Three young men share their stories as they are just days away from receiving an irreversible grace of being ordained priests. They speak about how they were influenced by others and how they could not avoid the call from God to be men who serve others. Click here to see their video.
Keeping the Light Burning
Your prayers, service and donations help us to keep the flame of Dominican Vocations bright in the Western United States. Please do consider making a regular contribution for future preachers for the salvation of souls.
Sola fide was our first and loudest battle cry. This was the core of our Lutheran Christian faith. It is truly impossible to understand the protestant movement and any Protestant communion springing from the Reformation, without understanding the importance of sola fide as the fulcrum of the theology. Indeed, it was Martin Luther’s main objection to the established doctrine of his time that the grace of Christ was open to all who place faith in Him, and faith alone, not because of any merit of their own, but solely due to the free gift of Christ. Salvation (freedom from the debt that I owe due to the burden of my sin) is given, more specifically imputed, to me as a sheer gift.
The story line would have run something like this. Humanity after the fall (and that means each and every individual) is in a state of separation from God irreparable by human effort. God is infinite; He is infinite in Glory, infinite in majesty and honor, and infinite in goodness. When our first parents sinned and violated the balance of justice by failing to give that infinite goodness the obedience it demanded, they incurred a punishment that was equal to the one offended; they owed a debt that was equal to the grandeur of the offended goodness. In other words, by sinning against the infinite God they incurred an infinite punishment. There is now an infinite debt owed to the infinite God.
The following is a reproduction of the talk Br. Thomas Sundaram gave to the St. Dominic’s Church 30s-40s group on April 25th, 2013. The talk was entitled “The Divine Comedy: Why Bother?” and was intended to provide an audience of people who had not read the Comedy with a general introduction to the beauty of the work. The slides which were presented with the talk are in this at the places they were shown.
After four unforgettable days in Mexicali, Baja California, Mexico, it was time for us to return to the United States and move on to our next destination. Thanks be to God, crossing the border was again very very smooth. After we returned to the States side, we drove across a hot and arid Sonoran Desert and a snow-capped Cuyamaca Mountains. We eventually arrived in a very mild San Diego. Our first appointment was the sunset Mass with UC San Diego students at the beautiful La Jolla Cliffs, against the gorgeous backdrop of the sun gently setting behind Pacific Ocean.
(Vatican Radio) On the 21st of April 2013 , the Fourth Sunday in Easter Pope Francis is scheduled to celebrate Holy Mass in Saint Peter’s Basilica. A mass during which he will ordain ten men to the priesthood on a date which coincides with the 50th ' World Day of Prayer for Vocations'.A day first instituted by Pope Paul VI during the Second Vatican Council.
God continues to bless the Order and the Western Province with good, faithful men who want to preach the gospel. It takes eight years of initial formation to become a Dominican priest and six years to become a Dominican cooperator brother.
The eight years of priesthood formation consist of a one-year novitiate, two years of philosophy, one year of pastoral residency and four years of theology. The habit of the Order is received at the start of the novitiate year. Simple vows are made at the conclusion of the novitiate year. Final vows are made during the second year of theology – midway through the 5th year of simple vows. Summers are spent in pastoral ministry or classes. The third year of theology is sometimes spent studying abroad in another House of Studies of the Order.
Cooperator brother formation varies depending on the ministry the brother is preparing for. As with brothers studying for the priesthood, there is a one year novitiate and a pastoral residency year. Simple vows are made at the conclusion of the novitiate year. Final vows are made during the 5th year of simple vows. Enrichment classes are encouraged. The norm is for cooperator brothers to have some training in philosophy and theology.
Application
Candidates for the Order are expected to be in good physical, emotional and spiritual health. Candidates for the priesthood are required to have a college bachelor’s degree before they enter the Order. Cooperator brother candidates are required to have a high school diploma and be at least 22 years old. The age limit is 40 years old, with exceptions occasionally made on a per-case basis for candidates who are in their 40’s.
Having safely arrived in Mexicali, Baja California, Mexico, on the previous day (Feb. 5) on this day we visited a number of churches in Mexicali, some of which were built by the Dominicans of the Western Province. We also visited the Diocesan Seminary of Mexicali (Seminario Diocesano de Mexicali) and the monastery of Adoratrice nuns (also known as the Perpetual Adorers of the Blessed Sacrament). Seeing the vibrant scene of priestly formation and religious life in Mexicali gave us a strong sense of hope.
[ Read more, and see more pictures, at the Novice Blog ]
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Category: Novices St. Dominic Priory, San Francisco, CA Preaching: Other Formation Vocations News
Under Palazzo Valentini, in Rome, archaeologists have discovered the ravishing remains of the homes of wealthy Romans of imperial times; among much else, these include mosaic floors, in which each tiny individual tile contributes to the overall effect. If even one is missing, or out of place, the pattern is flawed.
Our Dominican Family is rather like that: every individual member is a crucial part of the whole, yet paradoxically no individual is important except in relation to all the others. We have friars (ordained priests and co-operator brothers), contemplative nuns, laity, Sisters in apostolic life, the Youth Movement, the international volunteers: each of us has a place in the Family, and each of us has a contribution to make. Like the tiles in a mosaic, we fit into our individual places and so form a harmonious picture.
Having safely arrived in Mexicali, Baja California, Mexico, on the previous day (Feb. 5) on this day we visited a number of churches in Mexicali, some of which were built by the Dominicans of 
Under Palazzo Valentini, in Rome, archaeologists have discovered the ravishing remains of the homes of wealthy Romans of imperial times; among much else, these include mosaic floors, in which each tiny individual tile contributes to the overall effect. If even one is missing, or out of place, the pattern is flawed. 