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
Br. Corwin Saxon Low, OP
I was born to two loving parents in Seattle, Washington and shared my childhood with three great siblings. I attended the University of Washington with the intention of acquiring a degree in Electrical Engineering but soon found that I had a love for Computer Science. After graduation, I set my sight on custom application software and quickly moved into systems design. While this work was gratifying and fulfilling, there was not enough interaction with people, so I left that work and went into consulting and with a business partner built a network security consulting firm. It not only directly improved the quality of people’s lives (well, in the computing industry, anyway), it had the added intrigue of on-the-spot problem solving. This business thrived for many years and had many high-profile clients, including Microsoft, Boeing, Nordstroms, Shell Oil, as well as the United States military.
I was raised as a Presbyterian and had several issues with church authority, although this was really secondary to the distraction of career and business development. I descended into secularism and left all of the religious tendencies behind. As my business ventures started to come into maturity I felt that the achievements and goals were not a source of sustained fulfillment and I started to rediscover and reawaken the religious traditions of my youth. At this point, the questions of authority resurfaced and with the help of some Catholic friends started researching in earnest. Eventually this led to a thirteen month sabbatical in Rome, where I met the Dominicans.
Blessings abounded during my time in Rome. I met various religious groups but always had a special affinity to the Dominicans. My flat was a mere two blocks from the Church of Santa Sabina—headquarters, so to speak. Each morning I would join the friars for Morning Prayer. So by the time I returned to Seattle I was ready to receive Confirmation and Communion.
As the years passed I had thought about religious life, particularly Dominican life, but the opportunity never seemed to present itself. In 2005 I was able to sell my business, settle up some affairs and then announce my intentions.