Dominican Sisters of St. Cecilia
Encyclopedia
The Congregation of St. Cecilia, commonly known as the Nashville Dominicans, is a religious order
within the Latin Rite of the Catholic Church located in Nashville, Tennessee
. It is a member of the Council of Major Superiors of Women Religious
, one of the two organizations which represent women religious in the United States (the other is the Leadership Conference of Women Religious
). The Sisters combine a monastic communal lifestyle of contemplation with an active apostolate in Catholic education.
, the second bishop
of the Diocese of Nashville
, a Dominican
, requested that sisters establish a school in his diocese
. The Dominican Sisters of St. Mary in Somerset, Ohio
, responded by sending four members to Nashville, where they opened an academy in 1862 specializing in music and the fine arts. Two years later, the new community witnessed the US Civil War at the Battle of Nashville
in December 1864. After the battle, the new community took on the responsibility of caring for numerous children at a nearby orphanage.
After the Civil War, the enrollment dropped. In 1867, the year in which the community welcomed its first postulant
, debts were so serious that the property was put up for public auction. Patrick Feehan
, then Bishop of Nashville, joined with some friends to purchase the property, immediately returning it to the Sisters. However, the small community continued to struggle as debts mounted and four of its members left to establish a new foundation in the more promising and prosperous Washington, D.C.
In the mid 1860s, Nashville suffered a particularly serious outbreak of cholera
. In an area sometimes known for its anti-Catholicism
, the Sisters gained great respect by remaining in the town to care for the sick. They also went to assist the people of Memphis
as thousands fled the city in the wake of the epidemic; of the 50 Sisters who served as nurses, 30 died.
The community continued to grow and by the late 1880s, it was necessary to build not only an extension to the convent
but also the school. By this time, the Sisters had expanded their teaching to schools in other parts of the state, including Chattanooga
, Clarksville
, Memphis
and Winchester
.
was formally affiliated with the Dominican
s, and in 1915 they established a link with the Catholic University of America to properly certify their Sister-teachers. The community prospered to such an extent that, just before the onset of the Great Depression
, it was able to purchase prime Nashville land that would later become the site of Aquinas College
. In 1935, when the Congregation celebrated its 75th anniversary in the midst of the Great Depression, the Sisters had established or begun to operate schools throughout Tennessee as well as in Illinois
, Ohio
and Virginia
. At that time, there were some 115 sisters, teaching 2,000 students in 14 schools. Through the 1940s and 1950s the Congregation continued to expand its network of schools.
Following the Second Vatican Council
(1962–1965) the Congregation, like all other communities in the Latin Rite, underwent a period of reflection and discernment regarding its charism and ministry. However, unlike many other groups, the Nashville Dominicans decided to retain the wearing of a religious habit
, in a slightly modified form, and to continue to live in larger convents rather than divide into smaller communities. The Congregation also opted to maintain its focus on Catholic education instead of branching out into other areas such as campus ministry
and social justice
, as other religious communities did at that time.
Since Vatican II, the Nashville Dominicans have continued to expand, establishing further schools in Tennessee as well as in Birmingham, Alabama
; Denver, Colorado
; Joliet, Illinois
; Minneapolis-Saint Paul; Arlington, Virginia;Atlanta, Georgia
; and Sydney
, Australia.
of poverty, chastity and obedience. For their sisters, the journey to making perpetual profession of these vows lasts seven years, and is in six main stages.
, meeting with a priest
for spiritual direction
and frequent participation in the Eucharist
.
and is given a modified version of the religious habit
. The postulant
s spend the next year learning how to live in community as well as becoming familiar with Catholic spirituality
and the Dominican way of life. There are also classes in basic Catholic doctrine, Church history and philosophy
.
follows postulancy. To mark the transition, the novice is clothed in the Dominican habit, but with a white veil instead of the black as worn by those who are professed members of the community. The novitiate year is crucial, for it is then "…that the novices better understand their divine vocation, and indeed one which is proper to the institute, experience the manner of living of the institute, and form their mind and heart in its spirit, and so that their intention and suitability are tested."
Thus, the novices are given the opportunity for longer periods of prayer
and spiritual reading as well as silence in order to reflect on the vocation God
is offering and their response. To nurture this process novices also study the Bible, various spiritual writings, patristics
and the significance of the evangelical counsels
.
"By religious profession, members assume the observance of the three evangelical counsels by public vow, are consecrated to God through the ministry of the Church, and are incorporated into the institute."
During the celebration of the Eucharist
the novices make their first profession and are clothed in the black veil. Between this time and perpetual profession, the Sisters learn how to live the evangelical counsels in a practical manner.
Apart from working towards receiving certification as teachers, Sisters in this stage of formation finish other college course work as well as take further classes in theology
and philosophy with concentration on the writings of the great Dominican, Saint Thomas Aquinas. It is also possible that a sister may begin teaching during this period if she has previously obtained her certification.
The Sisters rise at 5:00am and begin 30 minutes of meditation at 5:30am.
Meditation is followed by Lauds
and the celebration of the Eucharist at 6:15am after which the Sisters have breakfast before beginning studies or teaching.
At 5:00pm the community gathers to pray Vespers
, have dinner and then a period of recreation until 7:30pm.
At 7:30pm the Sisters engage in some spiritual reading, leading up to the final communal
activity of the day, the praying of Compline
. After Compline, silence is maintained during which those who teach may prepare lessons or mark papers whilst others may study, do some spiritual reading or take a stroll. At 10:00pm profound silence descends and the members of the community generally retire to sleep.
Religious order
A religious order is a lineage of communities and organizations of people who live in some way set apart from society in accordance with their specific religious devotion, usually characterized by the principles of its founder's religious practice. The order is composed of initiates and, in some...
within the Latin Rite of the Catholic Church located in Nashville, Tennessee
Nashville, Tennessee
Nashville is the capital of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the county seat of Davidson County. It is located on the Cumberland River in Davidson County, in the north-central part of the state. The city is a center for the health care, publishing, banking and transportation industries, and is home...
. It is a member of the Council of Major Superiors of Women Religious
Council of Major Superiors of Women Religious
The Council of Major Superiors of Women Religious was formed by the Congregation for the Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life in 1992 to promote religious life in the United States...
, one of the two organizations which represent women religious in the United States (the other is the Leadership Conference of Women Religious
Leadership Conference of Women Religious
The Leadership Conference of Women Religious is a canonically approved membership organization which exists as a support system and corporate voice for leaders of institutes, or congregations, of women religious in the United States.The conference has more than 1500 members, whose congregations...
). The Sisters combine a monastic communal lifestyle of contemplation with an active apostolate in Catholic education.
Foundation and 19th century
In 1860, James WhelanJames Whelan (bishop)
James Whelan, O.P. was the second Roman Catholic Bishop of Nashville .Whelan was born in Kilkenny, Ireland, and moved with his parents to the United States at age 10 or 12, settling in New York. He joined the Dominican Order in 1839 at the novitiate in Springfield, Kentucky, and made his...
, the second bishop
Bishop (Catholic Church)
In the Catholic Church, a bishop is an ordained minister who holds the fullness of the sacrament of Holy Orders and is responsible for teaching the Catholic faith and ruling the Church....
of the Diocese of Nashville
Roman Catholic Diocese of Nashville
The Roman Catholic Diocese of Nashville is a Roman Catholic diocese in Tennessee. It was founded on July 28, 1837 by the Dominican Bishop Richard Pius Miles. The Cathedral Church of the Incarnation is the seat of the Bishops of Nashville....
, a Dominican
Dominican Order
The Order of Preachers , after the 15th century more commonly known as the Dominican Order or Dominicans, is a Catholic religious order founded by Saint Dominic and approved by Pope Honorius III on 22 December 1216 in France...
, requested that sisters establish a school in his diocese
Diocese
A diocese is the district or see under the supervision of a bishop. It is divided into parishes.An archdiocese is more significant than a diocese. An archdiocese is presided over by an archbishop whose see may have or had importance due to size or historical significance...
. The Dominican Sisters of St. Mary in Somerset, Ohio
Somerset, Ohio
Somerset is a village in Perry County, Ohio, United States. The population was 1,549 at the 2000 census.Saint Joseph Church, the oldest Catholic church in Ohio, is located just outside of Somerset on State Route 383.-Geography:...
, responded by sending four members to Nashville, where they opened an academy in 1862 specializing in music and the fine arts. Two years later, the new community witnessed the US Civil War at the Battle of Nashville
Battle of Nashville
The Battle of Nashville was a two-day battle in the Franklin-Nashville Campaign that represented the end of large-scale fighting in the Western Theater of the American Civil War. It was fought at Nashville, Tennessee, on December 15–16, 1864, between the Confederate Army of Tennessee under...
in December 1864. After the battle, the new community took on the responsibility of caring for numerous children at a nearby orphanage.
After the Civil War, the enrollment dropped. In 1867, the year in which the community welcomed its first postulant
Postulant
A postulant was originally one who makes a request or demand; hence, a candidate. The use of the term is now generally restricted to those asking for admission into a monastery or a convent, both before actual admission and for the length of time preceding their admission into the novitiate...
, debts were so serious that the property was put up for public auction. Patrick Feehan
Patrick Feehan
Archbishop Patrick Augustine Feehan , was a U.S. Catholic bishop. He served as the fifth Bishop and first Archbishop of Chicago between 1880 and 1902, during which the church in Chicago was elevated to an archdiocese. Prior to moving to Chicago, Feehan served as the third bishop of the Diocese of...
, then Bishop of Nashville, joined with some friends to purchase the property, immediately returning it to the Sisters. However, the small community continued to struggle as debts mounted and four of its members left to establish a new foundation in the more promising and prosperous Washington, D.C.
In the mid 1860s, Nashville suffered a particularly serious outbreak of cholera
Cholera
Cholera is an infection of the small intestine that is caused by the bacterium Vibrio cholerae. The main symptoms are profuse watery diarrhea and vomiting. Transmission occurs primarily by drinking or eating water or food that has been contaminated by the diarrhea of an infected person or the feces...
. In an area sometimes known for its anti-Catholicism
Anti-Catholicism
Anti-Catholicism is a generic term for discrimination, hostility or prejudice directed against Catholicism, and especially against the Catholic Church, its clergy or its adherents...
, the Sisters gained great respect by remaining in the town to care for the sick. They also went to assist the people of Memphis
Memphis, Tennessee
Memphis is a city in the southwestern corner of the U.S. state of Tennessee, and the county seat of Shelby County. The city is located on the 4th Chickasaw Bluff, south of the confluence of the Wolf and Mississippi rivers....
as thousands fled the city in the wake of the epidemic; of the 50 Sisters who served as nurses, 30 died.
The community continued to grow and by the late 1880s, it was necessary to build not only an extension to the convent
Convent
A convent is either a community of priests, religious brothers, religious sisters, or nuns, or the building used by the community, particularly in the Roman Catholic Church and in the Anglican Communion...
but also the school. By this time, the Sisters had expanded their teaching to schools in other parts of the state, including Chattanooga
Chattanooga, Tennessee
Chattanooga is the fourth-largest city in the US state of Tennessee , with a population of 169,887. It is the seat of Hamilton County...
, Clarksville
Clarksville, Tennessee
Clarksville is a city in and the county seat of Montgomery County, Tennessee, United States, and the fifth largest city in the state. The population was 132,929 in 2010 United States Census...
, Memphis
Memphis, Tennessee
Memphis is a city in the southwestern corner of the U.S. state of Tennessee, and the county seat of Shelby County. The city is located on the 4th Chickasaw Bluff, south of the confluence of the Wolf and Mississippi rivers....
and Winchester
Winchester, Tennessee
Winchester is a city in and the county seat of Franklin County, Tennessee, United States. It is part of the Tullahoma, Tennessee Micropolitan Statistical Area.- History :...
.
20th century
In 1913, the Congregation of Saint CeciliaSaint Cecilia
Saint Cecilia is the patroness of musicians and Church music because as she was dying she sang to God. It is also written that as the musicians played at her wedding she "sang in her heart to the Lord". St. Cecilia was an only child. Her feast day is celebrated in the Roman Catholic, Anglican,...
was formally affiliated with the Dominican
Dominican Order
The Order of Preachers , after the 15th century more commonly known as the Dominican Order or Dominicans, is a Catholic religious order founded by Saint Dominic and approved by Pope Honorius III on 22 December 1216 in France...
s, and in 1915 they established a link with the Catholic University of America to properly certify their Sister-teachers. The community prospered to such an extent that, just before the onset of the Great Depression
Great Depression
The Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression in the decade preceding World War II. The timing of the Great Depression varied across nations, but in most countries it started in about 1929 and lasted until the late 1930s or early 1940s...
, it was able to purchase prime Nashville land that would later become the site of Aquinas College
Aquinas College (Tennessee)
Aquinas College is a Roman Catholic institution of higher learning located in Nashville, Tennessee, named in honor of Saint Thomas Aquinas.Aquinas College was founded by the Dominican Order in 1928 as St. Cecilia Normal School, and was first a school for nuns located at the St. Cecilia Motherhouse...
. In 1935, when the Congregation celebrated its 75th anniversary in the midst of the Great Depression, the Sisters had established or begun to operate schools throughout Tennessee as well as in Illinois
Illinois
Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...
, Ohio
Ohio
Ohio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...
and Virginia
Virginia
The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...
. At that time, there were some 115 sisters, teaching 2,000 students in 14 schools. Through the 1940s and 1950s the Congregation continued to expand its network of schools.
Following the Second Vatican Council
Second Vatican Council
The Second Vatican Council addressed relations between the Roman Catholic Church and the modern world. It was the twenty-first Ecumenical Council of the Catholic Church and the second to be held at St. Peter's Basilica in the Vatican. It opened under Pope John XXIII on 11 October 1962 and closed...
(1962–1965) the Congregation, like all other communities in the Latin Rite, underwent a period of reflection and discernment regarding its charism and ministry. However, unlike many other groups, the Nashville Dominicans decided to retain the wearing of a religious habit
Religious habit
A religious habit is a distinctive set of garments worn by members of a religious order. Traditionally some plain garb recognisable as a religious habit has also been worn by those leading the religious eremitic and anachoritic life, although in their case without conformity to a particular uniform...
, in a slightly modified form, and to continue to live in larger convents rather than divide into smaller communities. The Congregation also opted to maintain its focus on Catholic education instead of branching out into other areas such as campus ministry
Campus Ministry
Campus Ministry may refer to:*Religious organizations on college campuses College religious organizations*The collegiate student ministry of Campus Crusade for Christ is also called The Campus Ministry...
and social justice
Social justice
Social justice generally refers to the idea of creating a society or institution that is based on the principles of equality and solidarity, that understands and values human rights, and that recognizes the dignity of every human being. The term and modern concept of "social justice" was coined by...
, as other religious communities did at that time.
Since Vatican II, the Nashville Dominicans have continued to expand, establishing further schools in Tennessee as well as in Birmingham, Alabama
Birmingham, Alabama
Birmingham is the largest city in Alabama. The city is the county seat of Jefferson County. According to the 2010 United States Census, Birmingham had a population of 212,237. The Birmingham-Hoover Metropolitan Area, in estimate by the U.S...
; Denver, Colorado
Denver, Colorado
The City and County of Denver is the capital and the most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Denver is a consolidated city-county, located in the South Platte River Valley on the western edge of the High Plains just east of the Front Range of the Rocky Mountains...
; Joliet, Illinois
Joliet, Illinois
Joliet is a city in Will and Kendall Counties in the U.S. state of Illinois, located southwest of Chicago. It is the county seat of Will County. As of the 2010 census, the city was the fourth-most populated in Illinois, with a population of 147,433. It continues to be Illinois' fastest growing...
; Minneapolis-Saint Paul; Arlington, Virginia;Atlanta, Georgia
Atlanta, Georgia
Atlanta is the capital and most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia. According to the 2010 census, Atlanta's population is 420,003. Atlanta is the cultural and economic center of the Atlanta metropolitan area, which is home to 5,268,860 people and is the ninth largest metropolitan area in...
; and Sydney
Sydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
, Australia.
Community life
For the Catholic Church the "perfection of charity, to which all the faithful are called, entails for those who freely follow the call to consecrated life the obligation of practicing chastity in celibacy for the sake of the Kingdom, poverty and obedience. It is the profession of these counsels, within a permanent state of life recognised by the Church that characterises the life consecrated to God." Thus, like all religious, the Nashville Dominicans embrace the evangelical counselsEvangelical counsels
The three evangelical counsels or counsels of perfection in Christianity are chastity, poverty , and obedience . As Jesus of Nazareth stated in the Canonical gospels , they are counsels for those who desire to become "perfect"...
of poverty, chastity and obedience. For their sisters, the journey to making perpetual profession of these vows lasts seven years, and is in six main stages.
Enquiry
This is the first stage, during which a young woman corresponds with the Congregation, has various conversations with the director of vocations, participates in a retreat and undergoes a psychological evaluation.Pre-postulancy
This follows for those who are accepted and lasts until it is time to enter the convent along with other prospective sisters. It is a period of opportunity for the candidate to deepen her spiritual life by daily reading of the BibleBible
The Bible refers to any one of the collections of the primary religious texts of Judaism and Christianity. There is no common version of the Bible, as the individual books , their contents and their order vary among denominations...
, meeting with a priest
Priesthood (Catholic Church)
The ministerial orders of the Catholic Church include the orders of bishops, deacons and presbyters, which in Latin is sacerdos. The ordained priesthood and common priesthood are different in function and essence....
for spiritual direction
Spiritual direction
Spiritual direction is the practice of being with people as they attempt to deepen their relationship with the divine, or to learn and grow in their own personal spirituality. The person seeking direction shares stories of his or her encounters of the divine, or how he or she is experiencing...
and frequent participation in the Eucharist
Eucharist
The Eucharist , also called Holy Communion, the Sacrament of the Altar, the Blessed Sacrament, the Lord's Supper, and other names, is a Christian sacrament or ordinance...
.
Postulancy
Postulancy begins when the young woman enters the conventConvent
A convent is either a community of priests, religious brothers, religious sisters, or nuns, or the building used by the community, particularly in the Roman Catholic Church and in the Anglican Communion...
and is given a modified version of the religious habit
Religious habit
A religious habit is a distinctive set of garments worn by members of a religious order. Traditionally some plain garb recognisable as a religious habit has also been worn by those leading the religious eremitic and anachoritic life, although in their case without conformity to a particular uniform...
. The postulant
Postulant
A postulant was originally one who makes a request or demand; hence, a candidate. The use of the term is now generally restricted to those asking for admission into a monastery or a convent, both before actual admission and for the length of time preceding their admission into the novitiate...
s spend the next year learning how to live in community as well as becoming familiar with Catholic spirituality
Catholic spirituality
Catholic spirituality is the spiritual practice of living out a personal act of faith following the acceptance of faith . Although all Catholics are expected to pray together at Mass, there are many different forms of spirituality and private prayer which have developed over the centuries...
and the Dominican way of life. There are also classes in basic Catholic doctrine, Church history and philosophy
Philosophy
Philosophy is the study of general and fundamental problems, such as those connected with existence, knowledge, values, reason, mind, and language. Philosophy is distinguished from other ways of addressing such problems by its critical, generally systematic approach and its reliance on rational...
.
Novitiate
A year long novitiateNovitiate
Novitiate, alt. noviciate, is the period of training and preparation that a novice monastic or member of a religious order undergoes prior to taking vows in order to discern whether they are called to the religious life....
follows postulancy. To mark the transition, the novice is clothed in the Dominican habit, but with a white veil instead of the black as worn by those who are professed members of the community. The novitiate year is crucial, for it is then "…that the novices better understand their divine vocation, and indeed one which is proper to the institute, experience the manner of living of the institute, and form their mind and heart in its spirit, and so that their intention and suitability are tested."
Thus, the novices are given the opportunity for longer periods of prayer
Prayer
Prayer is a form of religious practice that seeks to activate a volitional rapport to a deity through deliberate practice. Prayer may be either individual or communal and take place in public or in private. It may involve the use of words or song. When language is used, prayer may take the form of...
and spiritual reading as well as silence in order to reflect on the vocation God
God
God is the English name given to a singular being in theistic and deistic religions who is either the sole deity in monotheism, or a single deity in polytheism....
is offering and their response. To nurture this process novices also study the Bible, various spiritual writings, patristics
Patristics
Patristics or Patrology is the study of Early Christian writers, known as the Church Fathers. The names derive from the Latin pater . The period is generally considered to run from the end of New Testament times or end of the Apostolic Age Patristics or Patrology is the study of Early Christian...
and the significance of the evangelical counsels
Evangelical counsels
The three evangelical counsels or counsels of perfection in Christianity are chastity, poverty , and obedience . As Jesus of Nazareth stated in the Canonical gospels , they are counsels for those who desire to become "perfect"...
.
First profession
First profession follows the novitiate. The Canon Law of the Latin Rite states that this period must be a minimum of three, but no longer than six years."By religious profession, members assume the observance of the three evangelical counsels by public vow, are consecrated to God through the ministry of the Church, and are incorporated into the institute."
During the celebration of the Eucharist
Eucharist
The Eucharist , also called Holy Communion, the Sacrament of the Altar, the Blessed Sacrament, the Lord's Supper, and other names, is a Christian sacrament or ordinance...
the novices make their first profession and are clothed in the black veil. Between this time and perpetual profession, the Sisters learn how to live the evangelical counsels in a practical manner.
Apart from working towards receiving certification as teachers, Sisters in this stage of formation finish other college course work as well as take further classes in theology
Theology
Theology is the systematic and rational study of religion and its influences and of the nature of religious truths, or the learned profession acquired by completing specialized training in religious studies, usually at a university or school of divinity or seminary.-Definition:Augustine of Hippo...
and philosophy with concentration on the writings of the great Dominican, Saint Thomas Aquinas. It is also possible that a sister may begin teaching during this period if she has previously obtained her certification.
Perpetual profession
This is the culmination of the preceding seven years and, once this takes place, a sister may leave the Congregation only with the approval of the Prioress General, for part of the perpetual profession involves the sister committing herself for life. Even after this profession, the journey continues, for "Through their entire life, religious are to continue diligently their spiritual, doctrinal, and practical formation." and thus the Nashville Dominicans pursue ongoing formation and study through the tenth year of perpetual profession.Daily life
The daily life of the Nashville Sisters follows a traditional pattern.The Sisters rise at 5:00am and begin 30 minutes of meditation at 5:30am.
Meditation is followed by Lauds
Lauds
Lauds is a divine office that takes place in the early morning hours and is one of the two major hours in the Roman Catholic Liturgy of the Hours. In the Eastern Orthodox tradition, it forms part of the Office of Matins...
and the celebration of the Eucharist at 6:15am after which the Sisters have breakfast before beginning studies or teaching.
At 5:00pm the community gathers to pray Vespers
Vespers
Vespers is the evening prayer service in the Western Catholic, Eastern Catholic, and Eastern Orthodox, Anglican, and Lutheran liturgies of the canonical hours...
, have dinner and then a period of recreation until 7:30pm.
At 7:30pm the Sisters engage in some spiritual reading, leading up to the final communal
activity of the day, the praying of Compline
Compline
Compline is the final church service of the day in the Christian tradition of canonical hours. The English word Compline is derived from the Latin completorium, as Compline is the completion of the working day. The word was first used in this sense about the beginning of the 6th century by St...
. After Compline, silence is maintained during which those who teach may prepare lessons or mark papers whilst others may study, do some spiritual reading or take a stroll. At 10:00pm profound silence descends and the members of the community generally retire to sleep.