The Dominican Melting Pot
As our melting pot of a country celebrates Independence Day, I’m celebrating a reunion with two of my sisters from the Collaborative Dominican Novitiate (CDN) – Christina Atienza, OP of the Dominican Sisters of San Rafael and Bea Tiboldi, OP of the Dominican Sisters of Peace. Together with two women who have since been beckoned by God to other life paths and with our two Directors, Joye Gros, OP (Peace Dominican) and Megan McElroy, OP (Grand Rapids Dominican), we shared space, experiences and an unforgettable year together in St. Louis in 2013-2014. The seeds sown then have sprouted into deep bonds of affection, friendship, sisterhood and a life-long family connection! Our little St. Louis family is a representative slice of both the larger Dominican family and the United States. We are intergenerational, inter-congregational, and inter-cultural. I was the oldest novice and a mother. Bea (pronounced “Bay-uh”), originally from Budapest, Hung...