SisterAnn Walters

“…the Joy of God is your strength.” ~ Nehemiah 8:10

Through these sixty years of Dominican Life, it is true: the Joy of God is our strength. Jesus, my mentor/friend, knew this. Through Jesus I grew to discover Joy is the fruit of living the Paschal Mystery: birth, death, and resurrection – the mystery we celebrate every Eucharist.

Ever since I can remember, I always wanted to love God with my whole mind, heart, and soul. I grew to acknowledge that this desire to be one with God meant me recognizing God’s presence in my life and loving myself and others as a saint/sinner.

I came to know the importance of the relationship between prayer, study, community life, and service as areas of Dominican life: Study brings an understanding of self and others; prayer opens my heart to receive God’s transformative Love; community living and service allow for the pragmatic practice of study and prayer.

On this journey, I have been blessed by my parents; the two Grand Rapids Dominicans who taught me my eight years of Grade School, Sister Marie Vianney and Sister Francis Xavier, at St. Michael’s Suttons Bay; and all those I met through my years as elementary principal/teacher, years as a novice/formation director, my time of being with the Dominican Sisters in Nigeria, and the directees who have enriched my life by their faith as well as being a member of the Congregation’s leadership team at the end of the 20th century.

How blessed I am to be a vowed member of the Dominican Family – family who mirrors for me the God of Love, the Word of Love, and the Spirit of Love.