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International Dominican Family

The Dominican Family consists of women and men collaborating in ministry in countries across the world.

Today the Dominican Family consists of Dominican Sisters of Apostolic Life in 110 countries and their associated groups, Nuns, Friars, Dominican Laity, the Dominican International Youth Movement and Dominican Volunteers International. Many other groups are formally aggregated to the Order. The Dominican Family also includes those with whom we minister.

Dominican Sisters International Confederation (DSIC)

 

 

In 1995, the Dominican Sisters of Eastern Australia and the Solomon Islands became one of the founding members of this vibrant new association of Dominican Sisters.

Our current membership includes approximately 15,093 Sisters representing 144 Congregations in 109 countries.  In February 2019, in another phase of its ongoing evolution, Dominican Sisters International Confederation (DSIC) was officially recognized by the Congregation for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Apostolic Life.

 

Professed Sisters:                15,093

Congregations/Generalates:     144

Present in 109 countries

 

Generalates:

Africa:                                      6

Latin America / Caribbean:   19

Asia Pacific:                          22

Europe:                                 79

North America:                      20

 

Based on information we received from 103 Congregations:

 

 

125 prioresses, delegates and guests from five continents met in Rome, May 2025 for the DSIC Assembly

 

Sr Margaret Mayce OP was re-elected as DSIC Coordinator

Members of DSIC from Oceania

 

DSIC Gathering Asia Pacific 2023

 

Dominican Sisters International Confenderation (DSIC) has its headquarters at Santa Sabina in Rome, and the Prioresses of member Congregations meet every three years. At the first meeting of DSIC, they defined its four goals:

  1. Coordinate, assist and support Congregations in living out the Dominican Charism and to affirm and promote the Sisters in their identity as women preachers;
  2. Facilitate communication and networking among Apostolic Sisters, as well as among members of the Dominican Family;
  3. Foster a more compassionate world order through the promotion of justice and peace, the integrity of creation and human rights, especially the rights of women;
  4. Create and promote collaborative initiatives among the Apostolic Sisters.

Find out more visit the Dominican Sisters International Confederation website.

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Other Dominican congregations of women in Australia, who are members of DSIC:

  • Dominican Sisters of Malta (Sydney and Melbourne)
  • Dominican Sisters of St Cecilia, Nashville (Sydney)

 

Other Dominican congregations of women in Australia – who are not members of DSIC

  • Conventual Sisters of St Dominic, Wagga Diocese (Ganmain)

Dominican Friars

There are approximately 5,265 Dominican Friars overall and 4,219 priests (January 2021), in over 100 countries, many of whom work closely with Dominican Sisters, Nuns and Laity.  Their headquarters are in Rome at Santa Sabina. The current Master of the Order is Fr Gerard Timoner III, the 88th Master after St Dominic.

The Dominican Province of the Assumption includes Australia, New Zealand, Solomon Islands and Papua New Guinea.

To find out more visit the Dominican Friars website.

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Dominican Nuns

A life dedicated to the Word of God, lived in community. Unlike Sisters of Apostolic Life these Nuns generally remain in one convent for the whole of their religious lives. There are approximately 2,295 Nuns, in 187 Monasteries in 43 countries, who are in the care of the Master of the Order. One third of them are in monasteries in Spain.
There are no monasteries of Dominican Nuns in Australia.
To find out more visit the Dominican Nuns website.

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Lay Dominicans

Lay people have been a part of the Order from the very beginning. These are people who have been moved by the Holy Spirit to live according to the spirit and charism of St Dominic. They are incorporated into the Order by special commitment according to statutes of their own and are accountable to the Master of the Order.

There are many groups in Australia, including a very large chapter of Australian Vietnamese Dominicans.

To find out more visit the Lay Dominicans website.

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Dominican Volunteers International (DVI)

This organisation, aggregated to the Order, exists to encourage and strengthen the joint participation of nuns, friars, laity and sisters in the mission of preaching the Gospel according to the charism of St. Dominic on the frontiers of global society.

This is carried out concretely by sending lay volunteers, with formation received through DVI, to Dominican communities, preferably those already working among impoverished, excluded people. Upon return to their communities of origin, transformed by the immersion and participation in the life and mission of the Order, they can communicate their experience and continue the preaching mission through word and action.

To find out more visit the Dominican Volunteers International facebook page.

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IDYM – International Dominican Youth Movement

Young Dominicans sent to preach

Who we are?

The International Dominican Youth Movement is a community which gathers groups of young lay people from all around the world.  It is made up of 4,210 young people organised in 141 groups in 34 countries (June 2020).

United by the common intention to announce Jesus Christ and to build together God’s Kingdom. We personally choose to preach with enthusiasm, as witnesses of the Word.

What we do?

Our mission, as young Dominicans, consists in the seeking and announcing of the Truth, in the Dominican style. It’s for us an opportunity to live the universal dimension of the Dominican preaching.

The Dominican Family helps us as partners in the fulfillment of this mission.

To find out more visit the International Dominican Youth Movement website.

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Delegation to the United Nations

Fr Aniedi Okure OP

The Permanent Delegate of the Dominican Order to the United Nations. He is based in Geneva in the Dominican Network Delegation.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sr Durstyne “Dusty” Farnan OP

The DSIC Representative at United Nations – New York and Interim DSIC International Promoter of Justice and Peace.

 

 

 

 

To find out more email: contact@un.op.org.

To find out more visit the Dominicans for Justice and Peace website.

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