The Dominican presence in Hungary began in 1221, and the Dominican Laity continues to be a vital part of this deep history. On May 30 – June 2, the Lay Fraternities of the Vicariate of Hungary hosted a national gathering of its members in Budapest with the General Promoter of the Laity, fr. Cristóbal Torres Iglesias, OP.
‘It would be a big sin, not to be here’, with this humorous sentence the Master of the Order, Brother Gerard Francisco Timoner, OP, welcomed the lay fraternity in Norfolk, Massachusetts – and caused a few laughs. The visit of the Master of the Order in June 2025 took place as part of the visitation of the Eastern Province of the USA and the location of the meeting was an unusual one: behind prison walls. For there, in Norfolk State Prison, the largest state-run prison in Massachusetts, a Dominican lay community consisting of lay Dominicans meets both in front of and behind the walls. The Dominican joy that pervaded the meeting, however, made all walls forgotten. No Master of the Order since Fr Timothy Radcliffe has missed the opportunity to come here – and the gratitude for this is palpable in the room.
On June 29, 2025, St. Patrick’s Church in Brampton hosted a meaningful and heartfelt event: the official launch of Basharat Bator Maklama, a new Urdu translation of Dialogue as Mission, a collection of talks, essays, and short articles by the beloved Dominican missionary Fr. Chrys McVey, OP.
On 12 July 2025, three diocesan priests were received into the Priestly Fraternities of St. Dominic in the Province of St. Augustine in Argentina and Chile: Fr. Darío de Fina of the Diocese of Gregorio de Laferrere, Fr. Claudio Cabrera of the Diocese of San Martín, and Fr. Miguel Angel Quintana from the Diocese of Gregorio de Laferrere.
From June 1 to 5, 2025, the Meeting of the Promoters of Justice and Peace of the Order of Preachers in Europe was held in Vienna, Austria. During this gathering, the participants engaged in deep reflection on several urgent issues concerning justice, peace, and human dignity. As a result of their deliberations, they issued two statements: one addressing the current state of migration in Europe, and the other responding to the ongoing humanitarian crisis in Gaza.
Current impressions from Ukraine Burdening fatigue Two boys sit in the front row at Mass. Both are utterly exhausted—barely able to stand, grateful for any moment to sit. One of them, around 13 years old, keeps his hand gently on the shoulder of the younger one, about 8. Though fatigue makes it hard to keep his arm raised, he never…
Draw a Chapter participant and pray with us. From late July to early August, provincials, vice-provincials, and other Dominicans from around the world will gather at the Holy Trinity convent in Kraków to participate in the General Chapter — the most important assembly of the Order of Preachers. It is here, under the leadership of the Master of the Order, Br. Gerard Timoner OP, that the friars will collectively discern what serves…
The Master of the Order, Brother Gerard Francisco Timoner III, OP, has appointed Brother Raúl Gómez Sánchez, OP, as the new Promoter General of the Dominican Priestly Fraternities on 24 June 2025.
He succeeds Brother Florentino Bolo, OP, who had been working closely with this branch of the Dominican Family since 2010 and has served as General Promoter of the Priestly Fraternities since 2016.
On June 13 – 18, the African Council of Lay Dominican Fraternities (ACLDF) held the 3rd Africa Congress, hosted at Mariannhill Retreat Center in Durban, South Africa. The Africa Congress, held every three years, is a gathering of representatives of the Lay Fraternities of St. Dominic from all provinces, vice-provinces and vicariates across the region of Africa.
With the recent election of Pope Leo XIV and the upcoming General Chapter of our Order in Krakow next July, now is an opportune time to reflect on the life and legacy of our founder, St. Dominic, and the mission he entrusted to us as the Order of Preachers. Above all, Saint Dominic was a man of the Church. A…
