250 Dominican Sisters Who Shaped the USA

Join the Celebration

Join us as we celebrate 250 Sisters Who Shaped the USA.

In celebration of the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence and the United States of America, the Dominican Sisters Conference honors 250 Dominican women religious whose lives and ministries have helped shape our country.

From the Feast of St. Dominic on August 8, 2026, through the Feast of St. Catherine of Siena on April 29, 2027, we will share stories of Sisters whose contributions in education, health care, spirituality, social justice, and many other fields have strengthened communities across the nation.

The story of Dominican Women in the U.S. is a story begins in 1822, when nine women in Kentucky answered God’s call to Dominican life. Their “yes” opened the way for generations of vowed Dominican women religious whose courage, compassion, and commitment have enriched the United States for more than two centuries.

From Kentucky to New York, California, Michigan, and communities across the country, these 250 Sisters represent thousands more. Join us as we honor their enduring legacy—and the Dominican women who continue to shape our world today.

Dominican Sisters of San Rafael

Throughout the series, the Dominican Sisters of San Rafael will celebrate Sisters whose lives helped shape our congregation, our communities, and our country. First up, we look forward to introducing Mother Mary of the Cross Goemaere, Mother Louis O’Donnell, and many more to follow.

Follow us on social media to meet Dominican Catholic women religious whose lives and ministries have helped shape the United States. For additional stories, visit the Dominican Sisters Conference website.

Featured Sisters

Mother Mary of the Cross Goemaere, Foundress

On December 6, 1850, Mother Mary Goemaere arrived in San Francisco after an arduous journey from France by way of New York, the Panama isthmus, and California’s coast. In spring 1851, she settled in Monterey, formed California’s first congregation of women religious, Congregation of the Most Holy Name, and opened a school.

Mother Louis O’Donnell, Major Superior, 1887–1929

Mother Louis served a monumental forty-two-year term as Major Superior of the Dominican Sisters of San Rafael from 1887 to 1929. Her visionary leadership bridged the congregation’s frontier roots with new advances in higher education and health care. In 1889, she moved the congregation’s center from Benicia to San Rafael, paving the way for what would become Dominican College. Under her leadership, the Sisters also expanded into health care, opening St. Joseph’s Hospital in Stockton in 1899 and St. Mary’s Hospital in Reno in 1912.

Mother Raymond O’Connor, OP; Prioress General and Guardian of Dominican Heritage
Mother Raymond grounded the congregation in Dominican life and heritage while serving as Prioress General (1929–1943) and president of Dominican College. After studying established communities in Europe, she built the Santa Sabina novitiate, expanded the college, and introduced the Divine Office. In 1935, she hosted at Santa Sabina the first gathering of the Conference of Dominican Mothers General of America, now the Dominican Sisters Conference.

Sr. M. Gervaise Valpey, OP; Education and Sustainability Pioneer
Over decades of leadership at San Domenico School, Sister Gervaise united its pre-K–12 program around Dominican values of study, reflection, community, and service. In 1994, she established the Sustainability Program, pioneering eco-literacy and championing the Garden of Hope as a classroom for stewardship and care for creation. Her work became a model recognized by the U.S. Department of Education.

Sr. Judy Lu McDonnell, OP; Social Justice and Ecofeminist Advocate
Sister Judy Lu is a science teacher turned social justice advocate whose work joins care for creation with the empowerment of women and marginalized communities. In Bolivia and Brazil, she helped women organize for literacy, rights, and feminist spirituality, advancing an ecofeminist vision of justice. An active volunteer, she has been widely recognized for and sought after for counsel in issues supporting women’s rights, anti-human trafficking initiatives, immigration rights, and more.

Sr. Samuel Conlan, OP; College President and Scholar
As Dominican College’s fifth president (1968–1980), Sister Samuel guided pivotal change. She led the College from a religious governing board toward a lay-led, independent institution with its own incorporation and bylaws, and oversaw its transition to full coeducation in 1971. A distinguished scholar of English literature, she also strengthened programs in special education and teacher preparation.

Sr. Adele Rowland; Photomontage Pioneer and Artist
Sister Adele was a pioneering fine-art photographer and contemporary of Ansel Adams whose luminous “Counterpoint Images” joined multiple color slides through an intricate analog photomon-tage process. A professor and Artist-in-Residence at Dominican College, she understood her art as a ministry of preaching—inviting viewers to discover the divine in nature and everyday life. Her internationally exhibited work earned the Fra Angelico Award for Lifetime Excellence in Art and is held in major collections, including SFMOMA.

We will be adding to the list through April 2027 . . . .