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. Richard Aquinas Schenk, OP
Born in 1951 in Los Angeles County, Richard entered the Dominican novitiate at Oakland in 1971. After basic studies in Berkeley, he completed his doctorate in systematic theology at the University of Munich in 1986 with a comparison of the theological anthropology of Thomas Aquinas with the works of Martin Heidegger and Karl Rahner. Schenk edited medieval manuscripts for five years at the Bavarian Academy of Sciences in Munich, editing a work on the theology of non-Christian religions by Thomas Aquinas' best known contemporary critic, Robert Kilwardby. Schenk was appointed professor of the faculties of philosophy and theology at the DSPT in October, 1990. The following year he was appointed concurrent director of the Hannover Institute of Philosophical Research and founder of its department for philosophy and theology. He was also chosen at this time as a member of the European Academy of Science and Arts. In May 1992 he became a member of the Core Doctoral Faculty of the GTU. From 1993-1998, Richard Schenk taught during the spring semesters at the DSPT/GTU. Since the year 2000, Schenk has taught full-time at the GTU, with the exception of 2003-2005, when he was Director of the Intercultural Forum for Studies in Faith and Culture (ICF) in Washington, D.C. A Master of Sacred Theology since 2004, Richard is serving the Province for the second time as its Regent of Studies. [updated: 7-16-07]
CV-Academic - German (PDF 18k)
CV-Academic and Administrative Positions (MSWord 40k | PDF 178k)
CV-Basic Dates and Academic Degrees (MSWord 34k | PDF 130k)
CV-Courses and Symposia (MSWord 68k | PDF 260k)
General Bibliography-English (MSWord 71k)
Special Bibliography- Philosophy and Theology of Religions (MSWord 47k)
Special Bibliography-Thomas Aquinas and the Second Vatican Council (MSWord 35k)
Specialbibliographie-German Language (MSWord 34k)
Special Bibliography-Eschatology (MSWord 39k)
Special Bibliography-Monographs and Critical Editions, Edited and Co-edited Books (MSWord 38k)
Dominican Order Honored Fr. Richard Schenk with the 2004 Master of Sacred Theology, November 14, 2004
Officium signa temporum perscrutandi. New Encounters of Gospel and Culture in the Context of the New Evangelization by Fr. Richard, March 16-18, 2005, Vatican City
Die Oekumene am Scheideweg: Die Konfessionen zwischen Verschmelzung und Anerkennung, [ German ]
Streit zwischen Brüdern, [ German ]
Photographs: 2011 4.7MB (thumbnail) | 2011 3.04MB (thumbnail)
