Sr. Annie Killian is a vowed member of the Dominican Sisters of Peace, a congregation of Catholic women religious, as well as an assistant professor of English at the University of Notre Dame, where she teaches courses in medieval poetry and drama.
Sr. Annie holds a doctorate in English from Yale University, where she studied 15th-century religion and literature with a focus on women’s writing and church reform. She is the author of a monograph, Reforming Lyric: Poetry and Theology in England, 1380-1530, and is currently at work on a second book, Mystical Ecology, which will look at the way medieval writers engage with the natural world in their theory and practice of contemplation. Her writing has appeared in Commonweal, Global Sisters Report, Christian Century, Spiritus, and—we’re happy to include—Tomorrow’s American Catholic. Sr. Annie also has experience in prison education and nonviolent peacemaking, and currently serves as the vice chair of the Pax Christi USA National Council.
Just in time for the Feast of Saint Dominic on August 8, we’re pleased to share our recent conversation with Sr. Annie. She guided us through some formative moments in her spiritual journey, including her experiences with a small Christian community and her introduction to religious life, and spoke of how she sees contemplation as a “work of resistance” that both centers and strengthens her ministry. We touched on her research and teaching in the field of lyric poetry, and the ways that attending to poetic language can help “move us beyond ourselves” and bring us into the quiet presence of God. We also looked at Sr. Annie’s commitment to the “spirituality of nonviolence,” why letting go of control is itself a form of witness, and the importance of “living the questions” to the life-adventure of faith.
See also:
“Sisters on the Move: The Dominican Sisters of Peace,” Sr. Annie’s essay in Commonweal, November 12, 2021
“Reflection on My First Profession,” Sr. Annie’s article for Global Sisters Report, October 18, 2022
“Accompanying Families Facing Deportation,” Sr. Annie’s report from the Kino Border Initiative for Tomorrow’s American Catholic, June 16, 2026
