PHOTO: Abbot Benedict Neenan, OSB (far right) blesses the newly installed General Council recently elected by the Benedictine Sisters of Perpetual Adoration in Clyde, Mo. Pictured (from left) General Councilor Sister Colleen Maura McGrane, OSB; General Councilor Sister Nancy Rose Gucwa, OSB; Assistant Prioress General Pat Nyquist, OSB; and Prioress General Sister Dawn Annette Mills, OSB. The council will lead the congregation for the next six years.
(CLYDE, Mo.) - The Benedictine Sisters of Perpetual Adoration in Clyde, Missouri, recently concluded their 17th General Chapter held Aug. 8-15 with the election of new congregational leadership.
Tapped to lead the Sisters for another six years as prioress general was Sister Dawn Annette Mills, OSB who just completed her first term in the position. She is joined by Assistant Prioress General Pat Nyquist, OSB and General Councilors Sister Nancy Rose Gucwa, OSB and Sister Colleen Maura McGrane, OSB.
The General Chapter convenes every six years and allows Sisters to discuss, discern and plan their future as a congregation and their service to the Church. This chapter was delayed a few months due to COVID but finally went ahead with 27 Sister delegates participating.
The meetings give delegates the opportunity to share their choice of who will lead them. Sister Dawn Annette is a native of Hobart, Indiana, and entered the Benedictine Sisters in 1975. She completed a master’s program at the Institute for Culture and Creation Spirituality at Holy Names College in Oakland, California, and has also taken courses at St. Louis University and at the University of Notre Dame.
She has also served as director of development, director of the correspondence department, as a pastoral minister and managed the altar bread department. She served as prioress of the former Tucson, Arizona, community for six years and as its oblate director for almost 10 years. An accomplished writer, she is a member of the editorial staff for “Spirit & Life” magazine and author of the book, “The Gospel According to Dawn.”
“I look forward most to walking with each and all of my Sisters on this spiritual journey and assisting them in every way I can,” Sister Dawn Annette said. “The Sisters elected to the General Council are all intelligent, practical women of faith. They are committed to our way of life and bring a variety of skills and experiences to their new roles.”
Those experiences include formation development, corporate business acumen, scholarship and leadership skills.
The newest General Council was installed during a ceremony held Aug. 15 in the Benedictine Sisters' Adoration Chapel. Abbot Benedict Neenan, OSB of Conception Abbey served as presider.
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