As the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico captured the nation's attention over the weekend, torrential rains inundated the City of Nashville and its environs with record levels of water.  Pictures of the devastation leave one speechless.  Nearly thirty people were killed by the rains and subsequent flooding.  We pray for the deceased and for their families.  In terms of material costs, officials estimate the damage to exceed one billion dollars, making this flood one of the most expensive natural disasters in American history.

Earlier this week, the Dominican Sisters of the Congregation of St. Cecilia, popularly known as the Nashville Dominicans, sent out an email relating that the sisters and the motherhouse are safe.  Deo gratias!  The families and schools that they serve, however, haven't fared so well.  We share their letter with you below.

3 May 2010

Dear Friends,

We are praying that those of you in Tennessee are safe and dry when you receive this. Please let us know if there is anything we can do for you.

Many of you have inquired about the status of the Motherhouse after hearing news of flooding in the Nashville area. We are grateful to God that we are able to report that the Motherhouse sustained no damage during the flooding in Nashville, and that all the sisters are safe. Similarly, the three schools of The Dominican Campus sustained little to no damage during the two days of record flooding in Nashville.

The joy of this news is tempered by the loss suffered by many of the families whom we serve in the schools of middle Tennessee. The sisters of St. Cecilia serve in six different schools in the diocese of Nashville. Of these, five schools remain closed. Many teachers, as well as students' families have lost homes or sustained major damage to their homes. Another local congregation of sisters suffered damage to their convent and some of those sisters are now residing at the Motherhouse.

We ask for your prayers for the families whom we serve, and for the sisters that serve them. We also ask you to join us in humble gratitude to "Our Lady of this House," whom we invoke nightly at the beginning of Night Prayers and Compline, to "protect us from pestilence, fire and water." In this month of May which has begun with uncertainty for so many, may we look to Our Lady to be our certain refuge, and a sure guide to the heart of her Son.

Gratefully in Christ,
Sister Dominic Mary, O.P.
Director of Institutional Advancement