Letter from Master of the Order on 'The Dominican Laity and Preaching'.

As part of the lead up to the 800th anniversary of the foundation of the Order in 2016, the Master fr Bruno has written a letter to the Order on the 'Dominican Laity and Preaching'.

It is an extensive letter for all the members of the Order the Master sets out the primary purpose of all Dominicans embodied in the motto 'sent to preach the Gospel'. Fr Bruno notes that while the motto is simple it focuses our attention on what is at the heart of the service that the Church expects of the Order: to proclaim the Gospel.

Here are some helpful quotations from the letter:

"The unity of our Order is in fact given by its evangelising mission: laity, sisters and friars of the Order are members of a single family whose identity is that they were sent to preach the gospel. Or rather, we might say that the 'Dominican' identity is precisely that of a family - of a 'communion' - constituted by this organic bond between evangelisation and the contemplation of that truth that is the living Word that has come into the world, what we try to develop in the three forms of prayer, study and fraternity, each in the specific manner of his/her state in life."

"Among these Lay Dominicans, the members of these Lay Dominican Fraternities clearly have an important place, choosing as they do to commit themselves with a promise to carry out this specific participation in the mission of Christ as members of the Order. They also register their commitment to the living Word not only for the whole of their lives as baptised persons but also within the balance of the whole of their commitments and of their lives which they want to be 'preaching', serving the conversation of God with the world. At the same time, they register for the duration of the life of the Order, the need to preach the Word, always referring this preaching to the constitution of the church of Christ seeking communion and unity. As we know well, today we must reflect on the diversity at the heart of these fraternities, seeking together how we may always best accept, promote and combine this diversity , brought together in a single concrete witness of a lay life that seeks to be preaching."

"It seems to me that lay Dominicans can allow the preaching of the Order to achieve its end more fully in several ways. As in the case of the sisters and friars in the Order, the preaching of lay Dominicans is rooted in the experience of life. This is why the wealth of their specific contribution to the preaching of the Order comes from their experience of family and professional life, their experience of parenthood, their experience of life in the Church, the experience of being young in contemporary society, the particular experience of the baptised person who must testify his/her faith in the midst of a family or a group of friends whom s/he is daily bound by ties of affection but who do not share the same faith and often show no desire to share it....Moreover, they know the difficulty of witnessing the faith in a specific manner: in may places in the contemporary world, the habitual situation of a lay person brings her/him face to face with indifference, scepticism and unbelief, in a very different way from religious, and this must come to enrich the preaching of the Order as a whole. Similarly, through the activities of their professional,  family or political life, lay persons experience how the Christian demands for fraternity and truth, according to which they try to contribute to the transformation of the world, are a form of preaching essentially linked to their state, which comes to be combined with the preaching of the whole 'family of preachers.'"

For the full text of this excellent letter, click on the link:  http://www.op.org/sites/www.op.org/files/public/documents/fichier/cadore-jubilee2014-en.pdf

Substantial increase in interest in Dominicans in Ireland

Readers of this blog will be aware of the recent solemn profession of Sr Mary Teresa Dunphy OP at Siena Monastery in Drogheda, County Louth. The newly released video above of the liturgy during which solemn profession is made gives another glimpse into the solemnity of the occasion - and the nature of the seriousness of making a commitment to the contemplative aspect of the Dominican way of life.

Sr Teresa's solemn profession as a Dominican nun comes at the mid point of 2011 which will see a surge in activity of new membership in the Dominican family in Ireland. It is appropriate to state that there has been a renewed interest in the Dominican charism and spirituality in recent years.

This is evidenced by (1) a dramatic increase in the number of enquirers to the Cabra Dominican sisters. Later this month they will hold interviews to accept new candidates to their form of life. (2) The Lay Dominicans in Ireland have experienced unprecedented growth in the past couple of years - culminating with the beginnings of a new group (chapter) of young Lay Dominicans about to be established in Queens University in Belfast. New young members have also been added to chapters in Kilkenny, Dublin and Belfast. (3) The solemn profession of Sr Teresa Dunphy at Siena monastery in Drogheda is the second such profession for the Domincan nuns in the past year. There is also a novice in the monastery at the moment. (4) The friars of the Irish Dominican province will this year have three of our brothers ordained to the priesthood, three brothers will make solemn profession and hopefully by September of this year three will have made simple profession. The friars will also be receiving new novices in autumn of this year.

For further information on the various branches of the Dominican family in Ireland, please visit the websites of the Lay Dominicans, the Cabra Dominican sisters, the Dominican nuns at Siena monastery in Drogheda, and the friars of the Irish Dominican province.

Blessed Pier Giorgio Frassati (Lay Dominican) - July 4th feastday.

“In this trying time that our country is going through we Catholics and especially we students, have a serious duty to fulfill: our self-formation.......We, who by the grace of God are Catholics... must steel ourselves for the battle we shall certainly have to fight to fulfill our program and give our country, in the not too distant future, happier days and a morally healthy society, but to achieve this we need constant prayer to obtain from God that grace without which all our efforts are useless; organization and discipline to be ready for action at the right time; and finally, the sacrifice of our passion and of ourselves, because without that we cannot achieve our aim.” Pier Giorgio Frassati (1922)

That quote above could be as easily spoken in 2011 - an indication of how little changes despite appearances! July 4th marks the feast of the Italian lay Dominican Pier Giorgio Frassati. An extraordinary young man. He is a model for young people of our modern world who are looking for a role model. In knowing more about Blessed Frassati, they will find someone to identify with in this vibrant young athlete and student who combined a deep love for Christ, a desire to serve the needy, and a mission to imbue society and politics with Christian ideals.

Pier Giorgio Frassati was born in Turin, Italy on Holy Saturday, April 6, 1901. His father, an agnostic, was the founder and director of the liberal newspaper, La Stampa, and was influential in Italian politics, serving a term as senator, and later was Italy's ambassador to Germany. He spent the flower of his youth between two world wars when Italy was in social ferment and Fascism was on the rise.

Pier Giorgio developed a deep spiritual life which he never hesitated to share with his friends. In 1918 he joined the St. Vincent de Paul Society and dedicated much of his spare time to serving the sick and the needy. He decided to become a mining engineer so he could "serve Christ better among the miners," as he told a friend. His studies, however, did not keep him from social activism.

Although the Frassati family was well-to-do, the father was frugal and never gave his two children much spending money. What little he did have, however, Pier Giorgio gave to help the poor, even using his train fare for charity and then running home to be on time for meals in a house where punctuality and frugality were the law. When asked by friends why he often rode third class on the trains he would reply with a smile, "Because there is not a fourth class."

When he was a child a poor mother with a boy in tow came begging to the Frassati home. Pier Giorgio answered the door, and seeing the boy's shoeless feet gave him his own shoes. At graduation, given the choice by his father of money or a car he chose the money and gave it to the poor. He obtained a room for a poor old woman evicted from her tenement, provided a bed for a consumptive invalid, supported three children of a sick and grieving widow. He kept a small ledger book containing detailed accounts of his transactions, and while he lay on his death bed, he gave instructions to his sister, asking her to see to the needs of families who depended on his charity. He even took the time, with a near-paralyzed hand, to write a note to a friend in the St. Vincent de Paul Society with instructions regarding their weekly Friday visits. Only God knew of these charities; he never mentioned them to others.

He felt a strong, mysterious urge to be near the Blessed Sacrament. During nocturnal adoration, he would spend all night on his knees in profound prayer. He influenced other students to make the annual university retreat given by the Jesuits. He loved the rosary, a family practice, and prayed it three times daily after becoming a lay Dominican.

It was in 1922 that he joined the Dominican Third Order choosing the name Girolamo after his personal hero, the Dominican preacher and reformer of Florence's Renaissance. Despite the many organizations to which Pier Giorgio belonged, he was not a passive "joiner"; records show that he was active and involved in each, fulfilling all the duties of membership. Pier Giorgio was strongly anti-fascist and did nothing to hide his political views.

He died at a very young age (24) from polio.

His family expected Turin's elite and political figures to come to offer their condolonces and attend the funeral; they naturally expected to find many of his friends there as well. They were surprised , however, to find the streets of the city lined with thousands of mourners as the cortege passed by. Those who mourned his death most were the poor and needy whom he served so unselfishly for seven years; many of these, in turn, were surprised to learn that the saintly young man they only knew as 'Fra Girolamo' came from such an influential family. It was these poor people who petitioned the Archbishop of Turin to begin the cause for canonisation. The process was opened in 1932 and he was beatified by Blessed John Paul II on May 20th, 1990.

 For a more full account of the life of Pier Giorgio, please visit http://www.3op.org/frassati.php

Lay Dominicans Ireland re-elect President at AGM

The annual general meeting of the Lay Dominicans in Ireland took place in Dublin this past weekend. During the meeting the delegates elected for a second term their outgoing president Geraldine Flanagan. Geraldine is a teacher by profession and has been a member of the Lay Dominicans for some years. During her first term as President, there has been growth in the number of enquiries about the vocation of the Dominican laity, and as evidenced by the number of new members at the AGM, there has also been significant growth. There are a number of chapters of Lay Dominicans throughout Ireland. Please refer to their website above for locations if you are interested.

Irish Dominican Vocations would like to congratulate Geraldine (pictured above) on her re-election, along with the new members of the Provincial Council. Geraldine has been a driving force behind the many instances of collaboration between the members of the Dominican family in Ireland and we look forward to strengthening that relationship into the future.

Irish Lay Dominicans receive new members

Left to right: Geraldine Flanagan (president of lay Dominicans in Ireland), Sheena Darcy, Monica Rapenau and Jacinta O' Donnell (president of lay Dominican chapter, Athy)

Sheena Darcy and Monica Rapenau were officially received as new members of the Lay Dominicans in Ireland during the celebration of the Eucharist at Saint Saviour's priory, Dublin this evening - the feast of the conversion of Saint Paul (January 25th). The main celebrant of the Mass was fr. Gregory Carroll OP, prior of Saint Saviour's. Sheena and Monica were joined by friends, colleagues, members of the lay Dominicans and a number of the friars of the community for the celebration.

Both women have completed a period of preparation before being received as Lay Dominicans. A further time of discernment and probation will follow before they make formal promises (or profession) as members of the Dominican laity in Ireland. Sheena, who has a background in human resources is currently one of the key administrators (as office manager) for the International Eucharistic Congress which will take place in Dublin next year. Monica, who is a theologian by profession, currently works with a publishing company.

The lay Dominican vocation is an integral part of the the vocation of the whole Dominican family. As lay men and women they are not living a form of consecrated life but form communities who live by the spirit and charism of Saint Dominic, and are incorporated into the Order by a special commitment according to statutes and laws of their own.

The reception and admission of both Sheena and Monica is a very important moment and witness for all Dominicans in Ireland- and  is testament to the renewal of interest in the Dominican charism during the past few years. Irish Dominican Vocations wishes Sheena and Monica every blessing as they set out in the Dominican way of life.

Left to right: Sheena Darcy, Fr Gregory Carroll OP and Monica Rapenau

The Dominican Vocation: Lay Dominicans

I had occasion over the weekend to attend some of the deliberations of the Annual Conference of the Lay Dominicans in Ireland in Emmaus Retreat Centre in Swords, Co. Dublin. The Lay Dominicans form part of the Dominican Family in Ireland and throughout the world - and their vocation as lay men and women following the path of Saint Dominic in their daily lives is a strong witness of being Dominican in the world. In Ireland, chapters (groups) of Lay Dominicans can be found in Dublin, Cork, Tralee, Limerick, Galway, Sligo, Belfast, Newry, Drogheda, Waterford, Athy and Youghal. Lay Dominicans are engaged in prayer groups, meet to reflect and pray regularly in their local chapters and are involved in all sorts of apostolic activity from hospital and prison visitation to working with drug addicts and helping those with learning disabilities. It is heartening to hear that there are plans underway to attract new young members to the Lay Dominicans attached to some of our priories.

The Lay Dominicans in Ireland are part of a network of other Lay Dominican fraternities throughout Europe. This group has a very helpful website which is: http://www.ecldf.net/ For further information on the Lay Dominicans in Ireland, you can easily make contact with the local Dominican priories and convents throughout the country or alternatively you can contact the President of the Lay Dominicans in Ireland, Geraldine Flanagan at gerflanop@gmail.com

I really enjoyed being with our Lay Dominicans over the weekend and I thank them for their kind invitation to attend. I hope that the continued collaboration between all the various entities of the Dominican family in Ireland will continue to bear fruit in the mission of preaching.