This year St. Dominic’s Monastery is celebrating the 100th anniversary of its foundation! The
community began in 1907, when the founding nuns courageously set out
from their Dominican Monastery in Union City, New Jersey with the
intention of establishing a contemplative monastery in Baker City,
Oregon. After two years, the bishop requested that the nuns take on the active apostolate of teaching in his diocese. Rather than forsake their contemplative vocation, the nuns decided they could no longer remain in Baker City. They began a search for a diocese that would welcome contemplative nuns. The bishop of LaCrosse, Wisconsin invited them to his diocese. In 1984, due to the loss of priestly ministry, the nuns again had to uproot and they relocated in Washington, D.C.
When
Saint Dominic’s Monastery was formally established in the District of
Columbia in May of 1984, the Dominican Nuns knew that the day would
come when they would have to move on. The adaptation of a turn-of-the-century home in Northwest Washington for monastic life could only be transitional. Now,
in the first decade of the twenty-first century, the time has come for
Saint Dominic’s Monastery to give way to the new Saint Dominic’s. Concerned
to provide formation for new members and adequate care for the sick and
elderly, the Dominican Nuns have laid careful plans for the future.
Through their
frugal and simple life as well as the generosity of benefactors, in
2001 the community was able to purchase a large tract of land in
Linden, Virginia, within the Diocese of Arlington. Ideally
suited to the necessary silence and solitude of monastic life, the nuns
have had to face the painful decision to leave the metropolitan area
for a more rural setting.
Knowing
the importance of a house of prayer and intercession near the hub of
our country’s government, it is only with reluctance that the community
will move to a more tranquil environment. However, the
intrusion of inner-city noise and congestion, and the increasing threat
of violence, has forced the question of when to launch the project of
the new Saint Dominic’s.
The Linden property, a former apple
orchard, provides an ideal setting, and the nuns are committed to the
construction of a simple, sturdy facility along classical monastic
lines. The project will be undertaken in two phases:
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PHASE ONE:
The building of three sides of the monastic quadrangle, containing all
the daily living needs of the community, e.g., sleeping, eating, manual
labor, etc. A temporary chapel will serve the liturgical needs of the community during this period.
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PHASE TWO: The building of a new monastic chapel, completing the fourth wing of the quadrangle. This will include a side chapel for visitors, rooms for guests, and a resident chaplain’s quarters. The establishment of a small endowment to ensure the upkeep and care of the building will be part of phase two.
The projected cost to complete phase one is $5 million. The Dominican Nuns hope to realize that amount from the sale of their Washington property. They are asking for help to raise the remaining $2 million.
These
sketches provide examples of the architect’s projections and the
practical purpose for the various parts of the new Saint Dominic’s
Monastery.
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