The Congregation of the Most Holy Rosary of the Order of Preachers, better known as the Dominican Sisters of Sinsinawa is an American religious institute of the Regular, or religious branch of the Third Order of St. Dominic. It was founded in 1847. The General Motherhouse is located in Sinsinawa, Wisconsin.
The congregation was founded in 1847 by Samuel Mazzuchelli, O.P., (1806-1864) a pioneer Italian Dominican friar and missionary priest to the Upper Midwest. [1] By the time of the founder's death in 1864, the community numbered nearly 25, and had blossomed to 100 within a decade. By the end of the century, the congregation had grown to almost 400 Sisters, and had begun to spread to work in schools throughout the region. Growth continued until the mid-20th century, when the congregation peaked at nearly 2,000 members in the 1960s. Like many other religious institutes, numbers then began to drop dramatically after the Second Vatican Council. [2]
The motherhouse of the congregation, Sinsinawa Mound, has been called the "Hill of Grace". Since 1847, more than 3,200 women have ascended its slopes to take their vows as Sinsinawa Dominican Sisters, then departed to preach and teach the Gospel. Today, the Mound still serves as the motherhouse for about 250 sisters and more than 200 associates. [2]
Sinsinawa Dominicans are called to proclaim the Gospel through the ministry of preaching and teaching to participate in the building of a holy and just society. [3] These Dominican Sisters are associated with Edgewood College in Madison, Wisconsin (edgewood.edu), and Dominican University in River Forest, Illinois.
Direction 2023–28:
As joyful contemplative preachers, the Dominicans of Sinsinawa will take the risks that the Gospel demands to respond to the needs of the world. Ignited by our search for Truth, we call ourselves to—
• Advocate for justice and practice social, ecological, and economic responsibility as called for in Laudato Si’ and our corporate stances; • Challenge injustices in the institutional Church and be a reconciling presence in the spirit of Dominic and Catherine; • Become antiracist and practice nonviolence in word and action; • Strive for authenticity and integrity in our relationships with God, with one another, and with all Creation; • Be a healing and compassionate presence to one another and to those on the margins; • Embrace diversity as a blessing and cultivate a spirit of invitation and belonging; and • Nurture and honor one another in our spiritual growth and expressions of faith.
Sinsinawa Dominican sisters are dedicated to preaching and teaching the Gospel, believing that at the heart of ministry is relationship. The sisters are called to a wide variety of ministries: some are teachers, counselors, and caregivers. Others are doctors, lawyers, and pastoral ministers. They remain involved in more than 30 ministries at locations throughout the United States, Bolivia, and Trinidad and Tobago. [4]
The Order of Preachers, also known as the Dominican Order, is a Catholic mendicant order of pontifical right that was founded in France by a Castilian priest named Dominic de Guzmán. It was approved by Pope Honorius III via the papal bull Religiosam vitam on 22 December 1216. Members of the order, who are referred to as Dominicans, generally display the letters OP after their names, standing for Ordinis Praedicatorum, meaning 'of the Order of Preachers'. Membership in the order includes friars, nuns, active sisters, and lay or secular Dominicans. More recently, there has been a growing number of associates of the religious sisters who are unrelated to the tertiaries.
Samuel Charles Mazzuchelli, OP was a pioneer Italian Dominican friar and Catholic missionary priest who helped bring the church to the Iowa-Illinois-Wisconsin tri-state area. He founded several parishes in the area and was the architect for several parish buildings. Additionally, Mazzuchelli established several schools throughout the region, some of which have developed into local Catholic colleges. As part of this effort, he founded the Sinsinawa Dominican Sisters.
Saint Augustine Church is an early Catholic church built in 1844 in New Diggings, Wisconsin, during the area's lead-mining boom. The building was designed by pioneer priest and amateur architect Father Samuel Mazzuchelli, and survives unchanged from that early era.
Saint Patrick's Church is the Catholic parish for Benton, Wisconsin and surrounding areas. The parish is part of the Diocese of Madison.
María Ascensión Nicol y Goñi, O.P., was a Spanish Roman Catholic religious sister of the Third Order of St. Dominic. She co-founded and was the first Prioress General of the Congregation of Dominican Missionary Sisters of the Rosary, which she helped to found in Peru.
Sinsinawa is an unincorporated community in Grant County, Wisconsin, United States. The community is in the towns of Jamestown and Hazel Green, one mile north of the border with Illinois. The community is 7+1⁄2 miles (12.1 km) east of Dubuque, Iowa, and 6+1⁄2 miles (10.5 km) west of the village of Hazel Green, Wisconsin. The town is best known for being the mother house of the Sinsinawa Dominican Sisters.
The Congregation of Sisters of St. Dominic of St. Catherine of Siena is a Catholic religious institute for women founded in 1862 in Racine, Wisconsin, USA, in the Archdiocese of Milwaukee.
The Third Order of Saint Francis is a third order in the Franciscan tradition of Christianity, founded by the medieval Italian Catholic friar Francis of Assisi.
The Third Order of Saint Dominic, also referred to as the Lay Fraternities of Saint Dominic or Lay Dominicans since 1972, is a Catholic third order which is part of the Dominican Order.
Dominican High School is a private, Catholic high school in Whitefish Bay, Wisconsin, United States. It is in, but not funded by, the Archdiocese of Milwaukee as a college preparatory high school.
Diana degli Andalò, OP, sometimes d'Andalo, was a Dominican nun who founded a convent for her order dedicated to Saint Agnes in Italy.
The Dominican Sisters of Blauvelt are a religious congregation within the Dominican Order of religious sisters founded in 1890. They are based in the town of Blauvelt, New York, a northern suburb of New York City. Their traditional service has been childcare, both through teaching and caring for orphans.
The Dominican Order was first established in the United States by Edward Fenwick in the early 19th century. The first Dominican institution in the United States was the Province of Saint Joseph, which was established in 1805. Additionally, there have been numerous institutes of Dominican Sisters and Nuns.
The Dominican Sisters of Peace is a congregation of Dominican Sisters of apostolic life, founded on Easter Sunday, April 12, 2009, from the union of seven former Dominican foundations. With general offices in Columbus, Ohio, the congregation holds legal incorporation in the state of Kentucky, home of the founding community of earliest historical origin. In 2012, following a vote by their General Chapter, the Dominican sisters of Catherine de' Ricci became the eighth foundation to join the Dominican Sisters of Peace.
Sinsinawa Mound College for men (1846-1852) was located in Sinsinawa, Wisconsin.
The Dominican Congregation of Our Lady of the Sacred Heart, better known as the Dominican Sisters of Grand Rapids, is a religious congregation of sisters of the Dominican Third Order established in 1877, with their motherhouse located in Grand Rapids, Michigan. They were founded to provide education to the children of the Catholic populations of Michigan and other regions of the American Midwest. As of 2017, they have 209 sisters in the congregation.
St. Clara Female Academy was a 19th-century American parochial school, a Roman Catholic institution, in Wisconsin. After a series of changes, it is now known as Dominican University.
Mary Clemente Davlin was a Sinsinawa Dominican Sister, an advocate for diversity in higher education, and a noted scholar of medieval studies, particularly the allegorical poem Piers Plowman. The Sister Mary Clemente Davlin Diversity Leadership Award at Dominican University is given annually in her honor, as is a Waters, Davlin, Crapo “sisters” scholarship specifically for African American students.