Becoming Dominican
We are as diverse as are our members—each a vital part of the entire Dominican family. The Dominican family includes thousands of sisters, priests, brothers, associates, volunteers and lay men and women. We have been living and sharing the message of the Gospel since the time of St. Dominic, who encouraged his followers to practice humility, charity, and poverty until his death in August of 1221. Dominic’s Order of Preachers continues to care for the people of God in more than one-hundred countries around the globe. The first foundation at Prouille, France was a joint foundation with a prior and a prioress.
Each branch of the Dominican Family shares in the four pillars of Dominican Life and Mission:
w common life
w common prayer
w study
w service
Celebrating Jubilee
The Dominican Sisters ~ Grand Rapids honor the commitment of their members when a sister reaches a specific number of years in her religious life: twenty-five, fifty, sixty, seventy, seventy-five, and eighty. We celebrate all Jubilarians during Dominican Day at Marywood--an annual summertime gathering of all members of the Dominican Sisters ~ Grand Rapids. Jubilarians also frequently gather throughout the year with friends and family to mark the occasion.
Beginning in 2006, the entire Dominican Family began a ten-year celebration, recognizing the 800th anniversary of Dominic’s founding of the women’s community at Prouille, France in 1206.
Prouille began as a safe home for women who converted from Catharism (a radical Christian religious sect with dualistic and Gnostic elements). Alienated from their families, they were left with no means of familial or financial support. The settlement in Prouille became a stable center for the "holy preaching" where Dominic and his male preaching companions would return for refueling of their body, mind and spirit. The women of Prouille became vowed religious women and were part of the "holy preaching" from that time forward.