14th March 2024 was a remarkable day in the History of St. Mary’s Mahila Shikshan Kendra because the Celebration of Women’s Day was unlike the other years. It was a day with different experiences of listening to a shocking reality of our society and the country at large. There was great joy and eagerness in the members of St. Mary’s to participate in the program. The theme for the dayRead More...

It was last Sunday that the Youth March took place.  They were from zone 3 of the Archdiocese of Maputo, from Albasine to Marracuene on a route of about 25 km. As a Portuguese volunteer in the Missionary Dominican Sisters of the Rosary, I had the opportunity to experience this very spiritual and lively meetings of young people. The walk was easy, it started with a moment of prayer andRead More...

From the first day that Sister Geraldina communicated to us of the place where each one of us should go for the mission, my heart was full of joy and enthusiasm to know Peru (Holy Land). In fact, this communication seemed to me like a dream, I wasn’t calm until we traveled. This trip is for me an opportunity to deepen more my vocation, what I have learned about theRead More...

Dominican Sisters are no strangers to the province of Basilan and its people. They have been a presence in this island province long before my time. Their legacy echoes through the stories of my cousins, aunties, neighbors, and friends. My cousins often reminisce about Sister Roy, Sister Jeng, Sister Pely, and many others. They are known for their compassion and understanding, qualities frequently highlighted in the stories shared. My ownRead More...

River/Coastal Clean and Earth Daty 2024. For two occasions: children, youth, parents and stakeholders took part in the world celebration of Earth Day and the advocacy as inspired and have taught us by no less than the Holy Father himself in his encyclical Laudato Si.  Also, the thematic issues have consciously joined in the reforestation and preservation of our watersheds which are sources in the area where we draw waterRead More...

Some people say “the deepest desire of a human being is to love and to be loved.” These words hold profound truth and I would like to agree with this statement. We are created out of love. It is because of love, we are born through our parents. Hence, we experience God’s love through our parents. We further learn about what love is through establishing a relationship with others. We allRead More...

In every human experience of rejoicing, excitement, hope, fear, despair, pain, loss, etc., there is always a space of silence where one may or may not be conscious of. I call this space a “You, me time” with God. Sometimes, we may falter this. Very recently, I had a series of needed visits to sick kin, dear friends, and clients whereby I attended 8 funerals in two months! My heartRead More...

It says in the book of Ecclesiastes “Everything has its season, and everything has its time under the sun” and I can affirm that in recent years I have been able to experience how this word of the Lord has been making sense in the events of my life, but above all in my vocational history. Time has flown, there is no doubt about it. I began my postulancy onRead More...

Our country is currently going through a very difficult, complex and problematic situation; we live in a hybrid society with drops of democracy and torrents of dictatorship, which generate various types of violence such as political, social, economic, criminal and even family violence, the increase of unemployment and poverty, the permanent loss of values and the growth of corruption at all levels, phenomena that have been affecting the physical andRead More...

Chapter nº2  Do I remain silent in the face of what is unjust? What steps can I take to break the silence? “Now interrupting the narrative of the powerful, fighting for justice can be lonely, exhausting work, but nothing compared to what the Palestinian people are going through. Telling uncomfortable truths may cause them to lose their livelihood, lose friends, you may lose your family.… Jesus interrupted the narrative ofRead More...

Actress Susan Sarandon at a recent demonstration against the genocide suffered by the Palestinian people, expressed a beautiful and challenging message for all of us who believe in life, in the right of all peoples to live in peace, in self-determination. “Our enemy is hatred, our enemy is racism, our enemy is colonization and greed…. Jesus had experience of living under the domination of the Roman Empire, of suffering oppressionRead More...

Our life are instantsStarry in the seaAt times intense, at others peaceful,when we feel our hearts burningand other times, darkness embraces us.Encounters and goodbyes.We weave the daily lifewith the threads of our fragile and sacred humanity.We walk with our own and others’ wounds,we mend, we begin again.Again and again you resurrect our hope.Like you, Lord, we want toto pass with meaning, doing goodLeaving the trace of your tenderness,your gaze, yourRead More...

It seems like yesterday when the Provincial Team in 2012 asked me to come to Ecuador and work in the Social Project “Dreaming for Change”.  I accepted with joy this new experience: although I did not know exactly what it consisted of. I arrived in Quito on December 31 of the same year accompanied by Sister Maria del Carmen Sagardoy, and already at the airport Fr. Sereno Cozza was waitingRead More...

One February afternoon fire engulfed the poor of my village.The infernal dance of the flamestook away their lives, their stories, their memories.The hills of Viña del Mar were stained with horror,time stood still and there was no time to escape,no water, no road.Burnt bodies, aborted dreams.For them there are no safe territories to inhabit,behind the shell dwells dignity.Behind the Garden City, there dwells the real Chilethe one that hurts theRead More...

As I began to clean, to throw away, to do inventory of the things in the house, since we decided to leave this mission, I was sad, nostalgic, and dragging my feet with the heaviness of discouragement…. And that’s what I was going through, when I found “Everything has its time” by Joan Chittister, which of course I began to read with interest and in these pages I found aRead More...

I would like to share some of my missionary experiences in Taiwan. I have been in Taiwan for seven months now. The community where I live collaborates in some pastoral works such as visiting the sick, giving communion to the elderly and teaching catechism. I am helping the sister in her works together with some lay faithful at the same time I am learning Chinese. Apart from this, once aRead More...

The commitment to serve takes a long way and even to unknown destinations. If we could ever read the social teachings of the church, it sends us, impels us to preach and be both a herald and a witness to unknown paths, to be strong, trusting in the Lord, courageous and never faint along the way. St. Paul even asserts that our goal in life is to bring everything inRead More...

One of the beautiful wishes and a solemn one to do of a believer, is to consecrate one’s life before the One who is sacred and is all for the one vowing to it. Like many others, I cherish the experience of those years and my own way of dedicating my life. I often ask: What shall I offer in return? Formation years were filled with questions and acts ofRead More...

“You have been told what is good and what the Lord requires of you: only practice justice, love tenderly and walk humbly with your God.” (Micah 6:8) Throughout history, Consecrated Life has been considered light and leaven during the realities that humanity lives. For many peoples, to count on its presence is to feel accompanied in their joys, struggles, and hopes. Today, consecrated life continues to be present in placesRead More...

“In that historic gesture, faith was never lacking. Prayer and religious services accompanied every day, the different sit-ins that defended the country’s democracy.”   2023 was an epic year for Guatemala. It was an election year, in which, even though many social and civil instances had bet on civic education, the outlook was not flattering. 26 out of 30 political parties seek to perpetuate in power the anti-democratic forces, whichRead More...

First lay headmistress of El Rosario School, El Seibo (Dominican Republic)   El Rosario School Founded: 1951 Students: 683 Classrooms: 21 Teaching staff: 36 Support and administrative staff: 24 How has your career as a teacher been inside and outside of El Rosario School? I consider that my career at El Rosario School has always been very committed, dedicated and student oriented. In these 13 years at the school, IRead More...

I want to talk about these 4 months, from September 3 until today, highlighting some events that impacted us the most, especially me. The big day, the inauguration of our house. We lived the manifestation of God’s grace on September 29, 2023, an unforgettable date, with the different moments that will illuminate our lives: the inauguration of our community that began with the Mass of Thanksgiving and the official presentationRead More...

As it says, time goes by fast,Time flies by,We’re asked to keep movingContinuing to be productive… to keep on working…As if I never felt tired, It seems like time doesn’t exist.It’s not that we need time to move….We do it all the time, filled with true love.It’s an unspoken feeling,That can’t be seen with sight because only with the heart can it be felt.Each time we show what we doRead More...

I would like to share something about the Christmas experience here in Aldaia. Just as we in our different experiences, we celebrate with all Christians the great joy of the Birth of the Child. But at the same time it was to say that it was a different Christmas, different in the preparation in which we collaborated and participated as a community: The Novena of the Immaculate Conception, in whichRead More...

The word means, “Advantage of someone, that others, do not enjoy”. In these times we live in, there are real facts, so hard, so incomprehensible that make us think of privileged people. Who? and why? who are not privileged? So many people, families immigrating from the places where they were born and lived, now on their way to other countries where …they are not well received, their arrival makes themRead More...

Our life in Aldaia began in August 2023, when we arrived. At the beginning we started to build our community, each one giving her idea and little by little this construction became a reality. We are living a unique experience in our community. The integration of our life as Missionary Dominican Sisters of the Rosary, each one with her own culture, but we live as if we had only oneRead More...

The Fiducia Supplicans Declaration on the pastoral meaning of blessings has aroused great controversy within the Church, the document wants to be “a tribute to the faithful People of God, who adore the Lord with so many gestures of profound trust in his mercy and who, with this attitude, constantly come to ask Mother Church for a blessing.” This first expression of the declaration is very beautiful in emphasizing thatRead More...

Real liberation is the organized expression of a people. When people are on the move and seek for their liberation, it is because their rights are being violated by an oppressive system. The peoples seeking liberation are characterized as new social movements and their starting point is the new signs of the times, which points to a greater human liberation of our peoples. The peoples are in constant struggle toRead More...

“Young people, you are invited by Jesus to shine, to listen and not to be afraid” (message of Pope Francis to the youth). We thank God for the opportunity He has given us to participate and accompany a group of young people from the schools we have as a Congregation in Chile (Colegio Nuestra Señora de Ayquina, Colegio Ascensión Nicol, Colegio Femenino Madre del Rosario). It has been a veryRead More...

How can we be managers of dialogue for fraternity and peace?  Constates: We are very close to each other, but very far from each other, closer but no more brothers or sisters. However, we know that only dialogue is the way to peace that unites us.  Dialogue should have one goal, which is the happiness of both parties. If you want to be happy, you have to want to seeRead More...

La présence d’une vie, Une vie qui donne la vie parce qu’elle est elle-même la vie, Une vie qui se donne par des gestes : Des gestes qui font revivre parce qu’ils renouvellent des vies qui étaient mortes, Mortes à cause de tant d’injustices, de haine, de ressentiment, de manque de demande et d’offrir le pardon, de manque de don et d’offrande du bien qui est en chacun de nous,Read More...

November 30 to December 6 this year, was declared as Mindanao Week of Peace. It has been more than two decades that religious leaders such as the Bishop-Ulama Conference, the Non-government Institutions and government agencies gathered to sit and speak about the situations in our society and the challenge of common effort toward the common good. While other celebrations or activities may have different themes and reasons for convening otherRead More...

Few months ago, we joined the International Coastal Clean Up Drive (also an advocacy of the organization we work for), as residents of an island in the southernmost part of the Philippines. It was a call not only due to the declarations proclaimed but the need to care and protect as mandated by the Encyclical Laudato Si by Pope Francis. While other groups might take it as a one-day activity,Read More...

I want to share some taughts and experiences that I have encountered in this life, as a follower of Christ,  we always are to be ready to do God’s mission. Firstly, I thank God for the gift of vocation given me, specially in this Congregation which helps  me discover more how good God is to me. As a religious, I think is easily seen as losing one’s life, just asRead More...

For the time that was opportune for us to come together and the time that we must bid farewell to one another. We might see each other and cross our roads one day, in one chanced place to share life again. It has been a gracious time since August 12, 2023. Thanking the sisters of this big family of Missionary Dominican Sisters of the Rosary for giving us, the juniorsRead More...

On March 28, 2020, Pope Francis has been an icon of that call to be one, to pray as one, that longing for presence amidst life’s struggles, as he said blessing in that ample yet empty place of St. Peter’s Square in Rome. It was the most depicting scenario and probably most thought about by many in the name of compassion and communion of humanity. On those days, our heartsRead More...

As a community of Santo Domingo de Guzmán- Quito, we share through the phrase of this song, what it meant to us to accompany our sister Dolores Otazu from Sunday, June 19, the day she arrived in Quito, until Sunday, October 15, when her life ended. Dolores used to sing the song mentioned above with the people in the different pastoral activities she did in Santo Domingo de los Tsáchilas.Read More...

It was Friday, October 7, 2022, on the occasion of the feast of Our Lady of the Rosary, Protector and Model of the Congregation. That day was a great joy for me as I took the first steps of my vocation in the Congregation of the Dominican Missionaries of the Rosary, to which I had aspired for many years. During the first years of my aspirancy, I always wondered ifRead More...

I am so happy to receive your letter that my spirit is inspired to answer you. I read it silently with great encouragement. My spirit was filled with peace and my eyes were filled with joy. Your message touched me deeply and encouraged me more to walk in the way of Jesus. I always feel that you are walking with me. The world today lacks peace and in many, thereRead More...

In the month of April 2023, we, the postulants of the Yaoundé community, had an experience of working with the elderly in the Congregation of the Missionary Sisters of Charity. The elderly of this community are cared for by the Sisters and by a large group of recruited people who help them to take care of the elderly. The objective of our experience was to discover another face of Christ.Read More...

I can only thank the Lord for having known her, not only as educator, trainer and religious, but also as an actress… Isabel is a Spanish sister who was sent on a mission here in Cameroon about six years ago. I knew the sister personally when she was an aspirant, and each and every time she came to the sessions, she gave me a lot of advice. In the firstRead More...

They say that to leave is to die a little. Perhaps this explains the beautiful words, the tears and the endless hugs from the people who accompanied us and also from all those who came to say goodbye. The separation was full of emotion and nostalgia, but we had to leave for new missions and new lands. So, after saying goodbye, the four of us, Annette, Carole, Victoire and Dulecine,Read More...

Dear Sisters, I spent more than six years outside the Province of St. Martin de Porres, in a new experience in Mozambique, in the Vicariate of Our Lady of the Annunciation. Here I am re-entering the Province of St. Martin de Porres since September 1 of this year. The Province offered me the opportunity to work in a kindergarten and elementary school “Complexo Escolar Milagros Adan”, where we try toRead More...

An anthill is a small subway city. It consists of rooms and galleries. Ants live in colonies. An anthill can house up to 50,000 ants. Ants are fascinating insects. By admiring them, they teach and inspire us these virtues: social organization, perseverance, adaptation, and they play an important role in ecology. In this article, we explore these different qualities of ants, attributing them to this month’s chosen ones: Ramon Zubieta,Read More...

At Saint Dominique de Batcham College, students are supervised with the help of teachers and sisters assigned in the village of Batcham, Cameroon. Educating young people is at the heart of our mission because they are the future of tomorrow. In our world today, the youth live in an environment in which there is a loss of values. This impacts their education, leading them to commit despicable acts in society.Read More...

I thought of all the blue skies of my post-novitiate that the experience of community life and mission had in store for me. Also, I was very happy to know that I would have to do the Intercontinental Juniorate. From that day on, I could not wait to go there in spite of the process of waiting for the trip. This beginning does not prevent me from telling you, dearRead More...

On the occasion of the missionary month, our community was invited by a school complex to share our missionary experience in each of our countries. It was a great joy for us to share these powerful moments with these children and even with the supervisors.   The objective of this invitation was to present to the students another dimension of life, outside of everyday life. Also, to see how peopleRead More...

In this month of the missions, also called the month of the Rosary, we are invited to meditate deeply on the mysteries of the Incarnation.  It is an eminently popular devotion, which is why the prayer of the Rosary is called “the gospel of the poor”, because normally people learned it by heart either because of illiteracy or because restrictions were imposed on access to written texts. We know thatRead More...

As an agent of Pastoral Caritas Ecuador, in agreement with the Foundation for Reconciliation, I have participated with Sister Mariana de Jesus Oñate, Dominican Missionary of the Rosary, teaching the School of Forgiveness and Reconciliation (ESPERE), with 10 people in the process of social reintegration, in the Province of Santo Domingo de los Tsáchilas, these people were imprisoned for different crimes. When they finally get a benefit to return toRead More...

I ask myself, and I would like to give myself answers, where do we human beings get our superiority over other created beings. We are all God’s creature, we all have his breath of life. I went to the source, which is the bible, to look for where our confusion lies, where is the origin of the problem.   Consulting several translations, I found in Gen 1:28 of the book ofRead More...

Reduce, Reuse and the third, RECYCLE. These are the 3Rs that are helping us to transform our environment into a better world through three simple but committed ecological practices. Recycling is the reprocessing of waste into a new product. But sometimes the practice of Reuse is often confused with that of Recycle. Let’s see the difference. When we make a mural with waste (CDs, parts of electrical appliances, plastic containers,Read More...

This month we make a call from our congregational website to continue to be aware of the importance of caring for our common home. It is essential to be clear about the various exhortations that invite us to care for our earth, to do everything in our power to prevent further deterioration, that the future of future generations is not at stake and that we can enjoy a more naturalRead More...

In the previous chapter we saw the action of Reduce within the ecological proposal of the 3Rs. Now we will look at the second action, REUSE. To reuse is simply to reuse a product. But there are several ways to understand or implement this practice: I can REUSE a product several times because it is designed to be used several times, a very common example: refillable water bottles (either plasticRead More...

Mountains are sponges that absorb the water that the planet needs. They conserve the water required for the subsistence of living beings. In the southern region there is a circuit of mountains between the Sierra de Bahoruco and the Sierra de Neyba. In these Sierras, there is a dense population of endemic flora and fauna. There are also abundant rivers, the most important of which is the Yaque del Sur,Read More...

The three R’s rule is a simple and practical approach to ecological habits. It originated with the non-governmental organization Greenpeace and was supported by Japan at the G8 Summit in 2004. Today it is promoted in companies, organizations, educational centers, public and private entities, and among citizens in general. This idea promotes three basic actions to reduce waste production and thus contribute to the protection and conservation of the environmentRead More...

I want to tell you an anecdote that happened to me recently, it can give us some light on our journey as Missionary Dominican Sisters of the Rosary, whether we have traveled this road as spouses or disciples of Jesus. Perhaps, we may have started it as disciples and later on we became spouses, or we started it as spouses and later on we discovered that it was as disciples,Read More...

Who doesn’t want the world to be better? Less poverty, less violence, less injustice, more opportunities, more health, more happiness. But sometimes, well, many times, the most common attitude is to wait for others to change the world. We forget the old adage: “If I change, the world changes” or Mahatma Gandhi himself saying: “Be the change you want to see in the world”. In this month dedicated to theRead More...

Introduction. All: By the sign of the Holy Cross, deliver us from our enemies, O Lord our God. In the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. Leader: Open my lips, Lord… All: And my mouth shall proclaim your praise. All: My Lord, Jesus Christ, true God and true man, I am heartily sorry for having offended you, I firmly  resolve never to sin again, to turnRead More...

In all the procession I have ever joined since childhood to this day, it is my first ever to experience attending a fluvial procession as a thanksgiving to St. Isabel de Portugal’s miraculous intercession on the tidal wave that almost swept Basilan Island in 1976. Today, being assigned in this enchanting island (though vulnerable and dangerous), we at Isabela Foundation /SOLIDARIDAD-IDP INC join the Basilan Catholic faithful in honoring itsRead More...

Our new school apostolate is in Makati City, named after our Dominican Saint “Colegio de Santa Rosa”. Makati City is the Philippines’ financial hub or the Financial Capital of the Philippines, First class highly urbanized city in the National Capital Region of the Philippines. For us, who are used to live a simple lifestyle, it is a big challenge on how to adapt to an unfamiliar kind of environment, thatRead More...

Education Leadership Development Academy (ELDA BATCH 18). After attending the 2-week Intensive Training at Phoenix Publishing house the Educational Leadership Development Academy (ELDA), I found myself deeply inspired and motivated by the insightful presentations and discussions. The speakers’ expertise and passion for the topic were contagious, and I left the event with a renewed sense of purpose. I was particularly struck by from day 1 to our last day whichRead More...

First communion is a very important sacrament in a child’s life since it is the beginning of his/her spiritual journey. I was privileged to accompany six children of different age in our nearby community last summer preparing them for the first communion. Every Saturday and Sunday children attended religious instruction and learning the basic prayers and the meaning and importance of the sacraments and receiving Jesus in the Holy Eucharist.Read More...

We, novices, when we arrived were welcomed to this Asian Continental Novitiate. I read again “Welcome Home!” Then I question: Is this my home? Will it be my home? This was the feeling and wonder in me one year ago. Home is a place where we live and where we love. It is the place where we most feel comfortable, happy, and loved even when it is not well-off norRead More...

During our recent Provincial visit in Chile, a phrase written several times on the walls of houses and buildings caught our attention: “They took everything from us…even fear”. The sisters and friends shared with us that the “social outbreak” has left its marks on the facades, but also in people’s lives. These massive demonstrations and riots portray the moments that we are currently experiencing in Latin America and Caribbean. NotRead More...

The country of Timor Leste is in its most challenging period in terms of economy, education, mental and physical health, human capacity building and to their strong adherence to their cultural practices on dual beliefs .  The Local Church of Timor Leste especially the missionaries, play a vital and an active involvement for the liberation of the people especially on mental transformation. Education is the response to this greatest challenge.Read More...

I trust in the very words of Jesus in Matthew 23: “Ask Me for anything and I will give it.” Two months ago, I was assigned in this beautiful and mysterious island. The challenge is to learn. Learn to live as to love. As time goes by, I observe the challenged and lived the demand of the reality of my new world. It is multicultural and multilingual, and we areRead More...

We were at one table during lunch.  I saw Sr. Aurola coming from her table to us and all of us were calling each other look Santa Aurelia is coming and she looked at us smilingly. Then, she went straight to Sr. Benedicta and started to peel her orange and poured milk on her cup. We were all amazed at them on how they love and care for each other.Read More...

This year, we painfully remember one of the most tragic events that our country has experienced, the violent breakdown of democracy in Chile on September 11, 1973. The consequences of this event were a trail of systematic violations of human rights, people detained and made to disappear, tortured, executed and exiled. Men and women who were victims of a policy of extermination only for thinking differently or for fighting forRead More...

I would like to start by introducing myself, my name is Antonia Avalos and I am in 3rd grade, I have been part of the Ascension Nicol School for almost 10 years, and I was part of the pilgrims who traveled to the World Youth Meeting with Pope Francis in Lisbon. I can relate my experience as one of the most wonderful I have lived, since I was 6 yearsRead More...

Lord, you have called us to live in community and we trust that you are with us. Teach us to welcome one another as sisters In our frailties and strengths In our crises and storms In our deserts and oases. In conflict and reconciliation. May the flame of your Holy Trinity Shape and boost our sisterhood. May the fire of your Word gather us together And send us forth toRead More...

From the youth pastoral community of Ascension Nicol School, in Santiago de Chile, we want to share what we feel and what has helped us a lot in a personal and community way.  By participating we feel that more than companions we are a family that supports each other, that in a voluntary way, we can talk about personal things and we will not be judged, we can express ourselves,Read More...

From Puerto Maldonado and by this means, I want to look at all the countries where we Dominican Missionary Sisters are present, to approach all the Communities and meet all the sisters to greet them with sororal affection. There is a magic word that we hear in different meetings, we read it in documents and articles, and I am sure that it is becoming universal: it is the word ARTICULAR.Read More...

The educability in the human being is a process that does not end until his life is over, in the day-to-day reality is proven by the yearning of Blessed Ascension Nicol to grow with others and learn with them. With the most vulnerable boys and girls of the Bolivian Amazon, we make our way only with the language of love, for them everything is valuable, from a simple greeting toRead More...

In the following presentation, we find Sr. Conchita challenging each single Christian to study, ponder on the Holy Scriptures so to be heralds, proclaimers of the G00d News. Hence, sister encourages everyone to live that commitment, t0 share God’s W0rd t0 0thers. She g0es 0n further t0 share ab0ut discipleship, a calling, 0ne’s vocation underlining the Charism of Missionary Dominican Sisters of the Rosary. To be ready in a continuouslyRead More...

What seemed like an unrealizable dream gradually took shape. Leaving the continent, going to another new world, with other languages, another face of the congregation, meant from the beginning, a deep and immense joy and illusion, at the same time it was a challenge to throw ourselves into the new in the midst of the fear that this entailed.  In this process, many feelings have accompanied us since the preparationRead More...

The Dominican Sisters of Ahmedabad, India has been present in support of many women…empowering them through handicrafts, embroideries, etc as well as educating them in the process. The community also gives classes on basic catechism, English literacy as well as reaching out and partnering other schools, institutions in providing uniforms and vestments. There are about 350 women benefitting and trained. They are empowered to uplift family condition thru their incomeRead More...

“Raise your voice, make a choice”. At St. Dominic School, Kawant, we do promote integral development of the children.  The children are oriented towards taking up the leadership in the school as we give opportunity to the children to participate in school election. There was an election for head boy, head girl, vice head boy and vice head girl in our school. There is campaign before the election. They gaveRead More...

We the Satya Deep Community have a group of forty widow-women beneficiaries connected to the Manos Unidas Project. Under this project, the widows are provided with food commodities worth five hundred rupees every month.  They have some get-together every month during which the widows are given information on various government schemes and help them to benefit, like widow’s pension from the government etc. The widows also are helped to updateRead More...

Today, Matruchhaya organised Niradhar Widows Samelan with a purpose. A big number turned up for the samelan. Mr. Sureshbhai Mistry was the Chief Guest of the day. Daxshaben was the Guest of Honour. She spoke to women about health and hygiene. Sureshbhai gave to the women household items as gifts. Matruchhaya expresses gratitude to all the benefactors who have extended a helping hand towards us, especially the needy Windows. AllRead More...

“Year of unity, peace and development” My name is Diego Armando Patiño Ramos; Assistant Director of primary school of I.E. Fe y Alegria N° 68 – directed by the Congregation of Missionary Dominican Sisters of the Rosary. Through this opportunity, I am pleased to share with you my experience with the “Ecological Bank” project. This project was born from a report that I saw several years ago of a studentRead More...

Am I alone? No, I am more than one, am I not several? How many times am I me? How many times, and why? Because I change, and how many times? It’s me when I wake up But I am another when I pray Another, when I read alone, another when  I’m talking and it depends with whom I’m talking to. I change if the person is a friend, AndRead More...

From the Community, I work in the area of physical therapy and rehabilitation. It is a service and space to welcome people with health problems, those who seek to alleviate their pain and suffering. To perform this work, I use natural remedies, electromagnetic equipment, manual therapy techniques and procedures. This mission allows me to accompany the healing process of people with prayer, as well as to discover the gifts receivedRead More...

The work is very nice, every month we walk from place to place in 11 communities that make up zone 49. The response of the young people is very generous: they give their time and the best of their abilities and talents. In each meeting, we have space for two moments of prayer, we develop themes for programmed formation and other concerns of the young people. We celebrate the liturgy,Read More...

Today I want to come close each one of you, to share about the Youth Ministry and the organization of the Catechists that we have assumed in community within the plan at the parish and vicarial level. As MDR we contribute from our Spirituality, what we are and what we have. But above all, we receive much life and generosity from God and from the people. How many moments thatRead More...

Since 2022, the Sisters of the Community of Puerto Maldonado, have been working in coordination with CAAAP (Amazonian Center for Anthropology and Practical Application), CAFOD and the Indigenous Pastoral of the Vicariate; as well as conducted training workshops with Indigenous Women living in the outskirts of the city. From June 2022 to May 2023, an average of thirty participants have actively joined and the theme has been centered on “INDIGENOUSRead More...

On June 5, as part of the celebration of World Environment Day, our school “Santa Rosa MM.DD.” – Huacho (Lima), as part of our guidelines and our commitment to promote the care of our environment, we planned with the initial level awareness campaign on the care of creation, with the support of parents. We moved with great enthusiasm to the main square of our town, where the girls along withRead More...

The encounter with the sisters and brothers of different cultures produces dignity when we approach them with respect, love, closeness, admiration and desire to learn from their great ancestral knowledge. During Holy Week, I have had the joy of living, sharing life and faith with two different cultures that share the same territory in the jungle: the Tsimanes and the Yucarés. They have learned to live together and to makeRead More...

Since 2022, the Sisters of the Community of Puerto Maldonado, have been working in coordination with CAAAP (Amazonian Center for Anthropology and Practical Application), CAFOD and the Indigenous Pastoral of the Vicariate; as well as conducted training workshops with Indigenous Women living in the outskirts of the city. From June 2022 to May 2023, an average of thirty participants have actively joined and the theme has been centered on “INDIGENOUSRead More...

Our Father/Mother who envelops us with the beauty of your creation You speak to us with the language of polyphony and diversity. Your breath of life vivifies us and moves us to embrace each being. We contemplate how the blossoms of hope grow secretly. The humble mystery of Mother Earth nurtures your fruitful love. How can we not unite ourselves to the sacred symphony of creatures! How can we notRead More...

THE LORD HAS TRULY RESURRECTED HALLELUIA!!! Easter this year had a different flavor. The risen Christ is still alive in our lives. The Resurrection is not a theory or event of the past, but an experience that every day and every year we celebrate, not only to remember or fulfill the liturgical calendar, but to celebrate it as a foundational experience of faith that renews our commitment to the lifeRead More...

To better understand this great topic, it is necessary to understand the difference between empowerment and entrepreneurship. According to the UN, female empowerment consists of creating an environment that provides women with professional growth opportunities for both men and women. And female entrepreneurship is the set of businesses idealized or led by women and also includes the presence of women in leadership positions. The idea is that it becomes moreRead More...

It is with great joy, satisfaction and gratitude to God that we, the novices in the canonical year of the inter-African novitiate, in Angola, wish to share our experience at the beginning of our journey in the novitiate. From the first moment of our arrival at the formation house, we felt welcomed by the sisters and the other formation companions.  On the day of our arrival, we were welcomed withRead More...

We are the novices of the 2nd year, we begin the novitiate on February 24, 2022, Feast of Our Mother Foundress Ascension Nicol. In February 2023, we started our second year of novitiate with great expectation and illusion. We hope that at this very time of our journey, it will offer us opportunities to continue our vocational journey with enthusiasm. During the previous year, many experiences were lived, such as:Read More...

What a joy to know that Jesus Christ guides us at all times in this great mission which is to make him known and loved. In this Easter season, Jesus reveals himself even more and sends us to proclaim the Good News, to all  saying: how good it is to follow the risen Master and how good it is to be part of this family that proclaims the Savior, followingRead More...

Religious life is a continuous discernment. My great desire is to be a Sister, but for that it is necessary to go through different stages such as Aspirancy, Postulancy and Novitiate. I will talk about my experience in the stage of conscience, the “Postulancy”. A practical example that I use to define it: women who choose the vocation of marriage go through stages such as falling in love, courtship andRead More...

From my work experience at the Milange District Hospital, I have accompanied many cases of children who lose their mother before the age of one year due to various diseases or complications of childbirth, which if they had arrived in time could have saved their lives. But long distances, difficult and impassable roads especially in rainy weather easily lead to traditional treatment and delay in getting to the hospital. ThatRead More...

The postulancy is the stage that precedes the novitiate, another stage of religious life. Like any other life, those who decide to follow Jesus live many beautiful experiences of the encounter with the Risen One, in this Easter season, as well as in other liturgical seasons that the Church offers us. And at this stage one lives several experiences; these are the ones I am living as a postulant, startingRead More...

Easter 2023 was different from all the others that each one of us has already lived, because everything pointed us to the newness of Jesus Christ Dead and Risen, who passes through the life of these suffering people! We thought we should give a different tone to our Easter celebration and so it happened. The children entered into a scenic space, as this year the pastoral ministry gave them aRead More...

Whenever the month of February or May 14 arrives, the day we celebrate the Beatification of our MOTHER ASCENSION NICOL, sentimentally, we feel our umbilical cord united to this great woman. The desire to know her in depth grows more and more and the happiness of walking with her is even greater. In the perspective of reviewing our life, passing through the teachings of her virtues she left as aRead More...

There are several ways of understanding death. Generally, we understand death as a temporary end of life, a non-existence. In the days of the pandemic, this was one of the words that we tried not to verbalize, to avoid rumbling in our environment, we avoided recognizing and even without realizing it, we were already in it by saturation in all forms of information and life where we were. Truly, weRead More...

I write from the Barrio de la Graça, in the outskirts of Benguela, a neighborhood difficult to access in the rainy season, with a high rate of juvenile delinquency, where the Mosaiko team, (NGO of our Dominican Friars in Angola) composed of three people, including myself, are facilitating a training with the theme: “Defending, protecting and restoring the victim of sexual abuse”. The training aims to contribute to improve theRead More...

Knowing and recognizing oneself as a woman is truly a source of energy that generates vitality and the desire to fight more and more to achieve dignity and fulfillment in personal, family and social life. When this experience is lived in a group of reflection and debate, it revives the awareness that we are inhabited by an inner strength capable of overcoming difficulties and our own limitations, because at theRead More...

It is not easy to describe what the passage of a hurricane meant in the life of a city, the city of Quelimane in Mozambique. It took almost three days to suffer the devastating effects of its destructive force. Intense rains as no one remembered to have lived and hurricane-force winds that reached a speed of over 200 km/h. Every possible imagination, even the most productive, will be dwarfed byRead More...

We do not speak of seeds without a sower, we cannot think of sowing if there is not first a fertile soil, so that the seed does not scatter. Before we go deeper into our reflection on Blessed Ascension Nicol our mother and foundress, let us be guided by the word of God, the life that makes us live: “Many people from everywhere following looking for Jesus. When there wasRead More...

The sisters at Nicol Bhavan, Kawant, Gujarat India are glad to share their noble work with women. The community is situated at the tribal areas- indigenous people. The tribe is called “Rathwa Tribes” they are economically and socially backward community as they are illiterate and are caught up in their traditional taboos, magic and social norms which do not allow them to develop or empower their community. The sisters ofRead More...

Dear Sisters and Friends, I am writing this letter from Quelimane where I have come for a few brief days to visit the sisters and their families in this situation of sadness and desolation in which all the people of Zambezia find themselves. I do not know if I will be able to reconcile my thoughts to be able to succinctly share the suffering that all these people are goingRead More...

“I will win, not immediately but definitely”. Indeed, with such encouragement aspiring to find God in ordinary episodes of life. The Nicol Bhavan boarding day was celebrated along with the Feast of Bl. Mother Ascension Nicol on 19th February, 2023 with the theme, ‘Udaan’.   Sr. Zita was the chief guest of the day. Jamliben, who has been rendering her service in boarding for 26 years was the guest of honor.Read More...

“You have to dream before your dream comes true”., said Abdul Kalam. The tribal belt of Kawant dares to dream breaking their stereotypical societal barriers by educating their daughters. We the Dominican Sisters join hands with them by providing the facility to stay at Nicol Bhavan Boarding and study. The boarding began on 12th June 2022 with ninety-seven girls from different villages studying from grade 2 to 10 of GujratiRead More...

Today, Matruchhaya had International Women’s Day celebration. Sr. Meena Dhabi, our Provincial Coordinator, was the Chief Guest and Sr. Zita de Souza, our Vice Provincial was the Guest of Honour. There are 100 women from different villages who participated in the celebration. The cultural program added colour to the celebration.  The group composed of 21 students who completed Shivan classes and Beautician course were honored with the certificates. Sr. MeenaRead More...

Luisa Perez (Humbelina) after 40 years working as a schoolteacher and at the age of 56, decided to come to Monte Plata and together with Carmen Cuadrado and Tere Pagan, founded a community of insertion in this town, one of the poorest in the country, in 1985. After an assessment of the situation, the priority was to work with women, due to their marginalized situation, their subjection to machismo andRead More...

Pilar Baratech was one of the first Missionary Dominican Sisters of the Rosary who arrived in Guatemala more than 50 years ago and became a Guatemalan citizen. And together with other sisters, they opened breaches in a different reality and culture. Several of them remained planted in these sacred lands. She and the other sisters have accompanied the different historical moments of the country and in the same way sheRead More...

Let us climb the mountain with you, our humanity  longs to be transfigured, embraced in its wound illumined in its night sheltered in its homelessness listened to in its groaning caressed in its limit healed in its heartbreak transfigured in its desolation. May the faces disfigured by war and hunger be transfigured by you. May the disfigured faces of migrants at the borders be illuminated by your hope. May noRead More...

The children of 5 villages were gathered at Nicol Bhavan today. Today is the day to appreciate the efforts made by these kids to continue their studies. It is also a day to honor the educators who worked hard to make the dream of promoting quality education to these kids, their families and community. The kids were given prizes for the various competitions conducted during year and an educational kitRead More...

This afternoon Faustina arrives at our house with great enthusiasm because she is starting an online course on Feminist Theology. In spite of her interest in the subject, she comes with many doubts and above all a concern: How will a course of this type be? Today, seeing her with this interest, self-confidence and openness, my thoughts take me back to years ago: Faustina, a widowed woman with a son,Read More...

“Blessed women who in their daily walk make history a cry of freedom, of love and hope, of love and hope.” In the south of the country, there was a team that accompanied the peasants of the region in the knowledge and demand of their rights. They were pleased to see that women, and also religious women, felt this call to accompany the doubly exploited peasant women, as Bishop Zubieta spoke toRead More...

As part of our options as Missionary Dominican Sisters of the Rosary, from our origins we have prioritized the accompaniment of women, their growth and empowerment. In this month of March in which we commemorate the International Women’s Day, we want to share with you from the community of Puerto Rico, the work of a center that we have been supporting since 2015 in the presence of one of ourRead More...

What does St. Joseph mean or has meant for your life? We ask our sisters who pertains to this Province of Central America and Caribe because Sr. Josefina Sarrazin had the inspiration to put the Province under the protection of St. Joseph. What I do remember, and many sisters will remember is that during the years I joined the Congregation in the Novitiate of Pamplona, in 1963, there was aRead More...

“There is the martyrdom of those who are put to death for not denying Jesus Christ…. But there is also the daily martyrdom, which does not entail death, but which is also one type of “losing one’s life” for Christ, fulfilling one’s duty with love, according to the logic of Jesus…!” Pope Francis, Angelus of July 4, 2013. – “Hurry up, the bus is coming!”, Sister Teresa shouts from theRead More...

The Buddhist Monastery in Fo Shan Guang was situated on top of the mountain where you can see the big Buddha on both sides, the landscape and the architectural design was so great. The place has two big monasteries, one for the female monks and the other for the male monks. They have their own schools, library, temples museum, cemetery, a big dining hall that accommodates hundreds of people. TheRead More...

I am Maribel Cintrón, alumna, teacher, mother and member of the Lourdes School management team. I share with you my experience with the community of the MDR Sisters. The Missionary Dominican Sisters founded the Lourdes School in 1958, oriented to the education of girls and young women. Later, at the request of the parents, the school became coeducational. The sisters have always distinguished themselves for their genuine and selfless dedicationRead More...

What does St. Joseph mean or has meant for your life?  Since I was a little girl, the figure of St. Joseph was projected to me as it was traditional at that time: the Jewish carpenter, husband of Mary, putative father of Jesus, etc. In a word, what the Gospels tell us and what is understood as a historical event. In my house, St. Joseph was celebrated as a familyRead More...

When we read the Bible with the eyes, mind and heart of a woman, we realize that we have many “chingonas” women as they say in Mexico, that is women who are brave, tough, who taught us to speak and not to remain silent when someone wants to take away something that belongs to us. By this, I mean to the family inheritance of land or other material goods. TheRead More...

What does Saint Joseph mean or has he meant to your life?  My first memory of Saint Joseph is that as a teenager I liked to collect prints of virgins and saints. I remember one of Jose carrying the Child Jesus. He is dressed in green and brown, and the child in white. He was the father of Jesus, a carpenter, quiet, I knew little else about him. Already atRead More...

God’s hands are visible in the hands of so many women who care, who caress and heal wounds with tenderness. Even in our times, the economy of care is still in the hands of women. Mothers, sisters, friends, caregivers, hired or volunteer women are present in the care of the most vulnerable, offering their knowledge, help, companionship and listening. To show those hands of God that come at the rightRead More...

Sister María Jesús Mompó was born and raised in Ollería, a town south of Valencia, Spain, along with her three brothers, she was the eldest. She arrived in the islands of Puerto Rico in 1961 with the Congregation of the Missionary Dominican Sisters of the Rosary to carry out her mission as a registered nurse. She worked for almost six decades at Pavia Hospital in Santurce, Puerto Rico.  In additionRead More...

To what can I compare the strength of a woman? I mean, the inner vigor and zest for life… The courage to face danger to promote and uphold the dignity of such beautiful life. Where can I find a good model of a life-bearer than a mother ready to give even her very own to bring new life into this planet? To which can I attribute the unknown sacrifices manyRead More...

It is my privilege to have this beautiful chance to be with these children in Catechism Class. Being with them is my joy because they make me feel the joy of caring (as that of motherhood), but a real nurturing of life that was gifted in me. Their presence allows me to see beyond that they are the hope of the Church, especially for Taiwan.   In the famous words of Jesus,Read More...

Heavenly Father, our Almighty and ever-living God, we praise your name and glorify you for you have caused all things to existence and have fashioned all to bear the grandeur of your love for all of humanity. You have shown to women and men down the generations that we are the apple of Your eye and You readily treat us with mercy and undivided love. In your plan to saveRead More...

Ascension Nicol, you are the beautiful flower that stands out in the morning; you are the joy that God send into the world 155 years ago. In your early life you inspired the people, attracted them with your capacity, gave such fragrance as a rose, and made people feel free to approach you. Your beautiful eyes became the light to guide you and others in the darkest time. Your sweetRead More...

Right after our final commitment to the three Evangelical Counsels, we have been sent to different fields of mission.  I, with one of my companions, Sr. Nelia, were sent on a new mission, which is to teach in the Dominican International School of Kaohsiung. Personally, I am so humbled, and my heart is filled with gratitude for the wonderful privilege to be in this Mission which was entrusted to meRead More...

On this occasion of the feast day of our Mother and Queen of the Holy Rosary which is also the feast day of our Congregation, as we entrust to her all the needs of our Institution and acknowledge the Blessed Mother Mary as protectress and model to each one of us in our calling, I am humbled and honored to share with you my response to the Lord who calledRead More...

Mark 4:22-23 shows the life of Jesus as a coexistence, “among people”, he used to leave the borders and crossed seas and mountains for the preaching of the Gospel, showing how the Kingdom can be lived, highlighting day by day the priority of the Father’s will. Jesus as model and inspiration is our Way and Life. He calls us to take steps, by his example we feel impelled by hisRead More...

Christmas is the encounter with the child who is born, it is a sign of Hope, of personal and community renewal.                    In fact, this season reminds us that no one should be excluded from human fraternity. The carpenter’s son who offers his life as a ransom for many, who prefers to “serve and not be served” and to give life and dignity to all the crucified of this world. EvenRead More...

At a time when doubt and uncertainty seem to be the usual commodity in our society, we seek refuge in the One who has created not time, but eternity…  KEEP GOING…  We put a mark in history as we age and witness the passing of time, the celebration of silver and golden anniversaries and even diamond celebrations–of weddings or religious professions. I think it is important to be part ofRead More...

Milage is the most populated district in the Zambezia province, twice bigger than the provincial capital with 619,275 inhabitants. Among them 331,822 are women, that is to say, they are more than 50% of the total population. The population is predominantly young and rural, very dispersed, with hard and impassable roads, especially in rainy season. Bikes are the only mean of transportation of the population. There are primary schools upRead More...

Thursday, June 9th, we celebrated a homage in honor to sister Mariluz due to her dedication and love towards missions Thursday, June 9th, we met in Casa Hispana to homage Maria Luz Pacheco for her retirement. For over 20 years she has been the loving voice and the first person to welcome all those people who became interested in supporting the work of the Dominican missionaries. During the event, inRead More...

From the land of mojenos and trinitarios, in San Ignacio de Moxos, Beni Department, Bolivia, is where I feel that God has sent me to live as a Dominican Missionary of the Rosary, fulfilling the Centenary dream of the Congregation: “To search for new Maldonados.” This place has a lush vegetation and is a land rich in spiritual and cultural spaces. There are many colors and sounds, very typical fromRead More...

I remember in September 2013; we were faced with such dark nights that lasted months although the firing and bombing lasted a week-long. Zamboanga was devastated. Yet, our faith made us lift our eyes through invocations seeking the aid of Our Lady of the Pillar, to lead us to Jesus´ boundless love. Such trust has led most of us Zamboangueños to have mercy and forgiveness for those who abused powerRead More...

During our visit to the native community of Maranniato, in the Kugapacori territorial reserve, in Alto Camisea, we were asked about the situation of the first-grade children, who did not have a classroom to study. What they had, already in a pitiful state, had finally been totally undone. The community, which had wood and some calamine, asked for support to the Kirigueti mission to build a new classroom to receiveRead More...

“And she answered YES I will go; I will go to the Jungle”  Blessed Ascension Nicol was a woman of faith and trust. She was so silent in her words and actions. Her first call was to be a Cloistered Religious Nun. She dedicated her whole life to serve God in the convent for many years. She was also teaching in the school for over 28 years. However, her desireRead More...

When I was a novice, we had the chance to watch a movie entitled “Departure”. From the title itself it sounded like aeronautics thrills, flights, or airports. But, surprisingly it was about the noble task of preparing bodies for burial. It portrayed the care, respect and entering into that scenario of paying last respect to a body created with dignity. That was the very time I began thinking and ponderingRead More...

The fact that we are born in a certain place, people know us as we are, what we do for a living or merely one of those who live in that place. Our origin speaks a lot about our ways, our intonations and sometimes our thinking. Like in the Gospel today, a phrase tells us of people who were marveling (or could be questioning) the ways of Jesus, He isRead More...

In history, we have seen and surely, we have had the inspiration of so many people beginning with the apostles, disciples and those persecuted for believing in the Gospel of Jesus. The goal is the life that Jesus taught and showed us to live, the conviction to follow and trust the life that he gives us, and the strength that sustains us both physically and spiritually. Everything is presented toRead More...

Lunar New Year, Tết, is a special celebration for countries utilizing the lunar calendar, Vietnam, is one of them. Everywhere, from the city to the countryside, from the roads to houses, from schools, markets to offices, the peach blossom flowers, red papers are there announcing the start of spring season. It is time to go home for the celebration. The children are happy with new clothes, the adults would cleanRead More...

Very dear sisters: We hope that you are in good health and in good spirits in all the communities. In this privileged time in which we prepare to celebrate our XXI General Chapter, recalling our Foundress takes on an even more special significance. The person of Ascension Nicol has within herself a testimonial force that always pushes us forward. Deepening in the traits of her rich personality, has in usRead More...

“Religious life won’t mean a thing if one doesn’t encounter God in the Convent” On the first day on 2013, I decided to enter in the convent I did not know what it means to be a Religious Missionary. All I knew was that I will be with Christ. During the aspirancy and postulancy, all I thought was that being a Religious Missionary is enough, if one knows how toRead More...

I was staring at you, yes, I am, without ceasing.Oh, what a beauty is this, that my soul is at PEACE.In the silence of the night,I whisper my sorrow and hardship in His ears.Oh, what a gentle Lover who holds me peacefully. What else do I look for;I have everything now;I have you, Jesus, my Divine Prisoner of Love.His embrace is my LIGHT.His silence is my rest.His calmness is myRead More...

This is my very first-time celebrating Christmas in the Philippines. My co-novices and I were so excited and curious about how the celebration of Noel will be. Although we made Belem and made decorations in our community to bring forth the spirit of Christmas. We wished to see the decoration around the city, too. It was so nice that on 26th December, three communities in Manila gathered to celebrate Christmas.Read More...

December 10 is popularly known as International Human Rights Day. East Timor joins in this important day to give honor, recognition and to salute to those who silently work for the common good.  In the recently concluded Sergio Vieira de Mello Awards, the President of the Democratic Republic of East Timor, Francisco Guterres Lú Olo awarded four winners based on Social, Economic and Cultural categories which promote, defend, and continueRead More...

On December 1st and 2nd, I joined the novice’s common study, where I met many novices from different Dominican congregations. We are from different parts of Asia -East Timor, Indonesia, Philippines, Vietnam, and Myanmar.  Set aside the diversities, we gathered under the roof called “Dominican Family”. This great family invites us to continue to live in fraternity and build up friendship among its members. Thus, to better understand true friendshipRead More...