History Map
“Somewhere in the West” — Early History of Our Sisters’ Arrival in Michigan
The stories of our early Sisters are fascinating. In this Story Map, meet some of the pioneering women who were as courageous as even the most famous settlers. Learn how their lives of service shaped the foundation of our Congregation.
“Somewhere in the West: The Historical Geography of the Grand Rapids Dominican Sisters” focuses on our Michigan pioneer predecessors. Incorporating early photographs with information from historic annals and other primary sources (including the diary of a Sister born in Quebec a year after the American Civil War ended), our Story Map depicts how these Dominican young women first came to Michigan. These true pioneers forsook basic human comforts and set out in boats and buggies into the largely unsettled woods of the lower peninsula to be of service to the children and families in these new parishes. The work was hard and the conditions so poor that Sisters literally risked their health and even their lives on these missions. In doing so, they fulfilled the dying vision of Mother Augustine Neuhierl who saw a vast field somewhere in the West dotted white with Dominican habits.
Archives Department
The Archive of the Dominican Sisters of Grand Rapids located at Marywood contains the documentation of the lives and work of the Sisters. This includes their voices in oral histories, the blueprints of the Motherhouse they built one hundred years ago, the minutes from their social justice committees, biographies, intellectual and creative works, and much more. The archives also documents the community that supports the Sisters.
Publications
Interest or questions regarding any of these books can be directed to the Archives.
Period Pieces: An Account of the Grand Rapids Dominicans 1853 – 1966
A chronicle of the history of the congregation from its beginning in New York, to its mission in Traverse City, Michigan in 1877, a move that eventually resulted in the Grand Rapids Foundation of Dominican Sisters. More than a chronicle, it contains the narrative of expanding mission work of 2,000 women who provided education, health care, social services, and caretaking throughout the 19th and 20th centuries. Written Sr. Mona Schwind OP (1936 – 2013), the book was published in 1991.
Tapestry in time: The Story of the Dominican Sisters Grand Rapids Michigan, 1966 – 2012
Picks up where Period Pieces leaves off. It is a collective memoir of the lives of the sisters as they lived out their commitment to prayer, study, common life, and service into the 21st century. The collective effort of a team of sisters, the book was edited by Sr. Mary Navarre (1943 -), and published by Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., in 2015.
Dominican Sisters Grand Rapids 1877 – 1910
Written in the genre of a sourcebook, this volume contains narrative, images, and texts from primary sources documenting the congregation’s life during the late 19th through early 20th centuries. An index and endnotes are included. Written by Sr. Michael Ellen Carling (1933 -), the book was published in 2019.
Golden Links The Shared History of the Dominican Sisters of Adrian and Grand Rapids, Michigan
Seventeen years after a band of the Dominican Sisters from New York came to Michigan, the Grand Rapids Dominicans became a separate congregation from the motherhouse in New York. The Adrian Dominicans remained part of the New York group for several more years. The story of the separation is revealed in this telling of how and why it happened. A joint effort of the Adrian and Grand Rapids Dominicans traces the story through primary sources. Historian and writer Arlene Bachanov untangles the complex events that unfolded during this time of rapid growth and powerful bishops.
Research Requests
Requests from researchers within the congregation, as well as staff and members of the broader community, are welcome. While the Sisters’ former Motherhouse is being renovated, the Archive is temporarily housed in the storage facility of the Grand Rapids City Archives in downtown Grand Rapids. Arrangements to visit can be made by appointment. We are also happy to answer questions and assist with limited research requests.
Collections
For a fuller outline, or schema, of the collection, view our working schema.
Contact Information
Director of Archives
Mary Navarre, OP
mnavarre@grdominicans.org
Associate Archivist
Sebastian Wuepper
swuepper@grdominicans.org
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