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 Sr.
Mary Ann Connolly, OP
(Sr. Killian)
Golden Jubilarian
50 years (July 9, 1954)
“I believe that religious life is a never-ending adventure,”
proclaims Sr. Mary Ann after 50 years of living it. Arriving at the novitiate
of St. Mary of the Springs from Cincinnati, Ohio, in the summer of 1952,
Sr. Mary Ann embarked upon an academic life and ministerial career that
would take her across continents to serve God’s community. Her teaching
responsibilities have included a wide range, from sixth grade at St. William’s
in East Pittsburgh, to St. Mary of the Springs Academy (Columbus, OH)),
and eventually college at both Albertus Magnus (New Haven, CT) and Ohio
Dominican University (Columbus, OH). She has held positions in college
administration, parish ministry and now as a missionary in South America,
in pastoral biblical instruction.
Her studies in Spanish eventually led to a doctorate from Yale University,
but she has welcomed most the opportunity her fluency has afforded her
to preach in Spanish, fulfilling her vocation as a Dominican, a member
of the Order of Preachers. Prior to her current ministry in Chimbote,
Peru, Sr. Mary Ann had previously worked with Latino immigrants through
Catholic Charities in Florida. “In all of these experiences, the
changing presence of God in my life has enabled me to rejoice –
often in spite of difficulties – and it continues to animate my
work in Chimbote,” explains Sr. Mary Ann
This year as she celebrates her Jubilee as a Dominican Sister, Sr. Mary
Ann has time for reflection. “Often I did not ‘see’
God working in my life. It is in retrospect that it has become evident,”
she explains. “I can trace a chain of circumstances leading to my
becoming a Dominican of St. Mary of the Springs that I could recognize
only looking back over what had happened.”
When asked what she would advise someone thinking of religious life,
she answered, “Begin without fear – what you know about yourself
and your reasons for answering the call will change through the years.
If your vocation is really to religious life, God will lead you to a deeper
experience of the divine presence in your life and will sustain you through
good times and bad.”
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