Historical process of the Congregation

The Congregation is conceived and created to give missionary response to the Project of the Universal Church. The Church of Peru felt the urgent need to christianize the natives in the jungle, already pointed out by Pope Leo XIII. The Holy See, in 1899, supported by the Peruvian Government, created in one of these regions in mountain, the Apostolic Prefecture of St. Dominic in Urubamba and Madre de Dios, entrusted to the Order of the Preachers in the person of a Dominican missionary; Mons. Ramon Zubieta y Les, who then was in the Philippines at that time.

The Spirit was guiding the road and the Apostolic Prefecture of Madre de Dios was converted into an Apostolic Vicariate giving to the person in charge, Fray Ramon Zubieta, OP an Episcopal honor. He went to Rome for the Episcopate consecration. He took advantage of this trip, he passed by Spain to invite religious Sisters to work in the Mission of the Vicariate. He contacted the community of Sta. Rosa Convent in Huesca, who in turn accepted the proposal to collaborate with the missionary endeavor.

On the 30th of December 1913, an expedition led by Mon. Ramon Zubieta together with some Dominican and five Dominican sisters from College of Sta. Rosa of Huesca, among them was M. Ascension Nicol, the leader of this small expedition, disembarked in Callao Port, Peru. All of them were full of enthusiasm and ready to continue the trip up to the heart of the Amazon jungle.

After some time in Lima where they joined in Patrocinio Convent, the first expedition towards the jungle was concretized, in spite of the opposition of the people in Lima who wanted the religious to stay as educators of the youth in the city proper. From this first community of Sisters in Maldonado, others were formed with he same purpose- for the Amazon jungle, and just like other big task, it started from an experience of evangelization with the poor, and from this kernel was growing up to its complete subsequent organization. Unpredictable events that were happening helped them and forced them to adopt legal and official status as required by the new Canon Law (1917) and they became an independent religious Congregation, very different from the convents they came from because those sisters did not accept to be integrated into the new realities experienced by the missionaries.

On the 5th of October 1918, was established in Lima the Congregation of the Missionary Dominican Sisters of the Holy Rosary and M. Ascension Nicol was appointed General Superior.

Both Founders, Mons. Ramon Zubieta and M. Ascension Nicol have clear objective for this new Institute. The Charism was extensively described in the first Constitutions and much later in the renewed council: “ To evangelize the poor in those missionary situation where the Church needs us most” This is her congregational identity which she has preserved throughout the years and in different cultures where she is present.

In a very unexpected way after a slight sickness, Mons. Zubieta died in Huacho on 1921, at the age of 56 in which 30 years were spent in the mountain. M. Ascension, continue to head the missionary Work with serenity and fortitude that the Lord had given her, preserving the Founders with great care.

Those were years of expansions, with small foundations coming out like seedlings and soon growing marvelously with the support of the missionary sisters. Also it was very important for her at the initial period, to care and to support the formation of the young ladies who wanted to follow the missionary ideal, in both novitiate, Peru and in Spain.

M. Ascension lived in permanent attitude of service to the Congregation and ready to serve until the end, would accept all elections as General Superior whom the sisters had asked of her. Her definite encounter to the Father was in February 24, 1940. A little later after her death, on the 21st of May in that same year, Pope Pius XII definitely approved the Constitutions. In this way the foundation of the identity of the Institute was completed.

The new stage the Congregation started, could be considered as the expansion. The spirit of the Founders continue to be alive and active, new foundations were coming up and the number of sisters and communities were growing and various services they rendered to the missionary Church, according to the needs of the period. Around the Vicariate of Maldonado, where it was born, it expanded marvelously to other parts of the region and other countries.

This expansion means accepting new forms of apostolate. Besides the missionary and education work, a great part of pastoral health was growing and this obliged them to prepare specialized personnel. The Congregation would be guided by superiors of the posterior generation those who were formed by the foundational nucleus and that without losing the spirit, the character, it would provide new elements walking always the best way to fulfill the goals projected in the Constitutions. In the years 50 to 60 the Congregation were spread in 15 countries.

The renewal of religious life proposed by Vatican Council II, was seriously worked out by the Congregation in the General Chapters. It was a difficult and purifying period, which accepted with courage, audacity and participation. It reinforced the spirit of the source of the Charism, and the option for the poor.

The Congregation was conceived not for herself alone but “ to proclaim to the poor the Good News…” ( Lk. 4:8), little by little, it extended to the five Continents, is enriched by indigenous vocation which the beginning of a new experience of universality and consolidation of the Charism. The enculturation of different cultural expressions, favor the new experience of interculturality that continue up the present time. Actually we are present in 21 countries and belonging to 24 nationalities.

We continue to listen to the loud cries and the urgent challenge of the most weak with special attention for women. The missionary compromises accepted by the sisters varies according to realities of the people in places where the sisters are inserted, all of whom are identified for being victims of injustice, indifference and dehumanization from a system that excludes and marginalizes the poor. The options for missionary commitments are the defense for life in all its manifestations, Justice and Peace, the integrity of creation, and all that that imply solidarity for this cause. Sharing the mission with the lay people. The networking with other institutions and forum that equally believes that a different world is possible. We work in Education, formal and informal; in Health, preferable the common and preventive; in Social Action, proposing for integral development project.

In this road we travel, trying to grow, everyday, closer to God and to our brothers. Our Founders: M. Ascension and Mons. Ramon Zubieta, had left us this inheritance. Their concern for the poor is fundamental in the original intuition of the Charism, this springs from their deep experience with God, contemplating his loving and painful gaze on so many men and women and listening to his voice “ Who shall go for me?” The Dominican Missionary intends to response with a permanent.
“ Send me:” ( Isaiah 6: 8).

Today we are present in 21 countries with 144 communities, 785 number of sisters with 24 nationalities. Our presence is found in: Angola, Australia, Bolivia, Cameroon, Chile, China Continent, Democratic Rep. of Congo, East Timor, Ecuador, Guatemala, India, Mexico, Mozambique, Nicaragua, Peru, Portugal, Puerto Rico, Spain, and Taiwan.