 (0)41 983 8524; Email: siena3@eircom.net or visit www.dominicannuns.ie and www.dominicannunsireland.blogspot.com 

The video above is a talk on vocational discernment by Sr Mary Theresa OP, of the Siena Convent community in Drogheda.

Dominican Nuns Drogheda Vocation Weekends

The contemplative Dominican nuns living near Drogheda, Co Louth, have prepared live-in weekend experiences for women who may be interested in becoming a Dominican nun.

Three weekends have been organised for the period before Christmas 2012.

The dates are 14th-16th September, 26th-28th October, 16th-18th November.

For further information, contact Sister Mairéad, Monastery of St Catherine of Siena, The Twenties, Drogheda, Co Louth.

The monastery website: http://www.DominicanNuns.ie

Dominican nuns in Cusco, Peru - solemn profession video

The video above is of the celebration of the solemn professions of two cloistered Dominican nuns in Cusco, Peru. I was taken by the elaborate nature of the ceremony - something that we are not quite used to in our western culture. Also, the music accompanying the video caught my attention - the 'Flower Duet' - appropriate to the video.

Solemn profession in the Dominican tradition is the giving of oneself through the vows of povery, chastity and obedience to God in the following of Saint Dominic.

Dominican nuns in Drogheda offer vocation weekends

Sisters Mairead, Teresa, Kathy and Breda.

The contemplative Dominican nuns at Siena Convent, Drogheda in County Louth are offering the opportunity to women to experience their life, prayer and community living at two scheduled vocation weekends in the near future. The dates are 14th to 16th October 2011 and 11th to 13th November 2011.

These weekends are designed to assist women interested in Dominican contemplative life by means of conferences, opportunities for personal prayer and communal prayer, reflection and the chance to speak about vocational discernment with some of the sisters.

The sisters at Siena convent are the only community of contemplative Dominican women in Ireland. While the main focus of the community is prayer and adoration of the Blessed Sacrament, they are also engaged in other activities to assist with the upkeep of the community. The sisters have in the past year had two solemn professions and currently have one novice. For more information on the life and work of the nuns, please visit their website and blog. If you would like to avail of a contact form for these weekends, please click here.

Laois Dominican nun makes final profession in Siena Convent Drogheda, Co Louth

Sr M Teresa prostrates before the altar before making profession and seeks the mercy of God

There was great joy and delight for the enclosed Dominican nuns who are based in Drogheda, Co. Louth, and for the wider Dominican family in Ireland today as Sr Mary Teresa Dunphy OP made her solemn profession.

I, Sister Mary Teresa Dunphy make profession, and promise obedience to God...........that I will be obedient to you and your successors, until death.

Final profession, called "solemn profession" among Dominicans, is the final commitment a men or woman makes to remaining a Dominican brother or sister for life.

Originally from County Laois, Sr M.Teresa entered the Dominican monastery in 2005 at the age of 26, after having qualified and worked as a chartered accountant.

She and the Dominican community of nuns Drogheda, Co Louth were joined by family, friends and members of the Dominican Order for 12.30 p.m.  Mass during which the profession ceremony took place.

Sister M.Teresa is the second Dominican nun to make solemn profession in her monastery in 13 months, Sr Niamh Muireann Galvin having made solemn profession in 2010. The monastery currently has one sister in formation as a novice.

Left to right: Sr Breda Caroll OP (prioress), Sr Mary Teresa, Sr Mairead Mullen (novice mistress)

Sr Mary Teresa with her parents

Sr Mary Teresa with her brothers and sister

For more information about the Irish Dominican contemplative nuns, see their website and their blog:
http://www.dominicannuns.ie/
http://dominicannunsireland.blogspot.com/

Irish Dominican contemplative nun speaks about her vocation

Sr Mary Teresa Dunphy OP is a member of the community of the contemplative Dominican nuns in Drogheda, Co. Louth. She is preparing to make her solemn (perptual) profession next month (June 29th, 2011). In this video, she speaks about her vocation story, with a particular emphasis on discernment. In listening to her reasons for wanting to join the Domincan nuns, you will note that there is a universality about the vocational call, while everyone has a very different story to tell as to how they get there in the end. This talk was given as part of the annual Dominican family vocations day held in March of this year.

For more information on the Dominican contemplative nuns, please visit their website www.dominicannuns.ie or their blog www.dominicannunsireland.blogspot.com Irish Dominican Vocations asks you to remember Sr Teresa in your prayers as she continues her preparation for her solemn profession.

Joy as Dominican nuns in Drogheda give habit to new novice

 Left to right: Sr. Mairead OP (novice mistress), Sr Teresa OP, Sr Mary Cathy and Sr Breda (prioress)

The call to the Dominican way of life takes many forms. The Dominican family is made up of four parts - the apostolic sisters, the Dominican laity, the friars and finally the nuns (contemplative). There is one monastery of contemplative Dominican nuns in Ireland - based in Drogheda at the Monastery of Saint Catherine of Siena. It is more popularly known as Siena Monastery.

Yesterday was a very important day for that community as it clothed in the habit of the Order, Sr Mary Cathy Howard. Sr Cathy has spent a period of time as a postulant in the community, and has now received the habit of the Order. During the novitiate, she will continue to discern her vocation with this contemplative community. As Sr Breda, prioress of Siena monastery reminded Sr Cathy yesterday during the clothing ceremony as she offered herself to the community " ...we can trust the One into Whose Hands we entrust ourselves, with all that we are and have – He will not test us beyond our strength but will give us grace and strength in time of need..." This act of receiving the habit by Sr Mary Cathy is a very important moment for our Dominican sisters in Drogheda, and we pray that they will continue to receive vocations into the future.

Irish Dominican Vocations wishes Sr Cathy every blessing as she takes this new step in her Dominican life. For a more full account of this event, please see the blog of the Dominican nuns at Drogheda www.dominicannunsireland.blogspot.com

The 'O' Antiphons - Dominican Nuns Drogheda

The Dominican nuns at Siena Monastery, Drogheda, Co Louth are the only community of monastic Dominican nuns in Ireland. Their life of prayer, contemplation, study and community is a vital witness of the Dominican Order in Ireland. The friars of the Irish Dominican province receive huge support from the prayers of the nuns and we are very much in their debt. As vocations promoter for the friars in Ireland, I try as much as possible to highlight the vocation of our nuns in Droegheda as well. In trying to promote their way of life during this season of Advent, I am posting videos of the nuns singing the beautiful 'O' antiphons which are chanted in the ocatve before Christmas. The 'O' antiphons refer to the seven antiphons that are recited (or chanted) preceding the Magnificat during Vespers of the Liturgy of the Hours. They cover the special period of Advent preparation known as the Octave before Christmas, Dec. 17-23, with Dec. 24 being Christmas Eve and Vespers for that evening being for the Christmas Vigil. The videos also include some still photos of the life and work of the Dominican nuns at Siena monastery. For more information see http://www.dominicannunsireland.blogspot.com/ or http://www.dominicannuns.ie/

Solemn Profession of Sr Niamh Muireann Galvin OP

Today, May 31st, the feast of the Visitation, was a very special day for all Irish Dominicans and particularly for our Dominican nuns at Siena Monastery, Drogheda, County Louth. Today the nuns celebrated the solemn profession of one of their sisters, Sister Niamh Muireann OP (pictured above). By making solemn profession, Sr Niamh gives her life to God and the contemplative community of nuns in Drogheda until death.

The Mass, including the rite of profession, was a very moving celebration and a reminder to all of us who were there, and all others of the call of the Lord to us in our lives.

This is the formula of profession that Sr Niamh made today in the hands of the prioress of the monastery Sr Mairead Mullen OP: I, sister Niamh Muireann.....promise obedience to God, and to blessed Mary and to blessed Dominic, and to Fr Carlos Aspiroz Costa, Master of the Order of Friars Preachers and to you Sr Mairead Mullen, prioress of this monastery of Saint Catherine of Siena, Drogheda and to your successors, according to the rule of blessed Augustine and the Constitutions of the Nuns of the Order of Preachers, that I will be obedient to you and your successors, until death.

Irish Dominican Vocations wishes Sr Niamh every blessing on this day of her solemn profession. For more information on the Dominican nuns at Siena Convent, Drogheda see their website: http://www.dominicannuns.ie/