September 4, 2022

Bishop Byrne joins Dominican Nuns to celebrate 100th year in the diocese

REGIONAL
Story and photos by Stephen Kiltonic

WEST SPRINGFIELD – On Sept. 3, Springfield Bishop William D. Byrne celebrated a special Thanksgiving Mass at the Monastery of the Mother of God chapel in celebration of the Dominican Nuns’ 100-year anniversary in the Springfield Diocese.

Mother Mary Hyacinth of Jesus founded the cloistered community on Sept. 8, 1922 after answering Springfield Bishop Thomas M. O’Leary’s call to come to Springfield from Catonsville, Md., “in the name of God and Mary.” 

The original community of seven sisters, an offshoot of the perpetual rosary branch of Dominican Nuns in the United States, lived at Ingersoll Drive in Springfield before moving to its present location on Riverdale Road in West Springfield. Its monastic building was built during the early 1950s.

From the beginning, the primary devotions of the nuns have been the rosary and eucharistic adoration. The sisters’ life is centered on communal prayer through daily Mass and the solemn chanting of the Liturgy of the Hours to intercede for the needs of the church and the whole world, as well as quiet prayer given to adoration of the Blessed Sacrament, the rosary and lectio divina. The sisters have a special love for Mary as they were founded under her patronage.

In his homily, Bishop Byrne referenced The Catholic Mirror which called the monastery “our mountain of prayer and adoration.”

“It’s a sign of the presence of the church and the presence of the power of prayer in our world and that’s just what this speaks to. The most important power that we have is the power of prayer to invoke the name,” said Bishop Byrne.

Today, the sisters’ annual Rosary Sunday Devotions harkens back to its early days and includes the recitation of the rosary, a homily by a guest priest, the blessing and distribution of roses, and Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament.

According to its history on their website, the nuns follow the rule of St. Augustine and the Book of Constitutions of the Nuns of the Order of Preachers. The community imitates their Holy Father, St. Dominic, who was so on fire with love and zeal for souls that “everyone was swept into the embrace of his charity.”

“The prayer given to St. Dominic by Mary is the powerful and beautiful prayer taking us through the lives of Jesus as if we were walking through a rose garden and that’s what the sisters do,” added Bishop Byrne. “I want to encourage young women to consider this vocation. It is a beautiful and magnificent life.”

After the Mass, a reception was held in the monastery parlor for all the attendees.

A video version of this story will be featured on “Real to Reel,” which airs Saturday evenings at 7 p.m. on WWLP-22 NEWS.