By: Melinda Szabo & Sr. Denise Glazik, OP
The TEC Conference has forged special partnerships with certain religious communities — a relationship based upon prayer for one another and a deep mutual respect for one another’s ministries. Our partners have agreed to keep the TEC Movement in their prayers, and we ask for prayers for their communities as well. Today, we are highlighting our partners the Dominican Sisters of Springfield. Thank you to Sr. Denise Glazik, OP, for taking the time to answer our questions and share about your community!
About Sr. Denise Glazik, OP
Why were you called?
I have no idea why I was called to live vowed life in community, but it certainly was God’s idea. I thought I would marry, have children, and perhaps work at one of our family businesses. But I met the Dominican Sisters of Springfield, started the entrance process, entered in August of 1988 and never looked back! I knew I was home, where I was CALLED to BE!
What does it mean to you to have a vocation to the religious life?
For me, I think it has been, and is, an incredibly satisfying life. I have journeyed with countless people during happy celebrations and, sadly, in very tragic situations. I have seen the Paschal Mystery in my life and accompanied others through their experience of it. God offered me this privilege, and I accepted the invitation. I hope that others who think they are being called to religious life pursue the invitation. It is a treasured life.
I have seen the Paschal Mystery in my life and accompanied others through their experience of it.
Why does your community support the TEC Conference?
Our congregation supports TEC because it is another way of “preaching.” The Dominican Order Charism has 4 pillars: Prayer, Community Life, Mission, Study. The motto is: “To Praise, To Bless, and To Preach, and to contemplate and give to others the fruits of our contemplation.” The TEC Conference aligns very well with our Dominican heritage—sharing faith with God’s people, modeling a sense of community, furthering God’s mission for the wider Church, and offers resources and on-going formation for participants and leaders of faith. Who could ask for more!
How can the international TEC community pray for you?
Please remember the Dominican Sisters’ personal prayer intentions, for new vocations to vowed life, and that we stay true to God’s mission of “preaching from the pulpit of our lives.”
About the Dominican Sisters of Springfield
Charism: Teaching & Preaching, Care for Creation, Healing the World, Dismantling Racism
Where you serve: Jerusalem, United States (Illinois, Wisconsin, Indiana, South Dakota, Missouri, Mississippi,), Peru
What's special about Springfield Dominican life: People who know us will often say that we are joyful, hospitable women who have a refreshing way of living community life that is authentic and genuine.
We have a down-to-earth Midwestern sensibility that some think comes from our home-base on the Illinois prairie, paired with a global awareness that starts with our presence in Peru, where we also welcome women into our congregation and have women in mission. We have an enduring bond with the Dominican Sisters of St. Catharine of Sienna, Iraq, whose lives have become increasingly intertwined with our own.
We take great care with our liturgical prayer. At the motherhouse and in many of our local communities we chant the psalms rather than recite them.
We are welcoming and inclusive. Our sisters are free to choose to wear a Dominican habit, or not, as they discover for themselves which option best expresses their understanding of our preaching life.
Our ministerial commitments are rooted in our desire to serve others in a way that does not dominate, but brings us alongside of and helps us to learn from the people with whom we walk. Our lives are not about power over, but power for people who are oppressed. We are deeply engaged in the work of dismantling racism, a process which increasingly shapes the way we see and move about the world.
We believe, with Pope Francis, that Earth is our common home and we want to contribute to the healing of the planet and all who share it.
Retreats for the community: Come & See Events
March 27 to March 29, 2020
Friday 7:00 p.m. to Sunday 12:00 Noon
May 29th to May 31, 2020
Friday 7:00 p.m. to Sunday 12:00 Noon
https://springfieldop.org/join-us/come-and-see/
https://www.facebook.com/pg/springfieldop/events/
https://springfieldop.org/join-us/dominican-associates/
Pray with us:
Dominican Sisters of Springfield, Illinois Chapter Direction Statement
Holy Mystery, ever ancient, ever new,
we, the Dominican Sisters of Springfield, come before You,
aware of our interconnectedness in the cosmos,
and in solidarity with the rostros concretos* of the marginalized.
We come with deep gratitude for our common call.
Draw us into communion with You and all creation.
Living with intentional awareness and openness to change,
we seek to expand the expression of our vows,
inviting others to walk with us in sharing our charism.
Free our hearts to recognize and attend to Christ in hidden and unexpected places.
We renounce our participation in the sin of racism
and reject the societal barriers created by the misuse of power.
Through our contemplation, transform us to listen deeply to one another and to the brokenness of the world.
Bless our efforts to be the holy preaching.
Christ, You are expansive.
We journey in that truth, offering our testimonio de vida.
*Rostros concretos literally means “specific faces.” Nevertheless, it is a concept which includes the people (poor, immigrants, LGBTQA, etc.), oppressive situations, creation, anything placed on the margins.
For more information about the Dominican Sisters of Springfield, please contact Sr. Denise Glaznik:
Sister Denise Glazik, OP
Vocation Director
(217) 787-0481 ex. 6021
Fax: (217) 787-8169
Email: dglazik@spdom.org
