Vocation Discernment
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Vocation Office
Western Dominican Province
5890 Birch Court
Oakland, CA 94618-1626
(510)-596-1821
Our Vocations require a great deal of support, from the first moment they begin their novitiate until the last moments of their retirement. Please do conside visiting our donation page and helping form and sustain the priests and brothers who will serve you in the future, serve you now and have served you in the past.
Saints and Blesseds
The Order of Friars Preachers,
The Dominican Order,
has a beautiful history of learning, service and holiness manifested in its saints and blesseds of every age since its foundation by St. Dominic de Guzman. Do enjoy the periodic postings of such stories as are available from various sources, especially our own archives.
Religious Retirement
Our elderly and infirm friars receive the best care we have available to us, as in any family. We rely heavily on the donations of others for our own existence and thus when one of our own becomes incapable of further ministry due to age or infirmity, those same donations help us support the sometimes necessary special care required by such members of our communities.
We prefer to care for our elderly and infirm in our own houses so that the life of a religious community can be a part of a friars life as long as possible. This is also the most economical in many ways. We strive to use donations wisely. But sometimes a care facility is essential. As we, as a Province, do not benefit from the national collection for retired religious, we ask that you assist us in caring for these friars who have prayed, taught, served and ministered for so many years amomg the people of the Western United States and beyond.
Please, in your kindness, consider assisting us in this work of brotherly love.
Many thanks in advance.
Catholicism
It's just the right thing
Fr. Florent Gutierrez-Martin, OP
Florent Gutierrez-Martin was born near Avila, Spain on March 21, 1911. He was raised as a youth in his native Spain, but his entrance into the Dominican Order in 1926 launched him into a life of travel. He entered the Province of the Holy Rosary in Avila, a province primarily dedicated to missionary endeavors. He received the habit from the hands of the Master General, Fr. Buenaventura Paredes on September 9, 1926. Later he moved to the United States at the seminary in Ponchatoula, Louisiana, Staffed by Spanish Dominicans of his province, who also staffed parishes in and around the city of New Orleans. He made his solemn profession there, and on August 10, 1935 was ordained by Archbishop Joseph Rummel of New Orleans.
His next move was to Manila where he obtained his lectorate in Sacred Theology at the University of Santo Thomas in 1935. His first assignment was as an instructor of Philosophy at the Studium in Tonkin, French Indo China, operated by the Holy Rosary Province. After three years he entered the doctoral program at Laval University in Quebec, Canada, successfully completing that program in 1941. Because of the outbreak of World War II, he was unable to return to the Far East, so was employed as Instructor of Philosophy at St. Albert's College in Oakland for four years. In 1946 he returned to Avila as an instructor for two years, then on to Hong Kong, China for three years.
From 1951-1955 he taught at Providence College in Rhode Island, then to the Novitiate of St. Albert's province in Winona, Minnesota. On November 18, 1960 he was assigned by the Master General to the Province of the Holy Name and spent his first two years teaching once more at the House of Studies. In 1962 he moved to St. Dominic's parish in San Francisco and thus entered the parochial ministry that was to occupy him the remainder of his life. In 1966 he was assigned to Holy Rosary parish in Portland, where ultimately his traveling days came to an end. At Portland he was active with the Third Order and with Spanish speaking persons who had emigrated from Cuba.
He died at the age of 62 while sitting at his desk preparing Sunday's sermon. He died on September 13, 1973 and was buried in the cemetery at Benicia, California on September 19.
|
Date of Birth |
Date of Profession |
Date of Ordination |
Date of Death |
|
March 21, 1911 |
September 9, 1927 |
August 10, 1935 |
September 13, 1973 |
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