Adrian, Michigan (July 17, 2023) – The Adrian Dominican Congregation celebrates the dedication and commitment of 38 Sisters who in 2023 mark their Jubilees, their milestone years of service and dedication to the Church and the Congregation. The 2023 Jubilee Class includes eight Sisters celebrating 75 years; 19 Sisters celebrating 70 years; nine Sisters celebrating 60 Sisters years; one Sister celebrating 50 years; and one Sister celebrating 25 years. Among the Adrian Dominican Jubilarians with connections to the Diocese of Las Vegas are the following: Sister Mary Suzanne (Michael Kathleen) Kennedy, OP, a native of Toledo, Ohio, is celebrating 60 years of religious life.
She graduated from Notre Dame Academy in Toledo in 1962 and entered the Adrian Dominican Congregation on February 2, 1963. She professed her first vows on August 7, 1964, and her final vows on May 14, 1970. Sister Mary Sue earned her bachelor's degree in English in 1971 from Siena Heights College (now University) in Adrian, Michigan, and a master’s degree in religious education in 1980 from Seattle University. Her first teaching assignments took her to St. Joseph School in Las Vegas, where she taught from 1964 to 1968. She then taught in schools in Arizona and California.
Sister Mary Sue changed her ministries in 1980, serving as Director of the Adrian Dominican Sisters’ Weber Retreat and Conference Center in Adrian until 1987. Further ministries included campus minister at the Catholic Center of Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia, 1988-1990; director of religious education at St. Joseph Parish, Maumee, Ohio, 1990-1995; Vicar for Religious for the Diocese of Toledo, 1995-2002; Chapter Prioress (Superior) of the Adrian Crossroads Chapter, based in Adrian, 2002-2008; and Executive Director of the Dominican Sisters Conference, 2010-2013.
Since 2014, Sister Mary Sue has resided in Adrian, ministering in spiritual direction and retreat work while serving as a caregiver. “I have many wonderful memories of my life in community and in ministry in varied geographical areas,” Sister Mary Sue said. “The main memories that I have are the wonderful people with whom I have served and those who I was blessed to serve in all the areas of formation from young children to the elderly. They have taught me so much about living and loving in daily living.”
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The Dominican Sisters of Adrian are a Congregation of about 415 vowed women religious whose roots go back to St. Dominic in the 13th century. The Sisters minister in 21 states and in the Dominican Republic, Norway, and the Philippines. The Vision of the Adrian Dominican Sisters is to “seek truth, make peace, reverence life.”