Gather@Grand

Expanding the Vision of Gather@Grand

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What began in 2015 as an avenue for exploration of a wide range of topics, the Gather@Grand presentation series has provided vibrant programming and outreach to community members and partners in ministry.

Blessed with a beautiful Gathering Space and lovely campus on Grand Avenue and a long history of hospitality, the Dominican Sisters eagerly find ways to share our resources with our community, neighbors, and partners in ministry. Blessed also with many connections within the Catholic church, various nonprofit organizations, social justice initiatives, interfaith communities–and more, we seek to host programs that allow space for community partners to join with us in learning and sharing ways we can work together “…bringing the Gospel to bear with depth and compassion on the critical issues of our times”—as our Mission Statement urges.

As we continue our journey into the future as pilgrims of hope, we are expanding our vision of what it means to Gather@Grand. By involving additional groups of people who have participated previously, as well as some who have not, we will extend and broaden our programming in hopes of further enriching our local and greater community. Those familiar groups include Friends of the Sisters, members of the Santa Sabina Center community, local parishioners, students of the 1619 racism study, and others. Fresh programming will also be offered in hopes of enriching our local and greater community.

Those responsible for designing this fresh outreach will be sharing a calendar of events and opportunities beginning in the Fall of 2025, and we very much look forward to Gathering with you @Grand. Each member of the present coordinating committee offers a sense of what she is anticipating in our new endeavor:

Sister Barbara Green (director): St. Augustine characterizes and approaches God as simultaneously “ever ancient, ever new.” With that radical challenge in mind, I am particularly interested in helping us learn Scripture more deeply, so that—though classic, it continues vital for us; and I love the current challenge of seeing our relationships with other creatures in radical new ways, whether the mysteries of the vast universe and our presence there or the ways of plants and animals with whom we share Earth.

Sister Pat Farrell: This re-inauguration of Gather @ Grand is a wonderful opportunity for the Dominican Sisters of San Rafael to invite our friends and neighbors to join us under one umbrella, so to speak. Previously, many of us used separate venues as we preached, taught, and shared the Good News from our different perspectives. Now, while we will continue to share in our own particular ways, we will be offering the fruits of our contemplation at our Gathering Space in San Rafael, and look forward to a blending of the communities of which we have been a part.

Sister Adele Gerlach: Pope Francis’ image of “opening the doors of the church outward” reflects my vision for Friends of the Sisters. It is our way of reaching out to old and new friends, inviting them to enjoy our beautiful Space in San Rafael and to ponder enriching presentations which address the critical issues of our time.

Sister Patricia Bruno: Even though “Synodality” is a new word in our vocabulary, we are beginning to understand the depths of its meaning: to listen to one another. Gather@Grand is a listening space and an invitation for the Stories Seldom Heard Community to come together and hear good news from a diverse group of people. By our collective listening and reflecting we can be lights for one another as we move into a future filled with possibility.

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Program History

What began in 2015 as an avenue for exploration of a wide range of topics, the Gather@Grand speaker series has provided vibrant programming and outreach to community members and partners in ministry.

Blessed with a beautiful Gathering Space on Grand Avenue and a long history of hospitality, the Sisters sought ways to share their resources with their community, neighbors, and partners in ministry. Blessed also with many connections within the Catholic church, various nonprofit organizations, social justice initiatives, interfaith communities, and more, the Sisters were able to bring in speakers and extend their relationships.

As Dominican Sisters of San Rafael, we embrace justice and compassion as core values that inform us in living our vision. Rooted in our Dominican heritage and traditions and in these guiding values, we commit ourselves to continued networking and collaboration within the Dominican family and with others.

Over the years, these programs have welcomed speakers on a wide range of topics to gatherings big a small such as Fr. Ron Rolheiser’s adult faith maturation, Sr. Corinne Floreck, OP on impact investing, Sr. Margaret Mayce, OP on serving at the United Nations, and Gordon Huether on loss and life through art—just to name a few!

Past Presenters and Topics

2015

• Walking the Path of Peace with Dominican Sisters Ardath Platte & Carol Gilbert
• The Pastoral Theology of Pope Francis with Bishop Robert McElroy
• The Contemporary Significance of Teilhard de Chardin with Dr. John Haught
• Cooking for a Cause with Sister Carla Kovack, OP
• Consecrated Life – The Call and the Future with Sister Mary Hughes, OP
• Women & Spirit:  Catholic Sisters as Pioneers and Entrepreneurs
• Finding the Sacred in Our Everyday Lives with Kathleen Norris
• Inclusivity: A Gospel Mandate with Father Diarmuid O’Murchu
• Religious Life in the Age of Hubble with Tom Fox, Publisher NCR
• Out of the Shadows – Human Trafficking in Our Midst with Sr. Marion Irvine, OP, Sr. Judy Lu
• McDonnell, OP, Lyn Kirkconnell, Emily Sims, Ron Brown
• Loss and Renewed Life:  The Dominican Sisters’ Art Installation with Gordon Huether, visual artist
• Cultivating Happiness and Wisdom with Rick Hanson
• Dominic’s Dream Continues – 800 Years and Counting with Sister Toni Harris, OP
• The Thirsts of the Human Spirit with Fr. Stephen Bevens

2016

• The Sacred Earth:  A Celtic Perspective with John Philip Newell
• Consciousness, Catholicity, and Christogenesis with Ilia Delio
• Mercy at Our Borders with Sister Norma Pimentel
• Reconciling in the Year of Mercy with Father Chuck Durante
• Entering the Landscape of the Mystics with James Finley
• 14th Annual Observance of the International Day of Peace with Sister Judy Lu McDonnell, OP, Lyn
• Kirkconnell, Homeward Bound of Marin and Catholic Charities
• Encountering the Spirit Along the Journey with Tom Fox, Publisher NCR

2017

• The Vocation and Ministry of the Laity with Archbishop John Wester
• Hope: A Practice and a Gift with Jeff Bialik of Catholic Charities & Veronica Fruiht, Dominican University professor of psychology
• Addressing Economic Inequality in the Era of Pope Francis with Father Thomas Massaro
• The Vatican Beat and the Slow Pulse of Change with Joshua McElwee, NCR Vatican Correspondent
• Mercy and Justice and Joy: Working in the War Zone of South Sudan with Sister Marilyn Lacey, RSM
• Jesus Through 21st Century Eyes with Michael Morwood
• The Catholic Convocation: Our Opportunity to Joyfully Preach with Father Mark Padrez, OP
• What’s the Latest on Healthcare Policy in our State and Nation? With Shelly Schlenker, Vice-President, Public Policy & Advocacy for Dignity Health
• Wonder Girls, Changing our World with Paolo Gianturco

2018   

• To Serve at the United Nations with Margaret Mayce, OP
• A Fierce and Enduring Gratitude with Dale Biron
• The Call to Be Pope Francis Catholics with Fr. Ken Weare
• Care for Our Common Home Film and Discussion series

2019

• We Have Family in Iraq with Sr. Nancy Jurecki, OP and Gloria Escalona, OPL
• Food Waste: the Impact on Climate Change with Laura Moreno, MS, PhD from the Energy and Resources Group at UC Berkeley
• Shifting Through Gold (inspiring stories about women) with visual artist, educator, and author Mary LaCasse
• Radical Interdependence with Toni Nash, CSJ, Co-Founder in 1994 of Sisters of Earth
• What Do Our Faith Traditions Teach Us About Right Relationship to the Earth with a panel of local Interfaith Leaders: Rev. Douglas Olds (First Presbyterian, San Anselmo); Rabbi Paul Steinberg (Congregation Kol Shofar, Tiburon); Fr. Ken Weare (St. Rita, Fairfax) Mirza Khan (San Domenico School); Moderator: Susan Stephenson, Exec Director Interfaith Power and LightThe Evolution of Adult Faith Maturation with Father Diarmuid O’Murchu
• Listening for the Heartbeat of God: Discipleship in John’s Gospel with Ron Rolheiser, OMI

2020

• March 2020 (postponed due to COVID-19 pandemic) Racism: Roots, Resolves, and Results—a 3-part Series with historian Mick Chandler; small group facilitator and Founder of the Transformative Justice Institute Rochelle Edwards; and film guide designer and discussion leader Nnekay Fitzclarke
• August 2020—Gather as if @ Grand:  Racism: Roots, Resolves, and Results organized by Sr. Barbara Green and Sr. Patricia Dougherty

2021—2025

• Exploring and Confronting Our Racism