Fr. Gerard Francisco Timoner III, OP, emphasized the unique Dominican preaching mission, comparing it to both a shepherd and a fisherman. This mission involves saving souls and fostering communion with God.
On October 15, the Dominican youth community of La Valeta in Malta organized their annual Marian pilgrimage. Started in 1883, it’s a sacred journey, with participants praying the Rosary.
In the Amazon, the Lay Dominicans see a call to preach the Gospel, recognizing the region’s unique challenges. They seek to promote missionary vocations, uniting faith with local culture and ecological awareness.
On October 7, 2023, the Master of the Order, Brother Gerard Francisco Timoner III, OP, appointed Brother Jordan Turano, OP, a son of the Province of St. Joseph in the United States, as Socius for the Provinces of the United States and the Vicariate of Vietnam in Canada. Br. Jordan succeeds Brother Christopher Eggleton, OP, of the Southern Province of St. Martin de Porres in the United States.
On October 14, 2023, the Master of the Order, Brother Gerard Francisco Timoner III, OP, concluded the second part of the canonical visitation of the Province of Poland, which began on September 18, 2023. This extensive visit involved meetings with friars, nuns, and members of Dominican lay fraternities in communities throughout the Province. Online meetings were also organized for communities outside Poland, and discussions took place with Bishop Jacek Kiciński in Wrocław. The visit also included preliminary planning for the next General Chapter of the Order, scheduled for July 2025 in Krakow.
The Dominican Family in the United States convened at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington DC on September 30, 2023. Nearly 5,000 people gathered for talks, prayer, a Rosary procession, and Mass on the eve of “Rosary Sunday,” a Dominican tradition observed on the first Sunday of October. The event marked the first national Dominican Rosary Pilgrimage in the USA, organized by the Province of St. Joseph. The day included spiritual conferences, confession, book presentations, and a beautiful Rosary procession around the Basilica led by over fifty friars.
Dominican historians convened in Ávila and Salamanca from September 6 to 11, continuing a revived tradition. Discussions spanned research projects, ranging from intellectual history to the Order’s Pacific history. Presentations included contributions from Myanmar, Vietnam, and the Philippines. The conference aimed to strengthen collaboration among historians in the Dominican Order.
Sister Rosmery Castañeda M., a Dominican Sister of the Dominican Sisters of Charity of the Presentation, has been selected by Pope Francis to participate in the Synod on Synodality. She is the only woman from the Order of Preachers attending this 16th Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops, entitled “For a Synodal Church: Communion, Participation and Mission”, which is being held in Rome from 4 to 29 October.
After the canonical visit to the Vicariate of Angola in August, the Master of the Order, Br Gerard Francisco Timoner III, OP together with the Socius for the Iberian Peninsula, Br Miguel Ángel del Río, OP made the canonical visit to the Province of Portugal from September 19 to 23 of this year where they had the opportunity to meet with the friars of the province as well as the different branches of the Dominican family there.
The Dominican nuns share with the great Dominican Family what they experienced during the months of July and August 2023, the period in which they made the canonical Visitation of the monasteries of “Mãe de Deus” in Benguela and in Kuito-Bié, Angola.
