by Mary Navarre, OP
To her great surprise, Catherine Anderson, OP, was honored with the Dominican Institute of the Arts (DIA) Spirit Award at the DIA conference held at Weber Center in Adrian, Michigan from July 22 to 25.
In presenting the award, DIA President-elect Elizabeth Slenker shared, “My favorite saint is Therese of Lisieux, the Little Flower. What draws me to her is her ‘Little Way,’ where one can achieve holiness through the smallest, seemingly insignificant acts. By doing each small thing with love, both the joys and hardships of life become significant and sacred. This year’s recipient of the DIA Spirit Award must be deeply connected with the Little Flower, because throughout her years of membership in the DIA, she has done so many little things for us. She never hesitates to say ‘yes,’ even for the smallest tasks. I don’t believe she even realizes how cherished her contributions are. All who have attended our Gatherings have been blessed by her creative talents. Many of her creations may be physically small, but they bestow upon us a tremendous magnitude of beauty. She has even shared her gift through a workshop featuring her bookmark art. It is, therefore, with the greatest pleasure that I present our 2024 DIA Spirit Award to Sr. Catherine Anderson.”
Congratulations to Sr. Catherine on the occasion of this well-deserved award!
Dominican Artists Gather to Celebrate Their Role as ”Artists for the Earth”
by Sr. Barbara Kelly, OP
About 50 members of the Dominican Institute for the Arts (DIA) met July 22-25, 2024, at Weber Retreat Center in Adrian Michigan, for their annual gathering, under the theme, Artists for the Earth.
Begun more than 25 years ago, the DIA is a grassroots organization of Sisters, Friars, Nuns, Laity, and Associates who preach through the arts. Members range from painters, sculptors, and photographers to musicians, poets, dancers, filmmakers, dramatists, and appreciators of the arts.
Sister Joye Gros, OP (Peace) began her keynote address on the morning of July 23 by affirming the gifts that artists bring to the world. “Their gift of seeing and feeling requires attention and intention, she said. As an artist, your gift is to help others see. You see things others don’t see, and that’s what Jesus did. We are given gifts that we might share them.”
Sr. Joye spent much of her talk on the theme of the conference, drawing from Laudato Si’, Pope Francis’ prophetic encyclical on the environment. “This conference calls you not only to respect Earth, but to praise and honor God through your art.” Sister Joye challenged the artists to connect to Laudato Si’ through their artistic gifts. “As artists of the Earth, you stay close to the Earth,” she said.
“Your eyes and ears, your nose, all your senses can bring you close to the Earth.” She encouraged them to “stay close to the ground to hear the cry of humanity and the cry of Earth.”
