Friends and family members joined Sisters and Associates for a Prayer Service and Commitment Ceremony welcoming Mary Barr, Maria Brummel-Schutte, and Martha Kuyten into Dominican Associate Life. These candidates studied, prayed, and engaged in conversation preparing for this moment. And Friday, June 5, 2026 our three discerners shared their commitment reflections in Marywood Chapel of the Word. Read their reflections and view photos from the evening below:
A Reflection from Dominican Associate Mary Barr
I am pleased and humbled to have the privilege of becoming a Dominican Associate with the Dominican Sisters of Grand Rapids. In these last 8 months of study with the group of Sisters, Associates, and fellow candidates I’ve learned a great deal about what it means to make a commitment to prayer, study, community and service (preaching). Lisa Mitchell was a terrific guide, as were the Sisters and Associates who shared their journeys with us. I feel I am prepared to commit to a life of greater spirituality, more ‘quiet’ and focused interactions, and offering my time and talents to the greater good of the community. I have been given many gifts and privileges and now look forward to being part of a community of “givers.” I hope to gain wisdom from the Sisters’ experience and be more intentional about what I choose to do which includes more prayer, community and helping others. I have developed friendship with some of the Sisters, and particularly Sr. Jarrett DeWyse as we share many of the same interests. I look forward to a long association and active participation with the Dominican Sisters of Grand Rapids and all that it entails.
A Reflection from Dominican Associate Martha Kuyten
I am grateful for the opportunity to commit as an Associate of the Dominican Sisters of Grand Rapids. Last May, while waiting for Mass, I received a beautiful invitation from Jarek and Amy that simply said, “We need you.” Those words felt both welcoming and affirming.
My faith journey began with my baptism in 1963 and has unfolded through motherhood, marriage, divorce, nursing, advanced practice, prayer, and service. Although I once considered religious life, my vocation as the mother of four children became my sacred calling. Through those experiences, I have come to know Christ more deeply in the ordinary and significant moments of daily life. My connection to the Dominicans began in 1982 when I first stood before the Motherhouse and felt an unexpected sense of belonging. Over the years, that desire for intentional community has only grown stronger. Through prayer, spiritual direction, and time spent at the Chapel of the Word, I have felt continually drawn to the Dominican charism of prayer, study, community, and service.
As a nurse practitioner working in addiction medicine, I have learned the importance of compassion, dignity, and walking alongside those who suffer while holding hope. My work, teaching, and daily “spot prayers” have become expressions of faith in action. The formation process has deepened my understanding of this call and strengthened my desire to live more intentionally within the Dominican mission. It has been a privilege to come to know many of the sisters and Associates, and I look forward to continuing to grow in faith, community, and service. As one Sister told me at the beginning of formation, “I think you’ve always been a Dominican.” In gratitude and love.
A Reflection from Dominican Associate Maria Brummel-Schutte
Looking back on what brought me here … I first encountered the Dominican Sisters back in 2018. My dad was in a steady decline prior to his death and had a short stay here at the Health Center. During his stay, Sister Kateri Schrems visited and left him with a prayer card. While the prayer was for him, it really resonated with me. But over the course of his various hospital stays, we lost the card.
Some months later, I was here visiting my mother-in-law and I tracked Sister Kateri down in the hallway. I asked her about the prayer. “This one?” she asked, pulling the card out of her basket and handing it to me. I told her that my dad had died recently and while I no longer remember her exact words, she hugged me and shared momentarily in my grief.
I grew up “Navy Protestant” … with a dad who was a Navy Chaplain. Being a military family, we lived in a variety of places – the furthest away being the Philippines, and in my formative years – Washington D.C. and south Florida. I was raised in ethnically diverse communities … friends with people from different walks of life and different religious backgrounds. Those experiences, in conjunction with our family’s values gave me a pretty broad world and life view.
With a dad who was a hospital chaplain and a clinical pastoral education (CPE) supervisor, you can imagine that I grew up in a religious household. Prayer and study were part of my every day. I attended Christian schools and graduated from Calvin College … where I went more under the influence of my parents … than of my own free will. (But that’s another story.)
During my time in college, I stepped away from the Church, disillusioned by how I felt the church and the Bible were being used to keep women and other marginalized groups down. That didn’t sit well with me. In the 40+ years since, I’ve been in a dance with the church … sometimes stepping toward and other times stepping away.
The constant during this dance was my dad. I have come to realize and appreciate that he was essentially my spiritual director (I prefer the word guide) until his death.
- He was the one I explored my theological questions with.
- He was the one who helped me see the divine in me and recognize it in all the faces that I encountered.
- He heard and held my disillusionment without judgment.
- And he – along with my beautiful mother – modeled what I understand as lived faith.
This is not about my dad, but it’s difficult for me to explain where I’ve been and how I’ve gotten to this point without mentioning that relationship. It was my brief encounter with Sister Kateri that opened the Dominican door to me. It was my dad’s dying and death that accentuated my curiosity in the mystics and contemplative Christianity, leading me to the Dominican Center.
I have been pulled closer and closer into the Dominican community through Sisters & Seekers, Dominican Center programs – most notably Foundations in Spirituality, which I loved – spiritual direction, working on the Dominican Sisters core team for Together West Michigan, etc. Becoming an Associate feels like the next logical step for deepening my relationship with the Divine and with this community who I deeply respect for the ways in which you all live your faith.
I am a member at Westminster Presbyterian Church, but I do not attend regularly.
I encounter the Divine and spiritual community in other ways … in relationship … personal study … meditation … serving others (I’m a tutor at Campus Elementary and a greeter at the Community Food Club) … and in nature, where I feel rooted.
The message I hear is simple … to BE love and light in the world. But the task is hard. It’s my hope that being formally associated with the Dominican Sisters and this Community gives me a solid place to stand and grow.
Photo Gallery
