Celebrating Centennial 1913-2013, Dominican Sisters of Saint Thomas Aquinas

The Dominican Sisters of Saint Thomas Aquinas are a religious Congregation founded in Mexico in 1913 and are celebrating their centennial this year.

As with all Dominican Congregations, their initials are O.P. for Order of Preachers. This title arises from their charism, which is to contemplate the truth revealed in order to be able to communicate it to others.

Dominican spirituality calls for preaching the truth, having a special devotion to Our Lady whom they regard as their co-foundress, and following in the steps of Saint Dominic whom they regard as their spiritual father. Their mission is to accompany people in faith, hope and love while the end of all their endeavors is the salvation of souls.

Sister Maria Rosa de la Torre founded the order in Mexico. Included in the reason for the foundation of the Congregation in Mexico was the concept of helping those in greatest need.

In the 1970s, Father Domingo de Llano requested support of the Dominican Congregation of Saint Thomas Aquinas for his mission in Sinton, Texas. In September 1975, four Sisters of the congregation came to Sinton. The first sisters who came were Sister Candelaria Villa Gómez, Sister Esther F. Rodríguez, Sister Concepción Moreno and Sister Rosa Huesca.

Sisters Candelaria and Esther were assigned to the Sinton mission while Sisters Concepción and Rosa were assigned to the mission in Agua Dulce, which was under the care of Father Luis Joseph.

Four years later, in 1979, three more sisters–Sisters Euphemia, Paulita and Benita¬–were assigned to the Sinton mission. The sisters served in Sinton for 19 years, giving examples of the love and caring of Jesus for His people. However, in 1998, the diocese decided to close the Sinton mission house, and the sisters moved to Corpus Christi.

In Corpus Christi, they served in the social services program for Catholics, collaborating with the Missionary Sisters of Jesus, Mary and Joseph. They also began to work in different parishes and later began to offer bingo gatherings in order to increase the meager funds, which, at that time, was all that they had for their own sustenance.

When the Dominican Sisters arrived in Corpus Christi they had no place to live. The Missionary Sisters of Jesus, Mary and Joseph rose to the occasion and offered them hospitality for two months until such time as a home could be made available to them. At that time, they moved temporarily to the second floor of the Centro Catequístico Guadalupano. Simultaneously, Msgr. Robert Freeman introduced them to a benefactor who gave them the gift of a car for transportation.

The sisters continued to search for a property on which to build their first Texas convent home, and on July 10, 1997, they placed the first brick of the convent of Saint Thomas Aquinas on Hearne Road in he Annaville area of Corpus Christi. Msgr. Freeman was the celebrant of the ceremony. On Dec. 31, 1997, the sisters moved into their new convent, and on Jan. 28, 1998, then Bishop (now Archbishop) Roberto González blessed the Convent of Saint Thomas Aquinas.

From there, the sisters served the mission of Saint Mary, a mission of the parish of Saint Peter, Prince of the Apostles. In previous years, they had taught catechism and had visited the sick at Saint Mary’s Mission, and they continued to aid those in need by visiting the sick. They also gave assistance to the children’s choir in Saint Peter, Prince of the Apostles Parish.

From the beginning, they considered constructing a building in which they could care for children while their parents were at work. With the passage of time and by the grace of God, they later recognized also the great need of caring for older people who were left alone in their house while their families went to work. So the Sisters continued to try to raise money by offering bingo games as a source of funds while they worked to build an Adult Day Care Center, which is completed and will open soon.

In all of their efforts, following the example of Saint Dominic and Saint Thomas Aquinas and also the plan of their foundress Mother Maria Rosa, the sisters strive to serve the most needy, seeing in this a way to preach the Gospel for the salvation of all. This they did and continue to do in our diocese.