Dominican Federation Meeting – Oceania
The 2023 Federation Meeting was held at St Francis Retreat Centre, Auckland NZ on 19-23 April. Due to COVID, this group had not met face to face since 2019. It was a joyful reunion.
The Thursday program was focused on the issue of climate change. Mary Betz was our ‘guide’. Mary has a background in ecology and theology. With Laudato Si as our source text, we asked ourselves: ‘Where are we now? In terms of personal and community change – Where do we want and need to be?”
On Friday we became pilgrims for the day and set out on an “Auckland Adventure.” This entailed boarding a double-decker bus outside the Retreat Centre and journeying through downtown Auckland to the ferry wharf. Here we sailed across the harbour to Devonport, the first landing site of Auckland. A mini-bus took us all around this historic area then left us with free time for lunch and a spot of shopping! Then a return journey home (in drizzly rain) by ferry and bus.
Congregational Reports were covered over Thursday afternoon and much of Saturday – Sunday. The remainder of the time was spent on General Business.
On the Saturday evening we celebrated Eucharist. The seven Dominican Sisters living in Auckland joined us for the Mass and special tea which followed. It was a great reunion of friends!
On the Sunday morning we paused …. to remember the thirty-three Sisters who had passed from our midst since 2019. We had a photo of 
each and we remembered each in word, in memory, with laughter and tears.
The Meeting concluded with the election of a new President for 2023-2024. We concluded with the singing of “Rejoice in the Lord Always” … unaware that another silent retreat group was at Mass downstairs. Our singing coincided with their communion; they thanked us, saying that it sounded like the singing of angels from on high!
Sunday afternoon saw all participants moving off in a variety of directions. A fruitful, engaging, challenging, reassuring, sisterly event was enjoyed by all!