Dominican sisters transfer Our Lady of the Elms to Catholic nonprofit

There’s been a change at Our Lady of the Elms , although few will notice.

The Dominican Sisters of Peace have transferred the Akron parochial school and three others to Dominican Veritas Ministries , a civil corporation recognized by the Vatican to oversee Dominican educational ministries.

Bishop Edward C. Malesic of Cleveland and the Vatican have approved the transfer, which is effective immediately.

“We now have a bigger brain trust for the schools’ governance and the schools’ commitment to their Catholic identity,” said Sister Pat Twohill, prioress of the Dominican Sisters of Peace, in a prepared statement. “As we continue to focus on the future, this new arrangement helps ensure solid theological and spiritual formation.

“We believe that this is a positive move for the long-term health of the schools, the families, and communities that they serve and for their ability to continue to offer the riches of Catholic education. By actively taking part in this change, we continue to innovate to ensure our values remain strong long into the future.”

Our Lady of the Elms, an independent, Catholic school for girls in kindergarten through 12th grade, was founded by the Sisters of St. Dominic in 1923. Seven U.S. congregations, including the Akron community, established the Dominican Sisters of Peace in 2009 with offices in Columbus.

Five Dominican sister congregations founded Dominican Veritas Ministries in 2022 to oversee Dominican ministries in the United States. The nonprofit organization, which is incorporated in Illinois with employees across the country, has an executive director and a board of trustees.

For over a century, Dominican sisters have encouraged and ensured the Catholic and Dominican identity at Our Lady of the Elms. Dominican Veritas Ministries, a canonical entity recognized by the Vatican, now will be responsible for the “spiritual formation, financial stewardship and effective governance” at the Elms and 12 other schools across the country.

The schools are in Ohio, Florida, Illinois, Louisiana, Minnesota, New York, Tennessee, Texas and Wisconsin.

According to a news release, the sisters are making the change “to ensure the continuing influence of Catholic education in the Dominican tradition, promoting the Dominican hallmarks of prayer, study, community, and service for the community of Our Lady of the Elms.”

The school’s academic and extracurricular offerings will not change, the sisters said. The Elms board of directors, who run the day-to-day activities of the school, will remain the same, and will continue to work with the Diocese of Cleveland to ensure a Catholic and Dominican influence.

“Of course, the sisters will continue to offer counsel as requested and our prayer for the school and the students,” explained Kate McAndrews, spokesperson for the Dominican Sisters of Peace. “So, it is rather a change in the school’s connection to the Catholic church.”

The three other schools being transferred are St. Agnes Academy-St. Dominic School in Tennessee, Dominican Academy in New York and St. Mary’s Dominican High School in Louisiana.

“DVM enthusiastically welcomes the Peace Congregation schools,” Dominican Veritas Ministries Executive Director Kristin Barstow Melley said in a prepared statement. “Their presence is a blessing that will enrich our Dominican education community. Once the transition is complete, local school life will carry on without much day-to-day change.

“The main difference is the way DVM will connect to the schools and provides new, distinctive Dominican resources to support and nurture each ministry’s unique commitment to mission and the Dominican charism.”

In February, the Dominican Sisters of Peace announced they would close the Akron motherhouse this year. The convent once housed nearly 80 nuns, but as of 2024, only 16 sisters lived in the motherhouse while two others resided in nearby Beda Hall.

Today, six sisters remain in residence at the motherhouse, and will leave the Elms campus by December.

Mark J. Price can be reached at  mprice@thebeaconjournal.com

This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Dominican sisters transfer Our Lady of the Elms to Catholic nonprofit