Sister Megan McElroy

“Ephesians 3:14-21 speaks of family and the discovery of one’s true self. Being part of a family – “whether spiritual or natural” – reminds us that we are not alone in life or faith. Becoming Dominican is a lifelong process of discovering the true self, which at its core is the Word of Life. I am so grateful to discover, share, and celebrate this Life with all who have touched and shaped me, especially the Dominican Family.” 

Sister Megan McElroy has been a Dominican Sister of Grand Rapids since 1988. She ministered for a total of thirteen years as a pastoral associate. Her first assignment took her to the cradle of the community in Traverse City where she ministered at St. Patrick Parish and lived at St. Francis Convent. After four years in the northern lower peninsula, she returned to her home Archdiocese of Detroit where she ministered for nine years at St. Blase Catholic Community in Sterling Heights. After earning her Master of Divinity from Catholic Theological Union in Chicago, Megan taught theology at Woodlands Academy of the Sacred Heart, an all-girls Catholic high school in the north shore area of Chicago.

She was then called to eight years of formation ministry as co-director of the Collaborative Dominican Novitiate in St. Louis, Missouri, forming novices who come together to create their own experience in community with fresh spirit, abundant gifts, and eagerness to grow in the Dominican tradition.

During her time in St. Louis, she successfully completed her Doctor of Ministry in Preaching at Aquinas Institute, St. Louis, MO.

How can you put into words silent preaching? It is this silent Word that is the first Word Dominicans are called to preach. The Nuns immerse themselves in this silence, listening deeply with compassion and mercy, openness and tenderness, forgiveness and understanding. Their prayer is the bedrock of the oral preaching of the active members of the Dominican Order. -- Megan McElroy, OP, excerpt from The Hidden Charism of the Order of Preachers: An Initial Investigation into the Preaching of Dominican Nuns 2017

Biography

Sister Megan McElroy, born in Royal Oak, Michigan, entered the Dominican Sisters ~ Grand Rapids in 1988. She spent 13 years as a pastoral associate in Michigan – four years at St. Patrick Parish in Traverse City and nine years at St. Blase Parish in Sterling Heights. In 2006, she embarked on a four-year teaching career at Woodlands Academy of the Sacred Heart in Lake Forest, Illinois. She was then invited to serve as co-director of the Collaborative Dominican Novitiate in St. Louis. While there, she received her DMin in Preaching from Aquinas Institute of Theology in 2017. She was elected to serve on the congregation’s leadership team in 2018. Sr. Megan received her BA in Religious Studies from Aquinas College; a MTS degree from St. John Provincial Seminary; a MDiv with a focus in Word and Worship from Catholic Theological Union; and a DMin in Preaching from Aquinas Institute of Theology.