After 53 years serving the people of the Arlington Diocese
and the Washington area, the Dominican Retreat in
McLean will close at the end of 2015. The retreat house
will continue to operate until August 2015. Programs that are
already scheduled up to that time will be held.
Dominican Sister Margaret Ormond, prioress, and Bill Hummel,
chairman of the board of directors, made the announcement in
early October. Hummel cited the financial gap between income
and expenses and the lack of funds necessary for the
increasing needs of the buildings. But more importantly, the
lack of available sisters to carry this ministry into the
future was the impetus for the decision to close. The median
age of the sisters is 77 years. This trend mirrors the age of
Catholic sisters all over the country. In addition, other
retreat centers across the United States experience the same
challenges of rising costs and facilities that need expensive
maintenance.
“This is a painful decision that comes after tremendous hard
work and effort on the part of the sisters here,” said Sister
Margaret. “At the same time, we have so much to be grateful
for. I believe that the grace and gifts God has bestowed on
the people who come to Dominican Retreat will continue to
bring life and healing far beyond this place and time.”
Hummel expressed his appreciation for the sisters on staff
whom he said were the heart of the ministry of the house and
without them, there is no ministry. “Their fidelity to the
mission of the Church and their hard work on behalf of the
people of God is a priceless legacy,” he said. “The sisters
have touched the lives of countless people (Catholic and
non-Catholic alike) for the last half century. May we honor
them by preaching the Gospel with the same selfless spirit.
Their legacy demands nothing less.”
“I am grateful for the many years of service that the
Dominican Sisters have given to those who have visited the
retreat center since its opening,” said Arlington Bishop Paul
S. Loverde. “I regret that the retreat center will be
closing, but I do understand the reasons for which the
sisters have come to this painful decision.”
The Dominican Retreat, located at 7103 Old Dominion Drive in
McLean, was founded by the Dominican Sisters of St. Catherine
de’ Ricci in 1961 to serve the spiritual needs of women and
men. The sisters offered weekend and day retreats in a
variety of formats that included general programs, retreats
for members of AA and AL-anon, centering prayer retreats,
programs for people facing serious illness, Spanish-speaking
retreat and many others.
In 2012, the Dominican Sisters of St. Catherine de’ Ricci
merged with the Dominican Sisters of Peace, based in
Columbus, Ohio. The congregation’s ministries extend to 26
states and in missions overseas in Honduras, Nigeria and
Peru. The sisters operate several other retreat centers, a
number of educational institutions, eco-spirituality centers
and health care centers.
Sisters engage in a variety of ministries as teachers,
religious educators, lawyers, advocates for the poor and
marginalized, health care professionals, artists, spiritual
directors. They serve as pastoral care givers, counselors and
volunteers as well.
The congregation is particularly committed to a number of
ministries that pay close attention to the care of the Earth
through ecology centers, and they advocate for affordable
housing, sensible gun control and an end to human
trafficking, among other peace and justice issues.
