The new leadership team of the Dominican Sisters of Peace: Second Councilor Sister Carol Davis, OP, (standing from l.), Prioress Patricia Twohill, OP, and Fourth Councilor Sister Susan Leslie, OP. Third Councilor Sister Cathy Arnold, OP, (seated from l.) and First Councilor Sr. Anne Lythgoe, OP.
The new leadership team of the Dominican Sisters of Peace: Second Councilor Sister Carol Davis, OP, (standing from l.), Prioress Patricia Twohill, OP, and Fourth Councilor Sister Susan Leslie, OP. Third Councilor Sister Cathy Arnold, OP, (seated from l.) and First Councilor Sr. Anne Lythgoe, OP.
The Dominican Sisters of Peace convened their Third General Chapter at the Hyatt Regency Hotel on April 19-25 in Columbus, Ohio. The chapter was delayed for one year because of the COVID pandemic.

The congregation elected new leaders for the term 2022-28. Sister Pat Twohill, OP, was elected for a second term as prioress; Sister Anne Lythgoe, OP, was elected for a second term as first councilor; Sister Carol Davis, OP — who ministers in the Albany Diocese — was elected as second councilor; Sister Cathy Arnold, OP, as third councilor; and Sister Susan Leslie, OP, as fourth councilor. Sisters Therese Leckert, OP, Gemma Doll, OP, and Gene Poore, OP, will complete their terms Aug. 7.

A highlight of the first day of the meeting was a webcast launching a year-long celebration of the 200th anniversary of Dominican women religious in the United States. On Easter Sunday, April 7, 1822, four women answered the call to serve God’s people in what was then the frontier community of Springfield, Ky. From those four women grew the Dominican Sisters of St. Mary Magdalen, eventually known as the Kentucky Dominicans. The Kentucky Dominicans were part of the union that
created the Dominican Sisters of Peace in 2009.

LOVE IMPELS OUR JOURNEY
The members also approved direction statements for the next six years. These following commitments, corresponding to the chapter theme of “Love Impels Our Journey,” will be used as a framework for the ways the sisters live and carry out their work.  

Love impels us to foster and create cultures of inclusion by examining the reasons for and the history of racism, with the goal of eradicating this sin against God’s people and engaging in restorative justice.

Love impels us to treasure and reverence the earth by following the precepts of Pope Francis’ encyclical “Laudato Si’, On Care for our Common Home” and act to reduce our carbon footprint individually and communally and acting in solidarity with others in caring for the earth.

Love impels us to foster lives of prayer and contemplation by growing in and demonstrating the transformative power of Gospel living, promoting peacemaking and reconciliation, and working with others to heal the wounded Body of Christ in our world.

Love impels us to prophetic preaching of the Gospel message by using the lens of truth to discern reality, speaking truth in our words, actions and lives, and confronting injustice.

Love impels us toward the future of Dominican Life by emerging forms of Dominican Life and Mission with our Dominican Sisters around the world, by working to sustain our own congregation and by promoting the call to Dominican life as vowed members and associates.

The mission of the Dominican Sisters of Peace is to bring the Gospel to the world by being peace, building peace and preaching peace. They number more than 350 sisters and 700 associates. They minister in 22 states, 29 Catholic dioceses and in Nigeria, serving God’s people in ministerial areas including education, health care, spirituality, pastoral care, prison ministry and care of creation.

To learn more about the new leadership team or the new direction statements, visit oppeace.org. To learn more about the Dominican Retreat and Conference Center in Niskayuna, visit dslcny.org.