Dr. Cynthia Thomas reflects on the legacy of DASS paving the way for DELC; Executive Director Dr. Kristin Barstow Melley introduces the DELC Platform; and faculty members discuss the platform’s features. | | Inaugural Dominican Educator Learning Community Academy | | |
What do you get when you bring together 75 leaders, educators, and Sisters from 16 Dominican schools, representing seven congregations for four days of prayer, study, community, and preaching? The inaugural Dominican Educator Learning Community (DELC) Academy.
This momentous gathering, titled Carrying the Legacy of Dominican Catholic Education Together, was hosted by Dominican Veritas Ministries (DVM) and took place at the Motherhouse of the Dominican Sisters of Peace and the adjacent campus of Ohio Dominican University in Columbus, Ohio, June 17-20, 2025. The Academy’s theme, Charism and Light, was brought to life in the opening address by DVM Executive Director Kristin Barstow Melley, Ph.D., who reflected on the nature of fireflies in Thailand—each carrying its own light, yet choosing to synchronize with each other to outshine the darkness of night. This image served as both the vision for the Academy and the call for Dominican Catholic education today: individual schools and educators bringing the light of faith, harmonizing it with the community, and together illuminating the world through the Dominican charism.
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Dynamic and meaningful experiences of prayer, preaching, roundtable discussions, breakout sessions, and keynote presenters Dr. Donna Carroll and Sr. Pat Twohill, OP, illuminated the Dominican charism. Workshops were led by practitioners and school leaders who shared wisdom from their own ministries, animating the words of St. Thomas Aquinas, Contemplatta allis tradere ~ to hand down to others the fruits of contemplation. The Academy facilitated a new spirit of connection, reminding participants that despite the geographic distances between their schools, they belong to the same mission. One leader reflected, “It’s easy to feel separated by geography, but this reminded me how deeply we are connected.” Another described the roundtables as “high-energy discussions, full of sharing and laughter.”
The joy of the Academy was unmistakable. From prayer walks and lively conversations to a spirited trivia night in the Motherhouse, the Dominican Pillar of Community was alive and vibrant. The charism radiated throughout the week, inspiring reflection, hope, growth, and renewal.
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DASS Ceremony
The final night of the gathering celebrated the legacy of the Dominican Association of Secondary Schools (DASS). Reflections from Dr. Cynthia Thomas and Sr. Kathleen Tait, OP (Springfield) honored the pioneering work of DASS and its 22 year contribution to the Dominican educational mission. Drawing inspiration from the newly canonized lay Dominican Pier Giorgio Frassati, participants watched a live rock-climbing and belaying demonstration by 5.Life Climbing Gym. The message was clear: in the mission of Dominican education, we climb together—some offering steadfast support at base camp, others ascending toward the summit, all moving toward the same goal. To commemorate the work accomplished and the journey ahead, each participant received a blessed carabiner engraved with Frassati’s rallying call: Verso l’alto—To the Heights.
Educators and leaders were called to carry the Legacy of Dominican Catholic Education Together from the foundation that DASS built. With the light of the charism—rooted in prayer, study, community, and preaching DVM is already looking toward the next DELC Academy in June 2027.
| | Past DASS Leaders with current DVM Members and Leaders | From left to right: Sr. Maria Ciriello, OP (Peace); Sr. Kathleen Tait, OP (Springfield), DVM Trustee; Sr. Jane Meyer, OP (Houston); and DVM Members Colleen Settles, OP, (Sinsinawa) and Therese Leckert, OP (Peace) present Academy participants with blessed carabiners. | “Verso l’alto: to the heights.” Academy attendees received a blessed carabiner with this phrase of Bl. Pier Giorgio Frassati. | | |
From left to right: Nate Friday, Director of Formation; Giuliana Capuano, Assistant Director of Communications and Events; and Dr. Kristin Barstow Melley, Executive Director at Maker’s Mark Distillery. | Sunset view of the St. Catharine Motherhouse of the Dominican Sisters of Peace, Washington County, Kentucky. | |
DVM Staff Gather for Annual Retreat at St. Catherine
In July, DVM’s sponsorship staff gathered for a three-day retreat at the beautiful St. Catharine Motherhouse in Kentucky. It is the site of the first US Dominican Sister Congregation, established in 1822 and today, home to many Dominican Sisters of Peace and the St. Catharine’s beef farm. The retreat offered renewal, inspiration, and reflection (and a fun trip to the nearby Makers Mark distillery). Moreover, it provided precious time for the team with the Dominican Sisters who reside there.
The team joined the Sisters for the celebration of the Feast of St. Mary Magdalene, toured the impressive beef farm, shared meals and stories with the Sisters, and enjoyed the Sisters' warm welcome into their home. Beyond fellowship, the retreat was also a time to prepare for the year ahead, full of exciting new projects to support DVM’s sponsored schools and promote formation in the Dominican charism. Thanks to the warmth and hospitality of the Kentucky Sisters, the team has been renewed in the Dominican spirit and is ready for the work God has placed before us.
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From the Seignadu to Siena: from the lives of St. Dominic and St. Catherine
On August 20, DVM’s Director of Formation served as the keynote speaker for the retreat for the faculty and staff of Siena Catholic Schools, a network of seven Catholic schools in Racine County, of the Archdiocese of Milwaukee. Siena Catholic Schools draws its foundation on the work of the Dominican Sisters of Racine. Sisters from this congregation served in many of the schools throughout the Siena network, including, founding St. Catherine’s High School. Following the celebration of Mass by St. Paul the Apostle Pastor, Fr. Thomas Vathappallil, the retreat focused on listening for God’s voice and living out His calling for us in Catholic education through stories from the lives St. Dominic and St. Catherine of Siena’s.
| | Director of Formation Nate presenting for Siena Siena Catholic School at St. Paul the Apostle Parish in Mount Pleasant, Wisc. | | | The Rudder and the Star: Living Veritas in our Vocation
Dominican High School hosted a retreat for its faculty, staff, and board of directors to kickoff the school year. The retreat began with Mass in St. Dominic chapel celebrated by the school’s chaplain Fr. Tonny Kizza and retreat was led by DVM’s Director of Formation and Dominican High School alumna, Nate Friday. Faculty, staff, and board members alike were invited to reflect on the rudders that steady their vocation and the stars that inspire their journey, looking back to what grounds them and ahead to what calls them forward, all through the lens of Veritas ~ Truth.
| | DVM Missions Two New School Leaders | | Trinity High School missions new President | Several Dominican Sisters of Sinsinawa and DVM leaders gather at a reception to celebrate the missioning of Dr. Tina Taylor-Ritzler as new President of Trinity High School. | On September 10, 2025, the community of Trinity High School (River Forest, Illinois) missioned Dr. Tina Taylor-Ritzler as its new President. Among many special guests, the occasion gathered Sinsinawa Sisters living in the Chicagoland area, several of Tina’s former colleagues from nearby Dominican University, including President Glena Temple, Ph.D., DVM, Inc. Trustee Tom Jaconetty, dozens of Trinity High School alumnae–one representing the Class of 1948. The missioning ritual, led by DVM Member Sr. Colleen Settles, OP and Executive Director, Dr. Kristin Melley, took place during Eucharistic Liturgy and featured inspiring preaching from Sr. Judy Schaefer, OP and a procession of candles, carried by representatives of the community, symbolizing support and light for the new President. | | |
Bethlehem Academy celebrates 160th anniversary and missions new
Head of School
| Left to right: Paula Leider, new Head of School at Bethlehem Academy; Nate Friday, Director of Formation; Dr. Kristin Barstow Melley, Executive Director; and Colleen Settles, OP, Vice Chair (Sinsinawa). | |
On August 2, 2025, the community of Bethlehem Academy (Faribault, Minn.) gathered for two special occasions, the celebration of its 160th anniversary and the missioning of its new Head of School, Paula Leider. Not only is Bethlehem Academy the oldest Catholic school in Minnesota, it is the first mission of the Dominican Sisters of Sinsinawa beyond the Congregation’s Motherhouse. Five courageous Sisters left Benton, Wisconsin in 1865 for Faribault, Minnesota in response to an invitation from local clergy and a dying mother’s wish for her children to receive a Catholic education. The spirit of the Dominican Sisters of Sinsinawa, the community of alumni, and the dedication of today’s faculty, staff, and students continue to champion the legacy of Bethlehem Academy.
A highlight of the anniversary celebration was the missioning of Paula Leider as Bethlehem Academy’s new Head of School. In a special ritual during Eucharistic Liturgy that welcomed many Dominican Sisters of Sinsinawa living in the area, DVM Member Sr. Colleen Settles, OP and Executive Director, Dr. Kristin Melley, reflected on the mission of Bethlehem Academy and the guiding presence of the Dominican charism. The entire gathering then blessed Paula in her new ministry and welcomed her fully into the Bethlehem Academy community.
| | | Director of Formation, Nate Friday | |
Director of Formation Nate Friday featured in Catholic Herald | DVM’s Director of Formation Nate Friday was recently highlighted in the Catholic Herald article “Nate Friday: Molding Dominican Educators Nationwide.” Written by national columnist Jay Sorgi, the story is part of an ongoing series of articles focusing on one graduate from each of the Catholic high schools in the Archdiocese of Milwaukee who is leading through their faith. Nate is a proud 2009 graduate of Dominican High School, Whitefish Bay, Wisc. | | |
Learn about our new DELC Platform | A new online learning system created to unite leaders, educators, and Sisters nationwide while fostering continual growth in the Dominican charism. | | |
DVM debuts resources to Illuminate
Dominican Feast Days
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Dominican Veritas Ministries is excited to introduce a new resource from the Dominican Educator Learning Community (DELC): Resources to Illuminate Dominican Feast Days. This series spotlights Dominican saints and significant anniversaries throughout the year, offering engaging materials to help your school community celebrate these special days.
Past & Upcoming Feast Day Packets:
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| Dominican Veritas Ministries | www.dvmop.org | Middleborough, MA 02346 US | | | | |
