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From the Director…Dear Mission Friends, With this December issue, we bring to a close our JUBILEE YEAR celebrating the 40th Anniversary of the founding of the DOMINICAN MISSION FOUNDATION. We offer prayers and gratitude to all of you who make our service to the poor, needy, and sick of our Dominican Missions possible. For 40 years in each issue of Missionaries in Action we have shared with you accounts of our Dominican friars and sisters as they carry out ministry in our missions. In this issue I wish to share with you an explanation of who we Dominicans are. Then in the January issue to give you an explanation of the spirituality that motivates our Dominican Missionaries who serve in Chiapas, Mexico; Mexicali, Mexico; Rabinal, Guatemala; Vilnius, Lithuania; and the Tala Leper Colony in the Philippines. I am grateful to Fr. Fabian Parmisano, O.P., a noted preacher and writer of our Western Dominican Province, for giving us permission to use his writings on Dominican life and spirituality. In Christ’s Peace, Fr. Martin de Porres Walsh, O.P. |
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Dominicans
he Dominican Family was founded by St. Dominic de Guzman, a Spanish priest of the Cathedral at Osma. He was born in Caleruega in 1170. In 1203, he began a new ministry to which he would dedicate the rest of his life and to which he would lead many other men and women: preaching. The new order was given the title ‘Order of Preachers’ (O.P. is the designate that you see after a Dominican’s name), and their itinerant style of preaching was sanctioned by the pope. In order to preach well, the Dominicans had to know theology very well. Thus, study became a hallmark of the Order and the prerequisite for the office of preaching. Primary to all activity, however, is a foundation in prayer. One cannot do God’s work unless one is in close contact with God.
The Dominican motto: To Praise, to Bless, and to Preach grew out of the basic commitment to apostolic ministry. Because human beings need to be encouraged and supported, community life became a priority for Dominicans. They went out and worked; when they came home, they were renewed by prayer and conversation in community. The men and women of the Dominican Family all share the same priorities: contemplation, prayer, community, study, and preaching.
n the Dominican Order there are several branches, all adhering to the same major goal – preaching – and the same priorities, all living in the same spirit and charism of St. Dominic. And all have produced many recognized saints. The branches are: The Nuns The Friars The Sisters The Laity Although independent of one another in structure, all branches are united by the Master of the Order, a Dominican priest who oversees all branches, even those in which he has no direct jurisdiction. The Nuns
Nuns are cloistered Dominican sisters. Their lives most closely resemble the communities founded by St. Dominic to pray for the success of the friars’ preaching. The nuns profess solemn vows and usually enter and remain in the same monastery throughout their lives. Their days are marked by silence, the necessary climate for contemplation and continuous prayer. Nuns are also authors, supporters of the missions, and ministers to the poor. They provide spiritual counsel and their monasteries are power-houses of prayer. Many support themselves by producing hosts and vestments for Mass and other religious articles. The Liturgy of the Hours, as well as Mass, and devotions such as perpetual adoration, are the framework of their days. The Friars
The friars, both brothers and priests, profess the vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience. Brothers and priests share in a common life in the spirit and charism of St. Dominic and may be involved in a variety of ministries. The principal difference between brothers and priests is that priests are ordained to administer the Sacraments. Ministries among the friars include missionary work, campus ministry, itinerant preaching, parish ministry, teaching in schools and universities, educational administration, religious education, authorship, catechetical formations, social work, psychology, health care, the arts, and household support. Each friar, whether brother or priest, has heard a call to his choice of dedication. A brother is not a potential priest, but one called to be a brother. Many follow the preaching path; some are ordained permanent deacons, but they don’t hear a call to priesthood. Some hear the call to quieter apostolates of hospitality and solace for those who seek it, others to very active apostolates. Priests provide for the Sacramental life of the Church as well. Each, brother or priest, serves in the ministry of preaching and follows the path to it: prayer, study, and community. The friars wear the simple white habit that came down to the family from their Father, Dominic. It is a very distinctive sign of their commitment and dedication and a symbol of the spirit of St. Dominic: a spirit of joy, piety, and ministryThe Sisters
The Laity
From the earliest days of the Order, lay people have been an intrinsic part of the Dominican Family, gathered for the purpose of praying for the preachers. Now that education is readily available to all, lay people have a more direct role in the preaching mission. Many pursue degrees in theology or liturgy. Since Vatican Council II, the role of the laity in general has expanded greatly, and lay Dominicans have re-examined their vocations in light of Vatican II declarations. Lay Dominicans preach primarily in the market place or wherever their station in life finds them. They preach by their lives and example, and when opportunity arises, with their voices as well. The laity pursue study, particularly in theology, scripture, and catechesis in order to preach well when called upon to do so. Lay Dominicans are not usually distinguishable, as their brother friars are, but sometimes they wear the black and white cross adapted from the Dominican crest. The laity make promises to follow the Rule and Statutes of the Dominican laity. They meet in community regularly and participate with the friars, nuns, and sisters, as well as the Church in general, in praying the Liturgy of the Hours. They engage in active apostolates such as letter writing on issues of peace and justice, ministry to the poor, liturgical ministries, teaching, authorship, and spiritual counseling. They endeavor to live lives of simplicity and generosity.
Prayer: Triduum of Saint Martin de Porres
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Dominican Collaboration
The Tala Leper Colony in the Philippines: Left to Right: Sr. Liza David OP, Sr. Lettyham Espiritu OP, Fr. Martin Walsh OP, Br. Vincent Kelber OP, & Sr. Rosa Yaya OP.