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. Nathan Gerard Castle, OP
I'm originally from Groves, Texas. I'm the middle of five kids; I have two brothers and two sisters. Both of my aunts were Dominicans. I'm a graduate of Trinity University in San Antonio, where I studied gerontology and social sciences. I entered the Dominicans in 1979 after a year as a layman at St. Meinrad Seminary in Indiana. I was ordained in 1985.
After ordination I served as parochial vicar at St. Dominic's Church in Benicia, CA. Since then I've been a career campus minister, serving at the University of Arizona, UC Riverside, Arizona State and now, at Stanford.
While at ASU I was involved in that community's effort to build a new Newman Center. I learned how to do development work as a ministry. I teach each year at the Catholic Campus Ministry Association's Development Institute. I've served as CCMA Executive Board Chair.
I've recently written a book: "And Toto, Too: The Wizard of Oz as a Spiritual Adventure." You can take a look at it on Amazon or on our website: andtoto.org.
Photos 2003 | 2007