COLUMBUS, Ohio – The Dominican Sisters of Peace are the successors of the first Dominican Sisters established in 1822 as educators on the Kentucky frontier. At the time, they were innovators – part of a small group of women religious who were helping educate the youth of a new nation.

Today, the Dominican Sisters of Peace are innovating again, as the Congregation transfers four of its schools to Dominican Veritas Ministries (DVM), a canonical entity recognized by the Vatican to oversee Dominican educational ministries. This change will affect Dominican Academy, a Catholic college-preparatory high school for girls, located in New York City’s Upper East Side and founded by Dominican Sisters in 1897.

For more than 120 years the Dominican Sisters have encouraged and ensured the school’s Catholic and Dominican identity. Dominican Veritas Ministries now will be responsible for the spiritual formation, financial stewardship, and effective governance of Dominican Academy, the Congregation’s other founded schools, and nine other Dominican schools across the United States, for a total of 13 schools.

The Dominican Sisters of Peace are making this change to ensure the continuing influence of Catholic education in the Dominican tradition, promoting the Dominican hallmarks of prayer, study, community, and service for the community of Dominican Academy. The school’s quality academic and extracurricular offerings will not change, so families can continue to expect superior education and local school boards will continue to manage the mission, educational programs, property, business, and secular affairs of the Academy as they now work directly with the DVM staff and trustees. Dominican Academy is the only all-honors school for girls in New York state and has been twice recognized as a Blue-Ribbon School of Excellence by the U.S. Department of Education.

This transfer to DVM was affirmed by both Archbishop Timothy Cardinal Dolan of New York and the Vatican. Recognizing Archbishop Dolan’s responsibility for Catholic education in the Diocese, the Academy will continue to maintain its relationship of mutual trust, close cooperation, and ongoing dialogue in the years ahead.

Sr. Pat Twohill, Prioress of the Dominican Sisters of Peace, is excited for the change. “We now have a bigger brain trust for the schools’ governance and the schools’ commitment to their Catholic identity. As we continue to focus on the future, this new arrangement helps ensure solid theological and spiritual formation. We believe that this is a positive move for the long-term health of the schools, the families, and communities that they serve and their ability to continue to offer the riches of Catholic education. By actively taking part in this change, we continue to innovate to ensure our values remain strong long into the future,” Twohill concluded.

Dominican Veritas Ministries was founded in 2022 to oversee US Dominican ministries. The organization is an entity recognized by the Church in the same way as a corporation is recognized by civil law. DVM’s founders include the Dominican Sisters of Adrian, Houston, Peace, Sinsinawa, and Springfield, all Congregations that established Dominican, Catholic schools.

With the addition of the four schools founded by the Dominican Sisters of Peace, including Dominican Academy, Dominican Veritas Ministries now oversees 13 schools in Florida, Illinois, Louisiana, Minnesota, New York, Ohio, Tennessee, Texas, and Wisconsin. Other schools are expected to join in the future.

Kristin Barstow Melley, Executive Director of Dominican Veritas Ministries, adds, “DVM enthusiastically welcomes the Peace Congregation schools. Their presence is a blessing that will enrich our Dominican education community. Once the transition is complete, local school life will carry on without much day- to-day change. The main difference is the way DVM will connect to the schools and provides new, distinctive Dominican resources to support and nurture each ministry’s unique commitment to mission and the Dominican charism.”

About the Dominican Sisters of Peace:
Dominican Sisters of Peace, members of the Order of Preachers, are vowed Catholic women who preach the Gospel of Christ through lives of service and peace-making. The Dominican Sisters of Peace are present in 22 states and Nigeria. The Sisters serve God’s people in many ways, including education, health care, spirituality, pastoral care, prison ministry, the arts, and care of creation. There are more than 300 Sisters and more than 300 lay women and men associated with the Congregation.