U.S. association of Dominican schools is formed

Published: 2004-02-02

NEW ORLEANS (CNS) -- A newly formed association of 30 Dominican-sponsored or -owned high schools across the country will "strengthen our understanding of the Dominican charisms," according to Cynthia Thomas, president of St. Mary's Dominican High School in New Orleans. In the past, she said, it was taken for granted that religious in the schools would continue to carry on the Dominican charisms. But today "we have more lay people involved in the schools and we realized that some support structure for these people is needed," she said. The Dominican charisms, said Thomas, are to praise, bless and preach -- using the ministry of Catholic education to teach the faith and "veritas," the truth of Jesus. "By all of us having come together, it strengthens all of us," she told the Clarion Herald, newspaper of the New Orleans Archdiocese. "We are following the lead of the Dominican congregations," said Thomas, who was elected last fall as the first president of the association. "Dominican women all over the country have different congregations," she said. "They have begun looking at collaborative structures to draw them closer. The schools are doing the same thing."

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