The community came together in Nashville on Saturday, August 8, as the Dominican Sisters of St. Cecilia welcomed the Hillbilly Thomists to The Dominican Campus for a special celebration of the feast of St. Dominic. 

More than a concert, the evening offered families an opportunity to celebrate the Dominican tradition through music, fellowship and prayer. The event brought together more than 100 Dominican sisters, hundreds of families from throughout the Nashville community, priests of the Diocese of Nashville, and fans of the Dominican friars’ bluegrass band for an evening centered on the joy of St. Dominic’s feast day. 

Guests brought their own meals or enjoyed food from local food trucks while children played lawn games and visited with the sisters. The sisters led activities including face painting, cornhole, balloon animals, Spikeball, and Jenga. Concertgoers could also shop Hillbilly Thomists merchandise.

The gathering highlighted the unique presence of the Dominican Sisters of St. Cecilia in Nashville. Founded in Nashville in 1860, the congregation has remained a visible part of the city’s Catholic community for more than 165 years. Today, The Dominican Campus encompasses 83 acres in West Nashville and is home to Overbrook Catholic School, St. Cecilia Academy, and Aquinas College. 

The sisters were joined in celebration by their Dominican brothers, the Hillbilly Thomists, who selected the Dominican Campus as their final stop on the 2026 Strange Land Tour. The friars performed selections from throughout their six studio albums, including “I’m A Dog” from the band’s self-titled debut album and “Garrigou,” a crowd favorite from their newest album, Strange Land, released less than two weeks before the Nashville performance. 

Bishop J. Mark Spalding attended the celebration alongside several priests from the Diocese of Nashville, including Father Reed Robinson, an Overbrook Catholic School alumnus from the Class of 2014; Father David Lee, an OCS alumnus from the Class of 2006; Father Luke Wilgenbusch; and Father Christian Hamrick. 

The evening was not without a little Tennessee weather. As isolated thunderstorms moved through Nashville, the band made the most of a brief window of clear skies, beginning the concert outdoors. When rain eventually forced the performance inside, the friars continued with an acoustic set as the crowd moved into the Overbrook Catholic School gymnasium. 

The change in venue did little to dampen the celebration. The Hillbilly Thomists took the stage accompanied by a balloon-animal mascot—a dog carrying a torch in its mouth—and continued the evening of music and fellowship. 

The celebration concluded with the Hillbilly Thomists inviting all of the Dominican sisters onto the stage to pray and sing the Salve Regina together. Bishop Spalding then offered a final blessing, bringing together Dominican friars, sisters and the Nashville Catholic community in prayer. 

“It was a joy to celebrate St. Dominic's feast day, with the gathering of friends near and far and a wonderful concert,” shared Sister Dominic Quinn, O.P., “Thank you to the Hillbilly Thomists for their creative avenues for evangelizing in the 21st century. Holy Father Dominic would be so pleased with his talented sons. May St. Dominic continue to inspire and intercede for us in this important work today.” 

 

About The Dominican Campus 

The Dominican Campus is home to the educational ministries of the Dominican Sisters of St. Cecilia Congregation, including Overbrook Catholic School, a coeducational preschool-3 through sixth-grade school; St. Cecilia Academy, an all-girls college preparatory school serving grades 7–12; and Aquinas College, a Catholic liberal arts college. Through faith-filled education and formation, these institutions continue the Dominican mission of contemplating truth and sharing it with others.