Our Congregation’s story is a story of faith and transformation. For nearly 150 years, we have walked together, transforming and being transformed. We are deeply honored by all who have been a part of our history and living legacy.
Join us as we honor and celebrate all that has been, all that is, and all that will be. We begin a time of honoring and remembering 150 years of service by Dominican Sisters Grand Rapids.
At Marywood, preparations are underway to celebrate the 150th anniversary of the Dominican Sisters ~ Grand Rapids’ arrival in Michigan. See what’s coming up.
Tribute Exhibit Honors Dominican Sisters of Grand Rapids
During a private event on Wednesday, July 29, 2026, Sisters processed past an intricate tribute exhibit in Marywood’s main hallway, just outside of Chapel of the Word. The pilgrimage past the window exhibit was a tribute to all who have come before us. Name after name. Sister after Sister.
Prioress Sister Megan McElroy OP said: “Sisters, tonight we enter a time of intentionally honoring and remembering our past: our Sisters, our partners, and our journey that have led us to where we are today.
“This pilgrimage through time is more than nostalgia. Our past reminds us and anchors us in the faithfulness of God: the God who called our first Sisters to leave everything they knew in New York City to travel far to an unknown place where they knew no one, to “a vast field of labor – a peninsula known as Traverse City…
“What those first Sisters, Aquinata Fiegler, Camilla Madden, Angela Phelan, Boniface Hartleb, Borromeo Ahlmeier, and Martha Mueglich, did know was that there was a request for help. And God called them to respond. And so it began: this work that each of our Sisters has continued to carry out. Responding to the needs of the world around us.”
Young Women Called to Serve, Responding to Needs of the World
In this way, we are honoring these Dominican Sisters whose stories have been woven into the tapestry of our lives. The tribute carries the names of Sisters who helped raise children at St. John’s Home for Orphans. Sisters who taught students, first at School of Holy Angels in Traverse City, then Blessed Sacrament School and St. Alphonsus School in Grand Rapids; St. Mary’s School in Muskegon, and St. Joseph School in Saginaw. During the early 1900s, Sisters responded to the request to staff parish schools throughout Michigan. Some were small rural schools in outposts like Beaver Island and the Leelanau Peninsula. Others were in developing towns. To respond to the increasing need for teachers, the Dominican Sisters opened two Academies: Holy Rosary Academy for girls opened in 1896 in Essexville, Michigan; and Sacred Heart Academy for girls opened in 1900 in Grand Rapids.
We honor the Sister nurses, midwives, caretakers, and cooks, and homemakers who served in Grand Rapids, New Mexico, throughout the United States, then Canada and Peru.
We honor the Sister social justice advocates and peacemakers who marched to support civil rights for all people, who protected Michigan from a nuclear missile installation in the Upper Peninsula.
These references are nods to only a small number of the stories, Sisters, and ministries woven into the history of the Dominican Sisters of Grand Rapids.
We will share more stories. We hope you will, too.
Sharing & Making Memories
Your story is part of our story. Please consider sharing a memory. Short or long, we are interested in hearing your memories or stories about how our Congregation, a special ministry or Sister, or the Dominican Spirit has influenced your life.
A Peek at What’s Coming Up in 2027!
Join us throughout this year as we honor and celebrate all that has been, all that is, and all that will be.
Tour the Tribute Exhibit
Visitors are welcome to tour the tribute exhibit. A directory is available to help locate names of Sisters you wish to remember. The exhibit is at our Marywood motherhouse, 111 Lakeside Drive, NE, Grand Rapids, Michigan 49503. The exhibit is fully accessible to people using canes, walkers, or wheelchairs. Free parking is available.
