“The witness of evangelical fraternity (…) remains a fundamental element of the Dominican charism. “This is what we can read in Pope Francis’ beautiful letter to the Order! As Dominican nuns, we live, like all the other branches of the Order, according to the Rule of St. Augustine: “The first thing for which you are gathered together is to dwell…
Pope Francis, our shepherd, writes to us Dominicans “imploring [for us] the grace of perseverance in fidelity to [our] founding charism”, so that we may participate in the work of the universal Church. Nor could it be otherwise, since the Order of Preachers, as a group of proclaimers of Grace and the Gospel, shares in the mission of the Church…
In his letter marking the 800th anniversary of the ‘birth of St. Dominic into eternal life,’ Pope Francis gave our Order a fantastic summary of the Dominican vocation and charism. Grace and unity are two words that I ponder as I receive this letter as a gift which renews my own enthusiasm for the Dominican life. As an apostolic Sister,…
I must express my amazement at the precision and insight the pope speaks about our way of life as Dominicans. Surely, he gives an impression of saying things that are both obvious and archaic to every Dominican. He tries to get at the things that must be already behind us as history; yet he brings them out in a way…
Two phrases from Pope Francis’s Praedicator Gratiae strike me in particular. First, when he says that as a student in Palencia Dominic “came to appreciate the inseparability of faith and charity, truth and love, integrity and compassion.” Secondly, when in speaking of the importance of life in common in the Dominican tradition and how it inspires a “synodal” form of…
To Brother Gerard Francisco Timoner, O.P.,Master General of the Order of Preachers Praedicator Gratiae: among the titles attributed to Saint Dominic, that of “Preacher of Grace” stands out for its consonance with the charism and mission of the Order he founded. In this year that marks the eight hundredth anniversary of Saint Dominic’s death, I gladly join the Friars Preachers…
The Dominican Family is profoundly grateful to our Holy Father, Pope Francis, for writing Praedicator gratiae, his inspiring and encouraging letter to the Order on the 8th Centenary of the dies natalis of St. Dominic of Caleruega. The incipit (title) of his letter echoes the historic event when Pope Honorius III confirmed preaching as the mission of the Order and…
The table of “St Dominic at table with his brethren” in the Church of Santa Maria della Mascarella in Bologna Gianni Festa and Eleonora Tioli The table kept in the Church of Santa Maria della Mascarella in Bologna is an invaluable testimony of the history of the Order of Preachers. This is the first depiction of St Dominic ever painted,…
MOST HOLY FATHER, Brother Gerard Francisco Timoner III O.P., Master General of the Order of Preachers, on the occasion of the Holy Solemnities that will be celebrated for the 800th anniversary of the birth of St. Dominic in Heaven, from 6th January 2021 to 6th January 2022, offers Your Holiness the affection of due obedience and filial veneration and asks:…
On January 17, a solemn Eucharistic celebration opened the jubilee year of St. Dominic at the Dominican Parish of St. George Martyr in Lagjja Mirdita, Durrës, in Albania. His Excellency Msgr. George Frendo, O.P., Metropolitan Archbishop of Tirana-Durres, presided and the parish priest Br. Geoffrey Bugeja, O.P., concelebrated. The celebration began with the rite of the Lucernaria, with readings and prayers, the blessing and…