St. Dominic founded his
first community of nuns in 1206. Monasteries of Dominican nuns grew steadily
over the next three hundred years. There were almost certainly monasteries of
nuns in Ireland soon after 1224, when the Dominican
friars were established there.
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| Mother Gabriel Gill |
After
many closures and dispersals occasioned by the Reformation and the many waves
of religious persecution in Ireland, Dominican convents were finally re-established,
often with the apostolic work of teaching added to their contemplative way of
life - as a necessity for survival. From these convents, foundations were made
in the latter half of the 19th century to South
Africa, Australia and New
Zealand. Mother Gabriel Gill from Sion Hill Ireland, founded the Dominicans in Western Australia.
The
foundresses of the Conventual Sisters of St. Dominic were formerly members of
the Congregation of the Dominican Sisters of Australia. They belonged to the Western Australian Province of this Congregation.
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| Beginning Anew |
In
1988, three sisters left Western
Australia to trial a new
community in the Diocese of Wagga Wagga. They did this in the belief that God
was calling them to return to a more traditional form of Dominican religious
life.
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| Bishop of Wagga Wagga |
After
four years of living 'ad experimentum' in the Wagga Wagga Diocese, the community
was formally erected as a Religious Community of Diocesan Right in 1993 by
Bishop William Brennan, with the approval of the Sacred Congregation for
Religious and Secular Institutes.
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| The founding sisters make their vows. |
Type of Community
We are like an autonomous monastery, not governed by any other branch of the Dominican Order, but following the Dominican tradition we have learned and loved during our years of formation and life in the Order. Without claiming formal recognition by the Dominican Order, or any juridical status within it, we express in our life, the ideals of St. Dominic, our Father and Patron
This
is not a 'new' community with a completely 'new' charism. It has continuity of
spirit and tradition with the long history of Dominican women in Ireland and Australia,
yet incorporates the vital elements of true renewal and reform desired by the
Church in our times.
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| Gathered around the coffin of Bishop Brennan in 2013 |
