St. Dominic established the cloistered nuns of the Order of Preachers as an integral aspect of his new community, envisioning a group of women whose prayer and penential practices would give spiritual strength to the preaching of the friars. During his lifetime, St. Dominic established the monastery of Prouille and reformed a monastery at St. Sisto in Rome, as well as giving spiritual guidance to nuns in Spain. Over time, the close bond between the brothers and the nuns has remained, with the nuns taking the vow of obedience to the Master of the Order. Dominican nuns are distinguished from Dominican sisters by this vow and by their life of strict enclosure. Dominican monasticism is a contemplative life which shares in the Order’s task of preaching by their witness of fidelity to the religious life and by their prayers for the Church and particularly for the preaching of the brethren.
Pope Benedict XVI spoke of the importance of Dominican nuns to the entire Church on June 24, 2010:
The form of contemplative life, which you received from the hands of St Dominic in the manner of the cloister, place you as living, vital members in the heart of the Mystical Body of the Lord, which is the Church; and just as the heart makes the blood circulate and keeps the whole body alive, so your hidden existence with Christ, where work and prayer alternate, helps to sustain the Church, the instrument of salvation for every person whom the Lord has redeemed with his Blood. (Pope Benedict XVI, Homily from the Visit to the Dominican Monastery Of Santa Maria Del Rosario, June 24, 2010)
Dominican monasteries in the United States
Corpus Christi Monastery
1230 Lafayette Avenue
Bronx, NY 10474-5399
Telephone: 718-328-6996
Fax: 718-328-1974
http://www.bronxop.org/
Monastery of Our Lady of the Rosary
335 Doat St.
Buffalo, NY 14211-2199
Phone: (716) 892-0066
Fax: (716) 892-8846
http://www.opnuns.org/
Monastery of the Perpetual Rosary
1500 Haddon Ave.
Camden, NJ 08103-3112
(856) 342-8340
Monastery of Mary the Queen
1310 West Church Street
Elmira, NY 14905-1998
Telephone: 607-734-9506
Fax:607-734-1452
http://monasteryofmarythequeen.op.org/
Monastery of the Blessed Sacrament
29575 Middlebelt Road
Farmington Hills, MI 48334-2311
Telephone:248-626-8253
Fax: 248-626-8724
http://www.opnuns-fh.org/
Monastery of the Immaculate Heart of Mary
1834 Lititz Pike
Lancaster, PA 17601-6585
Telephone: 717-569-2104
Fax: 717-569-1598
http://www.opnunslancaster.org
St. Dominic’s Monastery
2636 Monastery Road
Linden, VA 22642
Phone: (540) 635-3259
Fax: (540) 635-5086
http://www.lindenopnuns.org
Monastery of the Angels
1977 Carmen Avenue
Los Angeles, CA 90068-4098
Telephone: 323-466-2186
Fax: 323-466-6645
http://www.themonasteryoftheangelslosangeles.com
Monastery of the Infant Jesus
1501 Lotus Lane
Lufkin, TX 75904-2699
Telephone: 936-634-4233
Fax: 936-634-2156
http://www.lufkinnuns.org
Monastery of St. Jude
143 County Road 20, East
PO Box 170
Marbury, AL 36051-1070
Telephone: 205-755-1322
Fax: 205-755-9847
http://www.stjudemonastery.org/
Corpus Christi Monastery
215 Oak Grove Avenue
Menlo Park, CA 94025-3272
Telephone: 650-322-1801
Fax: 650-322-6816
http://www.nunsmenlo.org/
Dominican Sisters of the Perpetual Rosary
217 N. 68th St.
Milwaukee, WI 53213-3928
Telephone: (414) 258-0579
Fax: (414) 258-8831
http://www.dsopr.org
Our Lady of Mount Thabor Monastery
1295 Bald Eagle Lake Rd.
Ortonville, MI 48462-9096
(248) 627-4355
http://www.mtthabornunsop.com
Caterina Benincasa Dominican Monastery
6 Church Dr. New Castle, DE 19720-1211
(302) 654-1206
http://www.benincasaop.org
Monastery of Our Lady of Grace
11 Race Hill Rd.
North Guilford, CT 06437-1099
Telephone: (203) 457-0599
Fax: (203) 457-1248 (fax)
http://www.ourladyofgracemonastery.org
Monastery of Our Lady of the Rosary
543 Springfield Avenue
Summit, NJ 07901-4498
Telephone: 908-273-1228
Fax: 908-273-6511
http://www.nunsopsummit.org
Monastery of the Perpetual Rosary
802 Court Street
Syracuse, New York 13208-1799
Telephone: 315-471-6762
Monastery of the Mother of God
1430 Riverdale St.
West Springfield, MA 01089-4698
Telephone: (413) 736-3639
Fax: (413) 736-0850
http://www.vocationws.com/