The history of the foundation and growth of the Community of Sisters of the Third Order of St. Dominic of the Congregation of the Most Holy Rosary at Adrian, Michigan, is the story of a work singularly blessed by Divine Providence. The Sisters of the Congregation trace their spiritual ancestry back seven hundred years to the time when St. Dominic, while laboring against the Albigenses, founded a monastery of nuns at Prouille, France, and for a time, acted himself as their spiritual director.

During the last years of his apostolic career, the saint divided the fields into which he sent his spiritual sons into eight provinces, and wherever the brothers went, they associated with themselves the work of consecrated women, who, by their lives of prayer and penance, would draw down the blessing of God upon themselves and upon the work of the Friars preachers.

One of these foundations was made at Ratisbon in Germany, and it is from this convent that many of the American Dominicans trace their descent. Up to the year 1803, the nuns were strictly cloistered, but in that year they undertook the education of the children in the city schools and thus took the first step toward the active life.

In 1853 four sisters came from Ratisbon to America where they began their work as the Congregation of the Holy Cross in Holy Trinity School, Brooklyn, New York. In 1859, the new foundation, called the Congregation of the Holy Rosary was laid by a band of these sisters who were sent to St. Nicholas parish in New York City, and placed under the superiorship of Mother Augustine Neuhierly, a woman of extraordinary gifts, in whose life recorded. It was she who before her death uttered the prophetic words: “Somewhere in the West a peninsula will be dotted white with Dominic foundations.” It was from this center that the first group of Dominican Sisters came to Adrian. Previous to the establishing of St. Joseph Academy as the provincial house in 1892, these sisters opened St. Mary School in 1878. St. Joseph School was opened one year later, and a home for the aged a few years following.

In 1892 Mother Mary Camilla received the utmost encouragement and assistance from the brilliant Reverend Doctor Charles O’Reilly, then pastor of the St. Mary Church, Adrian, who took a personal interest in the project and directed many students to the institution.

In 1896, the Motherhouse of the Congregation of the Holy Rosary was changed to Newburgh, New York. The Adrian Community remained a province of the Newburgh Community until 1923, when because of the extraordinary growth of the branch in Adrian, it became an independent community. Madden was appointed to take charge of affairs in Adrian and impressed with the necessity of providing Christian education for the young, she soon transformed the hospital into an academy for girls. A woman of deep spirituality, animated with an intense desire for the propagation of the Faith, she permitted none of the many obstacles of those early days to dampen her enthusiasm, and under her vigorous administration the academy had a phenomenal growth. In this work, Mother Camilla was at this time chosen Prioress General, thus becoming the foundress of the new Congregation of the Most Holy Rosary. Mother Camilla passed away January 8, 1924 and was succeeded by the Reverend Mother Mary Augustine was called to her eternal reward on the ninth anniversary of Mother Camilla’s death, January 8, 1933, and at the general election following her death, the Reverend Mother Mary Gerald Barry was chosen Prioress General. Mother Gerald was reelected at the General Chapter held in June of 1939, and again at the General Chapter of June, 1945.

On April 14, 1937, the Congregation and its Constitutions were given papal approval for a period of seven years, and on July 24, 1944, definite approval was given by His Holiness Pope Pius XII.

By 1960 the Congregation had so increased in numbers that it seemed imperative to distribute the heavy burden of administration. This was done by establishing a Generalate with several houses directly dependent upon it, and five provinces. These are:

St. Catherine of Siena Province with Provincial Headquarters at Dominican High School, Detroit, Michigan.

St. Dominic Province with Provincial Headquarters at Mt. St. Mary Academy, St. Charles, Illinois.

Holy Cross Province with Provincial Headquarters at Sisters Hospital Santa Cruz, California.

Immaculate Conception Province with Provincial Headquarters at Rosary High School, Detroit, Michigan.

St. Rose of Lima Province with Provincial Headquarters at Rosarian Academy, West Palm Beach, Florida.

Mother Mary Gerald Barry passed away November 20, 1961, and at the General Chapter of June, 1962, Mother Mary Genevieve Weber was chosen Prioress General.

As of January 1, 1964 they have 2,444 professed sisters, 41 novices, and postulants; we conduct 46 high schools, 206 grade schools, four colleges (one is a teachers’ college, three catechetical centers, three hospitals, one home for the aged, one residence for business women, two domestic departments, one house of studies, one infirmary and one Motherhouse and Novitiate. We have teachers at Catholic University, Washington, D.C. We are represented in 19 states and four foreign countries; in 40 archdioceses and dioceses.