It has been many years since it was common to see religious sisters in schools around the world, although Mount Carmel has benefited from the help of Sister Helen Jean Hurley for almost 30 years. Now this spring, we have the honor of hosting  Sister Rotua Dominika Sinaga, a religious sister from Indonesia, who is a student at Catholic Theological Union (CTU) and is an intern here at Mount Carmel for one semester. CTU provides internships to give the ministry candidates direct experience in their field of study.

Sister Dominika, a member of the Holy Spirit Missionary Sisters, is studying to gain her master’s degree in pastoral studies.  The focus of her studies is spirituality, and her current assignment is to study new or different ways to develop spirituality within the younger generation.  One of her projects at Mount Carmel will be to develop Lenten prayer services for all theology classes.

The Holy Spirit Missionaries are a group of women dedicated to God with about 3,450 members in over 52 countries. The sisters usually work in schools, hospitals, or any place a community can gather.  The goal of the group is to spread the good news and the values of the Gospel.

Sister Dominika joined the missionary order about 15 years ago, having been influenced by the sisters who served in her home country of Indonesia. Before joining the community, Sister Dominika worked in the stock exchange in Indonesia helping people around the world with investments.

After finishing up her degree at CTU, Sister Dominika plans on going back to Indonesia, hoping to teach young people about theology and spirituality.  She also looks forward to freeing up some time after completing her studies to pursue some of her favorite hobbies, reading, cooking and spending time with friends.