General: That the Christians of the Middle East may live their faith in full freedom and be an instrument of peace and reconciliation.
Mission: That the Church may be the seed and nucleus of a humanity reconciled and reunited in God's one and only family, thanks to the testimony of all the faithful in every country in the world.

Salt and Light, Canada's Catholic Television Network, produced a documentary on the life and work of the Sisters of Saint Cecilia Congregation. 
Click on the link for a preview of this movie.  http://www.saltandlighttv.org/prog_special_beloved.htm

While many religious orders are currently facing marked decline in novitiates and the aging of their members, the communities of the CMSWR are experiencing growth on a worldwide scale.  The Foundations of Religious Life is ideal reading for sisters and those in formation, as well as their counterparts in men's communities.  For more information, visit the website of the CMSWR. CMSWR flyer

All are invited to attend a Eucharistic Congress on Septenber 11-12, 2009 in Washington, DC at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception.  The Congress, entitled Sacrifice of Enduring Love, is sponsored by the Council of Major Superiors of Women Religious (CMSWR).  There is no charge for admission to the two-day event that will explore three vocations in depth--the Priesthood, Religious Life, and Marriage.  In addition to other displays, a piece of the actual tilma of St. Juan Diego will be exhibited.  for more information about the Congress, visit www.cmswr.org or write: P.O. Box 4467, Washington, DC 20017.

His Eminence, Cardinal Francis Arinze, came to Shelbyville, TN to offer the keynote address at Springfest 2009.  This event is dedicated to promoting Pope John Paul II's call to a springtime in the Church, "The Spirit will truly bring about a new Springtime of Faith, if Christian hearts are filled with new attitudes of humility, generosity and openness to His purifying grace."  Prior to Springfest, His Eminence visited St. Cecilia Motherhouse with Bishop David Choby.  Having served in the Roman Curia as Prefect of the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments from 2002-2008, Cardinal Arinze retired last December.

Cardinal Arinze celebrated Mass on May 15 in our St. Cecilia Chapel.  He preached on the love of the Church, love of Mary, and the need for prayerful reading of Scripture.  He exhorted us to continue to "love the actual Church, not the Church that could exist" because "love of the Church shows our love for Christ." 

In the homily, the community was reminded that the Offertory is the moment when we can offer our whole selves with Christ, and in a unique way as consecrated persons.



Our community chaplain, Fr. John Rock, S.J. (left) Bishop David Choby, of Nashville (third from left), and Monsignor Owen Campion, Associate Publisher of Our Sunday Visitor (right), concelebrated the Mass with Cardinal Arinze.

Mother Ann Marie, Prioress General of the St. Cecilia Congregation, explained the historical context of our Congregation within the Dominican Order.  In 2010, the Congregation will celebrate its 150th Jubilee.

Mother Ann Marie (second from right) and the General Council had the opportunity to visit with His Eminence over breakfast and thank him for his faithful service to the Church.

Father Carlos Azpiroz Costa, OP, the 86th successor of St. Dominic as Master General of the Dominican Order, came to the United States in April to make a fraternal visit to the St. Joseph Province Friars and Nuns.  Some of our sisters had the opportunity to visit with the Master in Cincinnati, Ohio and Providence, Rhode Island.

Father Carlos is originally from Argentina, but currently resides at the Basilica fo Santa Sabina in Rome.

As is the tradition for our community, we crowned Our Lady this May.  The sisters processed to the Grotto praying the rosary and returned from the crowning singing hymns to Mary. 

 On May 8th, we celebrated the Patronage of the Blessed Virgin Mary over the Entire Order of Preachers, recalling her great aid in beginning the Order and preserving us to the present.  This day we pray, "In you the Word was made flesh, that same Word which we receive, contemplate, praise together and preach.  Therefore, under your guidance we today devote outselves anew to the ministry of the Word."
 

Passion Sunday marked the beginning of Holy Week with the blessing of palm barnches, the procession from the exonarthex into the chapel, and the reading of the Passion.  Father Wilfrid Okambawa cencelebrated Mass with chaplain, Father John Rock.

 
The Easter Triduum began with the celebration of the Lord's Supper on Holy Thursday.  At the conclusion of Mass, the sisters formed a candlelit procession from the Chapel to the Oratory where the Eucharist was reposed.  Father Brian Mullady, Father Matthew Zuberbueler, Father Matthew Gamber and Father Wilfrid Okambawa joined Father Rock for these sacred days. 

Throughout Good Friday, the sisters wore the black mantle for all Community exercies.

As customary, the fast of Good Friday began with a breakfast of crackers.

Following the reading of the Passion, Father Gamber processed with the crucifix from the back of the chapel in preparation for veneration of the cross.

The Easter Vigil Service began outside the chapel with Father Mullady blessing the Paschal Candle and the fire. 

The sisters' candles broke the darkness of the chapel as they entered in silent procession.

The joyous celebration of the Lord's Resurrection Easter Sunday was concelebrated by Father Brian Mullady, Father John Rock and Father Matthew Zuberbueler.

Approaching the Great Jubilee in the Year 2000, our community prepared for this time of grace in a number of ways. In striving to reach out to youth in the emerging Internet age, the community designed a website that provided viewers a glimpse into our life. Over the years, we have received many positive comments about our website from a range of people—from young school children to adults, from locals as well as from visitors overseas.

God continues to shower blessings upon our community.  Over the past five years, there have been numerous external changes to our Motherhouse as we expanded and renovated. With this project complete, we want to share more fully the beauty of our St. Cecilia Dominican life.

Over the past year, we have been working to update our website, giving it a fresh new look. We have also updated and expanded the information provided about the Dominican Order and our Congregation. We have worked closely with Spitfire Media Group in Buford, Georgia to design our website. You can visit their website at http://www.spitfiremediagroup.com. Their creativity and technical skill, along with the hard work of many of our sisters has resulted in this beautiful new website.

We invite you to explore our website and join us in thanking God for the blessings He has bestowed upon our community. May the information, prayers and resources offered aide you in your own journey in bringing Christ to the world.

[The Internet] offers unique opportunities for proclaiming the saving truth of Christ to the whole human family. Consider...the positive capacities of the Internet to carry religious information and teaching beyond all barriers and frontiers. Such a wide audience would have been beyond the wildest imaginings of those who preached the Gospel before us...Catholics should not be afraid to throw open the doors of social communications to Christ, so that his Good News may be heard from the housetops of the world. (Pope John Paul II)

“Dear brothers and sisters, as in early times, today too Christ needs apostles ready to sacrifice themselves.  He needs witnesses and martyrs like St Paul.  Paul, a former violent persecutor of Christians, when he fell to the ground dazzled by the divine light on the road to Damascus, did not hesitate to change sides to the Crucified One and followed him without second thoughts.  He lived and worked for Christ, for him he suffered and died. How timely his example is today!” (Pope Benedict XVI)

In honor of the bicentennial anniversary of the birth of Saint Paul, Pope Benedict XVI has proclaimed June 28, 2008 - June 29, 2009 as the “Year of Saint Paul.” A missionary and preacher filled with zeal for truth, Paul remains a vital example for Dominicans today. Saint Paul’s letters were one of two books that Saint Dominic carried with him at all times (the other being the Gospel of Saint Matthew).

During this special year, Father Joseph Henchey, CSS will visit the Motherhouse to present a series of conferences on the writings and the spirit of Saint Paul. Father has long been a good friend of the community and has played a role in the formation of numerous generations of our sisters. Even more, his deep humility and prayerfulness (as well as his sense of humor) provide a genuine witness to his own love for Christ and the Church.

In his more than fifty years as a priest, Father Henchey has served the Church in many capacities. He received the Doctorate in Sacred Theology from the Pontifical University of Saint Thomas Aquinas, the Angelicum, in Rome in 1973. He then taught at the Angelicum for over 20 years, also serving for six years as Assistant Spiritual Director for seminarians at Rome’s Pontifical North American College. In his own Stigmatine Congregation, Father Henchey has served as formator, North American Provincial Superior, and General Councilor. Father continues to travel widely, giving retreats, courses and lectures to priests, religious and the laity. After serving as Assistant Spiritual Director at Blessed John Pope John XXIII National Seminary in Weston, MA, Father Henchey was appointed by Francis Cardinal George in 2006 to the Paluch Chair of Theology at Mundelein Seminary in Chicago, IL, where he continues to serve today.

Father Henchey’s first conferences to the community for the Year of St. Paul, given this past June, were entitled “Putting on the Mind of Christ” and “The Kenosis of Christ.” His September conferences centered on the Pauline theme “The Mystery of God’s Mercy.”  The sisters are grateful for this opportunity to be formed more deeply in the spirit of the great teacher, Saint Paul, who was so dear to the heart of Saint Dominic.

On September 14, 2008, Sister Mary Peter Muehlenkamp was officially invested as the 10th President of Aquinas College.
 
Sister Mary Peter is a native of Fort Thomas, Kentucky, where she attended Northern Kentucky University and graduated with honors with a Bachelor of Science in Business Management. She then worked as a project manager in a marketing research company, as a claims adjuster, and an employee benefit plans trust associate.

The daughter of a judge, in 1990, Sister began her studies at Salmon P. Chase College of Law and successfully passed the Kentucky Bar Exam in July of 1993, the Ohio Bar Exam in March of 1994, and later as a Dominican Sister, the Tennessee Bar Exam in 1999.

Sister Mary Peter began her legal career concentrating her practice in estate planning, corporate, and real estate at the law firm of Greenbaum Doll & McDonald. She later became founding partner in the firm of Finney, Bacon, and Muehlenkamp.

In 1996, following her call to religious life, Sister Mary Peter, came to Tennessee where she joined the Dominican Sisters of the St. Cecilia Congregation in Nashville. She attended Aquinas College as a post-baccalaureate student in the Teacher Education Program and graduated Summa Cum Laude in 2001.

Sister Mary Peter has begun her presidency with a mandate to build upon a firm foundation as the College moves forward with bold plans in the years ahead. The mission of Aquinas College, grounded in truth and charity, is much-needed in the world today. In her service as President of the College, Sister Mary Peter works with faculty and staff to enhance the quality of education Aquinas College students receive, preparing them for careers in nursing, teaching, and business.

“God has blessed Aquinas College over the years, and I am confident that He will continue to guide us,” said Sister Mary Peter. “We have an incredibly talented and dedicated faculty and staff and it is a real blessing to join them as the president of the College, working together for the good of our students and the College.”

Visit the Aquinas College website

Mission of Aquinas College
The primary mission of Aquinas College is to provide an atmosphere of learning permeated with faith, directed to the intellectual, moral and professional formation of the human person. Aquinas seeks to foster intellectual achievement and personal growth in a socially and economically diverse population. The Christian principles and values they learn enrich students, providing both direction and meaning to their lives.

As a result of God’s goodness to us, we have often been able to send sisters to open new missions. Recent additions to our missions include Our Lady of Mount Carmel School in Carmel, Indiana in 2005 and Saint Joseph School in Cottleville, Missouri in 2007.
 
In the spring of 2007, it was announced that we would send sisters to administer and teach at the new John Paul the Great High School in the Diocese of Arlington, Virginia. This school is unique in that the study of Bioethics is integral to its regular curriculum. With this ethical background as students pursue advanced degrees, it is the hope that they will engage the culture with well formed critical thinking skills in line with the mind and heart of the Church. After a year of hard work, the school opened its doors for the 2008-2009 school year with Sister Mary Jordan serving as the school’s first principal. Two sisters join her on the faculty: Sister Terese will chair the Bioethics department and Sister Mary Brigid will chair the Religion department.
 
The 2008-2009 school year will also see the opening of our first mission overseas in Sydney, Australia. At the invitation of Cardinal George Pell and fellow Dominican, Bishop Anthony Fisher, the Congregation will send four sisters to begin the house in Sydney. The sisters hope to capitalize on the graces of World Youth Day in their work with the youth of Australia. Sister Mary Madeline and Sister Mary Sarah will be working with Father Dominic Murphy, O.P. in campus ministry at the University of Sydney. Sister Mary Rachel and Sister Cecilia Joseph will be serving at Trinity Catholic College, a grades 7-12 school. In addition to our presence in the schools, the sisters will also host retreats for young women who wish to deepen their relationship with the Lord and further discern what God might be asking of them.

This year, St. Cecilia Congregation is blessed to welcome 15 postulants to the community. They come from a variety of places: Ohio, Texas, Missouri, New Mexico, Michigan, Minnesota, Kentucky, Tennessee, North Dakota, and California. May God bless these young women as they begin their religious life.

On July 25, 2008, Sister Mary Martha, Sister Peter Verona, Sister Mary Pius, Sister Mary Olivia, Sister John Agnes, Sister Mary Sabina, Sister Mary Rebekah, Sister Peter Marie, Sister Grace Mary, Sister Maria Kolbe, and Sister Maria Faustina professed their perpetual vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience.

Archbishop Raymond Burke, Bishop David Choby, Mother Ann Marie and Sister Mary Angela join the sisters professing perpetual vows.

Sister Mary Martha signing her vows.

Mother Ann Marie and Sister Mary Olivia.

Mother Ann Marie and Sister John Agnes.

Sister Maria Kolbe professing her vows.

The Sign of Peace welcoming the new lifelong members of the Congregation.

Sister Mary Rebekah and Sister Peter Marie rejoice in the blessings of the day.

On July 27, 2008, Sister Janet Mary, Sister Amelia, Sister Margaret Mary, Sister Mary Gianna, Sister Michaela, Sister Augusta, Sister Mary Lawrence, Sister John Peter, Sister Mara Grace, Sister Gloria Christi, Sister Helena, and Sister Amata Christi professed their vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience.

Bishop Ronald Gainer, Bishop David Choby, Mother Ann Marie, and Sister Mary Angela join the first profession group of sisters.

Sister Mary Gianna professing her vows.

Mother Ann Marie and Sister Mara Grace.

The sisters make the prostration as their scapulars are blessed.

On July 25, 2008, our postulants received the Dominican habit and their new religious names. Our newest novices are Sister Maria Benedicta, Sister Mary Margaret, Sister Dominica, Sister Rita Marie, Sister Maria Francesca, and Sister Maria Elena.

The new habits are placed next to the statue of Saint Dominic in the chapel.

Sister Natalie receives the habit and her new religious name, Sister Dominica.

Mother Ann Marie presents each piece of the habit, with a prayer, to the new novice.

Sister Josie receives the habit and her new religious name, Sister Rita Marie.

Sister Maria Francesca and Sister Mary Jeanne.