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 Sr.
Annunciata Chen, OP
Diamond Jubilarian
60 years (July 9, 1947)
From a young age, Sr. Annunciata Chen and her family knew the Dominicans well, first the friars stationed as missionaries in China, then the Sisters of St. Mary of the Springs who arrived later. She had her Novitiate with the Chinese Dominicans and made her first profession of vows in Kienow, Fukien, China. Soon after, when the Communists took power in 1949, she and the other Dominican Sisters and Fathers fled to Hong Kong just three days before their mission compound was invaded. When they arrived in the United States on June 29, 1949, they originally thought it would be a temporary stay. While waiting to return, Sr. Annunciata studied at St. Mary of the Springs College (now Ohio Dominican University), building her educational background as preparation for evangelizing in China, she thought. But, God had other plans!
Unable to return to China, Sr. Annunciata served many of her 60 years in religious life as a missionary nonetheless. Initially, she was missioned in the impoverished areas first in Abiquiu, New Mexico and later in Amarillo, Texas. In 1968, she was sent to the Dominican mission in Chimbote, Peru, where she served for a total of almost 20 years. While she has never been able to fulfill her dream of returning to work in mainland China, Sr. Annunciata did serve the people of her homeland for several years working as a pastoral minister in Taiwan, where many mainland Chinese families who fled to the island during political strife. In addition to her missionary work, Sr. Annunciata has also served the Diocese of Columbus in the Mission Office (1990-91) and her own congregation as a sacristan and in other volunteer roles.
One of Sr. Annunciata's greatest treasures has been a pilgrimage she took in 2006 with other Dominicans to visit important places from the lives of St. Dominic and St. Catherine of Siena and other sites important in history of the Dominican Order. "My life has always been deeply rooted in the Dominican spirit," she shares. "This experience made me even more proud to be a Dominican Sister." |
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