During the summer, Edgewood Seniors Grace Natoli, Nate Frucht, Emily Maiers and Cecil Powless joined 80 other students, teachers, and Dominican sisters and friars at the 21st Annual Dominican High Schools Preaching Conference at Siena Heights University in Adrian, Mich. A total of 17 Dominican high schools and communities from all over the country were represented
Each year, Edgewood High School is encouraged to send up to four students to the conference to meet other Dominican High School students from around the nation. As the Order of Preachers (O.P.), Dominicans are called to preach the Gospel through the many dimensions of human experience while being rooted in study, prayer, community, and service. This summer’s six-day conference was centered around the themes of Dominican tradition, preaching, justice, and the arts. The Students actively explored these themes through prayer services and liturgies, small and large group discussions, and various service and recreational activities. As an experience, the conference was not only an opportunity for our students to learn how to make a positive impact in the world through community building, but it also helped them to foster ideas and build confidence for their roles in this year’s Peer Ministry course and to be mentors here at Edgewood.
At the end of the conference, Grace, Cecil, Emily, and Nate were commissioned as a “Preaching Team” to return to Edgewood and through their collective effort to serve and assist fellow Peer Ministry students in sharing what they have learned about the preaching mission of the Dominicans. The Preaching Team assists in incorporating our Dominican heritage into Edgewood’s liturgies as well as to help Campus Ministry during other special celebrations and activities. Through their efforts Edgewood’s Dominican mission will continue to be realized.