A Tapestry in Time: The Story of the Dominican Sisters Grand Rapids, Michigan, 1966–2012 ed. by Mary Navarre, OP (review)

Introduced as the “work of many hands” (ix), Tapestry in Time tells the story of the Grand Rapids Dominican Sisters in a way that describes the evolving patterns that have become part of their design from 1966–2012. The interest of this volume draws its strength from the Sisters themselves who carefully and creatively reflect on their own experiences of religious life following the historic and seismic event of the Second Vatican Council. Life was never the same for religious sisters after this event as convents and monasteries throughout the world sought to respond to the Divine Spirit who clearly inspired the Council’s “desire for aggiornamento, the term used in Vatican Council II to refer to bringing the Church up to date” (12). For members of this Dominican congregation, many for whom change was difficult, “the Sisters remained together, praying with and for each other, studying and working side by side, loving and living in sisterly affection whatever the garb, prayer style, ministry or understanding of religious life as it was evolving in this new time” (xx). Thus, the tapestry of these fifty years becomes woven with threads and designs of the Sisters’ four essential elements of prayer, study, common life, and ministry that can be identified as the organizational and yet, interdependent, framework of this book in parts one, two, three, and four, respectively.

As a backdrop for the evolving nature of prayer in Part One, the Sisters rightfully acknowledge the ongoing role and influence of St. Dominic, their founder, as encouraged by the Vatican II document, Perfectae Caritatis, which exhorted all religious congregations to return faithfully to the spirit of their founders as inspiration for modern-day renewal. As a result, the more monastic style and schedule of the Sisters’ prayer evolved with changes that allowed for time and focus on a more personal and creatively expressed relationship with God. Emphasis on inclusive language was made a priority in light of a deeper unpacking of St. Dominic’s Nine Ways of Prayer where Simon Tugwell, OP, asserts: “Let us not forget that [Dominic] did it all to preach the Reign of God and to move others to conversion of heart” (11). In naming a key component of furthering the Sisters’ identity relative to St. Dominic, the Sisters have been “committed to a deeper understanding of their role in the Order of Preachers [OP]” (16). Significant ministry opportunities continue to unfold as the Sisters seek to offer their gifts of preaching in retreat and parish work as well as various liturgical settings.

While moving seamlessly to Part Two, the reader can’t help but notice how the focus on the spirit of St. Dominic continues to prevail in the years following Vatican II as the Sisters took up the mandate “to study Sacred Scripture, the traditions of their founder, and the signs of the times in order to be faithful daughters of the Church and faithful to the legacy of study as daughters of St. Dominic” (51). A particularly descriptive and interesting chapter takes the reader on the evolving journey of the process of “Formation: Becoming a Sister” as the evocative question is posed: “How does a woman become a Woman Religious” (89)? One of the most significant changes in this process involves the Collaborative Dominican Novitiate begun in 1988 “to provide an enriched program for participating Congregations and to introduce the Novice to the larger Dominican family of Sisters from other Congregations as well as the Brothers who are part of the International Order of Dominicans” (93).

Parts Three and Four of Tapestry in Time deal with the intertwining elements of Dominican common life and ministry. Like nearly every other aspect of apostolic religious life, “the structures and daily reality of living common life have changed dramatically in the post-conciliar years” (115). As hierarchical...