Br. Raymond
Br. Raymond Bryce is originally from Seattle, Washington where he attended high school and then the University of Washington. Br. Raymond majored in Mathematics and then entered the United States Air Force via ROTC. He was stationed several different places during his nine years in the service and spent the majority of that time flying airplanes. Br. Raymond deployed several times to the Middle East after 9/11 and finished his career in St. Louis where he met the Dominicans. He enjoys baking and eating the fruits of his labor.
Br. Robert
Br. Robert Perez is 27 years old and was born and raised in Austin, Texas. Br. Robert grew up attending St. Mary Cathedral in Austin and during high school was active in speech and debate. In 2003 he received a B.A. in Philosophy from St. Edward's University in Austin. After college, Robert spent two years working, first as a tour guide at the Texas State Capitol (a job he would return to three more times) and then as file clerk and accountant with the Texas Attorney General. In the fall of 2005 he returned to school to pursue an advanced degree at the University of Missouri (Mizzou). Br. Robert received an M.A. in philosophy in December of 2007. It was at St. Thomas More Newman Center and Parish on the Mizzou campus that he first encountered Dominican preaching. Br. Robert is very excited to discover what the Lord has in store for him during the coming year.
Br. Albert
Br. Albert is orginally from San Antonio, Texas and was born more years ago than he would like to acknowledge. As a youth, he thought he would spend his life drawing and painting; God thought that was funny. After changing his major five times (Art, Psychology, Biology, Business and French), Br. Albert earned a BA in Philosophy from the University of Texas at San Antonio (2001), an MA in Philosophy from Texas A&M University (2003) and a PhD in Philosophy from the University of Missouri in Columbia, Missouri (2008)—he has spent too much time in a classroom. Br. Albert has worked as a lifegaurd, greenhouse manager, telemarketer (not fun), bartender and—most recently—teacher. God laughed through most of these endeavors. Br. Albert met his first Dominican in St. Louis, Missouri when he visited St. Dominic’s Priory (the House of Studies). He was enchanted with the mission and the Dominican charism and resolved to join the Order of Friars Preachers. God said, “Finally!”
Br. Scott
Br. Scott owes his arrival here to the Grand Rapids Dominican Sisters (especially Sr. Kathi Sleziak, O.P., Sr. Mary Donnelly, O.P., and Sr. Chris Wood, O.P.), whose joyful presence led to friendship and eventually to an encounter with Fr. Andrew-Carl Wisdom, O.P., vocation director for the Province. Scott is a graduate of the University of Notre Dame (GO-IRISH-GO!), where he earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Theology, with minor studies in Philosphy and Liturgical History. Before coming to the Dominicans, Scott founded a young adult ministry (catering to married and single people ages 20-40) at the Paulist Fathers’ Catholic Information Center in his home town of Grand Rapids. Also during that time, he helped his best friend Corey Hart (not the famous musician) open a restaurant (Churchill’s Bar and Bistro) in the arena district of Downtown Grand Rapids. Having thought about priestly ministry most of his life, and having discerned with Holy Cross and the Paulist Fathers, Scott’s novitiate year is literally 28 years in the making! In his free time, Scott enjoys National Public Radio, Star Trek, Electronic Music, Philosophy Podcasts from UC Berkeley, and reading.
Now meet the novice master.