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The Oakford Sisters who gathered together from 28 April to 1 May 2023 at St Dominic’s at the Bluff for a weekend of reflection and sharing on Dominican Spirituality greatly appreciated revisiting the history of St Dominic’s call to found the Order of Preachers.

Dominic’s call, they recognized, was shaped by the society in which he lived. His humility and simplicity, his prayer and preaching, his listening and responses to people were forged against the backdrop of the realities and heresies of the time.

“The input on Dominic and Catherine was the best I have ever heard,” said one Sister, “with the unwritten elements of their lives resonating with our own lives and time.” Dominic’s attitude to poverty stood out as well as his continual searching for truth.

“Fr Martin Badenhorst is an excellent preacher, eliciting from the Sisters their own reflections and sharing on what it means to be a Dominican“, said one Sister. The Sisters were reminded how important it is to read the signs of our own times, recognizing that Dominic and Catherine are our companions in the struggles we face. We are invited to have hope.

There was valuable time for the Sisters to connect with one another, especially those “we hadn’t seen for a long time” and to share in the celebration of the feast of St Catherine. “We are called as a Congregation,” said one Sister, “to let go of the old ways of doing things and to allow the new way to happen.”

There was a sense in the group of freedom, hope, trust and joy, a recognition that “as Oakford Sisters we are alive, that we are part of the wider great Dominican Order. “ “There will always be challenges and problems,” a few Sisters noted, “but we are called to respond courageously to the reality of our time. When we come together, we help one another grow in faith and love rather than in disillusion. We grow when we encourage one another.”

Being together reinforced a sense of community and of the essence of preaching: “the Word studied and lived is Power, God with us.” The general experience was of the power of being together and sharing inspirations and faith.  Sisters could “be purposeful with one another.” “For me there was a sense of love and compassion for humanity and the whole of creation, “said one Sister. For someone else there was a recognition that as Oakford Sisters, “we are aware of the needs of our time, and like St Dominic we are challenged to seek the truth.

There was sharing in the group and informally outside sessions with Sisters feeling at home and helping where help was needed. While this was not an Area Assembly it was the first inter-community gathering post Covid.

Several Sisters expressed the hope for a further gathering on Dominican Spirituality and Dominican history, with an emphasis possibly on Dominican Life in South Africa. One regret was that there were not more Sisters present.

Text Sr Alison Munro, OP