One Family’s Intersection with the Sisters from Nashville

Beginning the high school search with our oldest daughter, I made a spreadsheet that included each school’s mission statement. This aided in quick discernment of the unique characteristics of a Mount de Sales education and brought us to our first personal encounter with MDSA when we started falling in love with the Dominican Sisters. As our three daughters (pictured below) progressed through Mount de Sales, they learned a lot in their classes. They also learned a tremendous amount from the Sisters, like how to be strong young women of faith. But the Sisters taught more than just our daughters, they taught us. Growing up in an era of poor catechesis and a focus on college as, mainly, a means to gainful employment, the Dominican Sisters have given

me an appreciation for the richness and beauty

of our faith and of the art of learning. Through the Sisters’ dedication to the education of the whole person, and by their way of living each day so joyfully, we desire so much more for our daughters and ourselves. The Sisters are living examples of

faith as the foundation for a life lived for the glory of God in a world that often ignores the reality

of God’s presence. Their perseverance in living out their faith holds fast against a society that often does not understand where it is headed and it has given me, us, a newfound confidence to do likewise. The Sisters possess gentleness, charm, delight, and joie de vivre, derived from their love of God and others, that is nothing short of inspiring. As parents, we have seen this in our daughters and felt it ourselves. In attempting to mimic the calmness and presence of mind they effortlessly radiate, I find myself living (or trying to live) a life that is calmer, slower, and intentional. As our children grow, the worries grow with them, so I appreciate the “instruction” I have gained by witnessing the Sisters. The Dominican Sisters will always hold a special place in our hearts not only because of the impact they have had on our daughters, but also because of the impact they have had on us.

By: Karen Arnold P’14 ’16 ’20

Celebrate the Dominican Difference!

Has your life been touched by a Dominican Sister from MDSA?

Make your gift in honor or in memory of a specific Dominican Sister who has served at MDSA (it will be shared with the Sister(s) you honor) or in appreciation of all the Sisters who have served our students. This is a meaningful and impactful way to say thank you by supporting the students and school to whom the Dominican Sisters are so dedicated. Possibly, you may want to restrict your gift to support the long-time dream of the Dominican Sisters, the Center for Performing Arts and Student Life. A giving envelope is enclosed for your convenience.

This order is steeped in prayer, reflection, and the Eucharist. When the

Dominican Sisters teach, sit with our daughters, or walk the neighborhood,

they bring forth good fruit as Jesus said in Luke 6:45, ‘A good man speaks out of the abundance of the heart’.

They have plentiful hearts because of their union with Jesus. So the success, the lives changed, the faith imparted is the work of Jesus who is present to us in Catonsville doing far more than we can ask or imagine.

Jack Baronas P’00 ’14

700 Academy Road Catonsville, MD 21228

Non-Profit Org. U.S. Postage PAID Baltimore, MD Permit No. 6341

Sister Mary Madeline, O.P., Class of 1990, is the first alumna to return as a Dominican Sister to teach at MDSA.