Dominican Sisters of Springfield

And the call is to community,
The impoverished power that sets the soul free.
In humility, to take the vow,
That day after day we must take up the basin and the towel.

The journey of the Dominican Sisters of Springfield to Chicago Heights, Illinois, began in 1873 when the Convent of St. Catherine of Siena in Kentucky sent six sisters to Jacksonville, Illinois, to teach the large population of immigrant children living there. What the Sisters thought would be a temporary assignment became permanent two years later when they received direction from their superior to establish a completely new congregation, separate from the Kentucky Dominicans.

A combination of prayer, hard work, and angel benefactors enabled the growing congregation to establish its motherhouse in Springfield in 1893. Like all Dominican men and women, the Dominican Sisters of Springfield are committed to a common life of prayer, study, and preaching. Their preaching mission continues through ministries in Illinois and many other places in the United States and the world.

In 1955, the Dominican Sisters agreed to accept the staffing responsibility for a new school that would become Marian Catholic. As such, the Sisters have sponsored our school from the very beginning, and we are particularly grateful for their presence over the past sixty-five years.

Learn More About the Dominican Sisters of Springfield