Introducing:

The Caldwell Dominican Sisters!

Our formal name is "The Sisters of Saint Dominic of the Sacred Heart of Jesus."  We trace our Order back 800 years to Saint Dominic and the mission of the Holy Preaching.  Each Dominican congregation of Sisters (and each province of Dominican friars) has a patron saint or title after our "St. Dominic" Order title.  Caldwell Dominicans claim the Sacred Heart of Jesus as our special patron.  That's why our congregational shield has the red section added to the traditional black and white Dominican shield.  View our Mission and Vision Statements!

Among the thirty-two Dominican congregations of women in the United States, twelve communities trace their roots to Holy Cross Convent, Regensberg, Germany, a convent founded by the Dominican friar Albert the Great in the thirteenth century. The Caldwell Dominican Sisters are a branch on this tree.
A lively contemporary community still lives and prays in this historic convent and keeps in touch with its American daughters.

Caldwell's immediate ancestors came from Germany to North America to teach the children of immigrants during the first great wave of immigration late in the 19th Century. In 1881, we became the independent Congregation of the Sacred Heart.  Our first Motherhouse was in Jersey City but on May 22, 1893, the cornerstone was laid for a new Motherhouse convent in Caldwell.

Since 1881, Caldwell Dominicans have expanded their ministries to include traditional and new forms of education, advocacy for justice, pastoral life, affordable-housing, and social services. Through preaching, publishing, and sponsorship of Genesis Farm, we have become nationally- recognized leaders in promoting Environmental Justice, focusing on sustainability of all life.

Caldwell Dominicans are women of prayer who believe that God answers prayers through the responsible action of people.  Therefore, you will find us not only in classrooms, child-care centers, churches, board rooms, and senior housing facilities, but also on the streets and on the internet -- standing in solidarity with all those who advocate government policies, corporate practices, and individual lifestyles that promote human dignity, economic and environmental justice, and peaceable solutions to global problems.

Sister Patricia Daly, OP (Caldwell), presented a shareholder resolution she wrote which asked ExxonMobil to set a firm date for reporting on its progress to reduce greenhouse-gas emissions from both its operations and its products.