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America for a nursing Study Abroad program received
news of the seven sisters' arrival in the US. After
much paperwork and teary eyes to obtain permission from
the local ordinary, these nine sisters were happily
reunited in Waterbury, Connecticut.
Yet,
the joyful reunion did not last long. The sisters were
extremely homesick and struggled in adapting to the
American culture and cold New England weather. A decision
was made to move to a warmer climate similar to home
and Houston, Texas was chosen. There was already a community
of recently immigrated Vietnamese Dominican Fathers
in Houston which meant familiar faces. The first few
years in America were filled with hardships and trials
because of the language barrier and homesickness. The
sisters constantly prayed for the grace and strength
to be faithful to their vocations no matter the hardships
dealt their way. These "Pioneer Sisters" never
dreamt of forming a community, much less a Province
here in the United States but God works in mysterious
ways. On September 8, 1978, Bishop John Morkovsky officially
erected the Religious House of the Congregation of the
Dominican Sisters of St. Catherine of Siena in Houston,
in accordance with the CIC canons 496 and 497. Several
young women sought admission and a fledging community
was established in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
After surviving many years of uncertainty, a turning
point was reached in 1986, when land was acquired and
a new convent was constructed through the generosity
of many, such as the Scanlan Foundation, the Kennedy
Foundation of Corpus Christi and donations from a vast
majority of well-wishers. St. Catherine's Convent, our
present Provincial House, was officially opened on August
15, 1987. This led to a growth in the number of new
religious vocations and ministries for our community.
In
the General Chapter of 1994, the General Superior of
the Vietnamese Dominican Sisters of St. Catherine of
Siena in Vietnam (Thanh Tam-Ho Nai, Bien Hoa) elevated
our community in America to Mary Immaculate Province.
This thus made us the first Vietnamese Dominican Sisters
with official roots in Vietnam and the United States.
By the end of the year 2000, the initial community of
9 sisters in 1975 had grown to 54 sisters with final
vows, 34 with temporal vows, 8 novices, and 15 postulants
in seven convents totalling a growing number of 100+
members in our Province. We have seven houses (convents)
in our Province. Six in Southeast Texas scattered throughout
the Diocese of Galveston-Houston, Beaumont, and Victoria.
The formation house for our postulants is located in
the Archdiocese of Milwaukee, Wisconsin. In addition
to teaching at various parish and parochial schools,
the sisters are engaged in catechetical and missionary
endeavors, nursing and healthcare, child care, social
work and youth ministry.
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