The Dominican Alliance Records

The idea for what eventually became the Dominican Alliance originated in 1996, when four Dominican congregations – Akron, Kenosha, Springfield, and St. Mary’s New Orleans – discussed at a meeting in Sinsinawa ways to form a “closer union” with each other that would go beyond a mere collaboration. Efforts to create some type of union or federation had theretofore failed to produce anything definitive, but the leaders of the four congregations desired something more. Leadership representatives from each congregation met in December 1996 in Springfield to discuss their fears, expectations and dreams of what become known as the Structured Alliance. The representatives met again in New Orleans in February 1997 and again in Akron the following June to share congregational histories and data, reaffirm their commitment to the process, and welcome three new congregations – Columbus, Great Bend, and Kentucky – which expressed support and interest in the conversation about the Alliance. The leadership teams from all parties met once more in 1997 during the Dominican Leadership Conference (DLC) in Warm Beach, Washington, to discuss the gifts and needs of each group and possible models of relationship. After the DLC, the conversation broadened to include more congregational involvement, leading to opportunities for further collaboration at Alliance Study Days. By 2001, two more Dominican congregations – Oxford and Houston – had joined the Alliance, bringing the total to nine. After the Eucharistic Missionaries of St. Dominic joined in 2004, Sinsinawa in 2005, and Grand Rapids and Racine in 2006, the name was changed to Dominican Alliance to focus more on the relational aspect of the organization. They continued to meet at least three times yearly to continue to develop collaborative programs, deepen their Dominican and congregational identities, and facilitate mutual accountability in all matters relating to the Alliance.