The Dominican Sisters of Mary Mother of the Eucharist are hoping to build a new religious house outside of Austin, Texas.  Eight sisters arrived in Texas in 2009 and are now teaching in two elementary schools and a high school.

In 2011, they purchased almost 61 acres of land, ideally located for the community to serve schools throughout Central Texas. By 2013, they completed the construction of a temporary mission convent on the site, allowing the Texas Sisters to live in community and work on-site to oversee the larger Religious House project. The sisters are currently in three cities: Buda, Austin and Georgetown, home of their future Religious House.

Sister Elizabeth Ann O’Reilly, OP, said that whenever God opens a door, “He definitely lets you know.”

“In Texas it happened so fast it seemed He was shoving us through,” she said. While they have missions in six other states, Texas will have the second priory for the education and formation of new sisters.

As foreseen in our managed growth plan, the Motherhouse in Ann Arbor is now at capacity, and it is necessary for our community to add a facility in another location in order to fully provide for the spiritual and temporal needs of our Sisters. We are moving forward with plans to build the first phase of a Priory in Texas which will house, form and educate up to 50 Sisters ready to live our Dominican vocation of preaching and teaching the Gospel of Christ across our nation.

To fund our growth, particularly the first phase of our Texas Priory, we are asking old friends and new to join us in supporting the young women who are responding with an all-embracing “yes” in service to the Church. Those who support our mission will be sharing in an effort than can only be measured by the many lives that will be changed through our work in Catholic education for years to come. We invite you to prayerfully consider helping us in this faith-filled effort for the Church in the United States by becoming a member of the Circle of Faith.