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October 6, 2002

My first visit to Mexico, more than 20 years ago, was the first time anyone ever told me I had a calling to the priesthood. More than any other place outside this country I've ever been to, Saltillo, Mexico and its environs evoke memories of an abundance of visual signs that point to God's presence in every day life. For me, the most beautiful thing about the Catholic Cathedral In Saltillo is the piety of the people. On one of the walls in the nave there is a long, gigantic tapestry. If the light catches it the right way, you can see that the tapestry is filled with hundreds of small medals that glimmer like stars in the night. If you get close to it, you can see that the medals sewn into the tapestry are in various shapes like hands, legs, feet, hearts, kidneys and other body parts. Each silver medal represents an answered prayer for a healing or some other kind of miracle. Behind each medallion is a story of gratitude, and taken together, embedded as they are in one grand tapestry, they tell of a moving participation in one great story that encompasses them all-the love and mercy of God.

The Holy Rosary, like that tapestry, tells a marvelous story. In a supportive role to the Divine Liturgy itself, the Rosary is a retelling and recapturing of the events that secured our salvation and that gathers our individual histories into one. As a devotional sacramental, the Rosary prepares us to receive grace and disposes us to cooperate with the Holy Spirit. Those who pray the Rosary with regularity discover their spiritual imagination and their moral awareness awakened; they are able to make connections between their personal circumstances-mundane and momentous-with the great mysteries that tell the story of God's redeeming work and will. What we meditate on shapes us. By what we mediate on, we are transformed. And if it is the joyful, sorrowful, and glorious mysteries of God's definitive in-breaking into human history that we meditate upon, we will find that we have opened ourselves to truths beyond our narrow understanding and confining existence, while deepening the graced reality that already exists within. In other words, the gospel is a great living story, and by it, we are made whole and holy as we let the Holy Spirit weave our own little stories into that unfolding grand tapestry we call salvation history.

As a key figure in salvation history, the Blessed Virgin Mary, encountered God in the midst of her life over and again. The truth is, so do we. But sometimes we fail to recognize the providential, caring hand of God at work in our lives and in the circumstances surrounding us. We call Mary the Mother of Contemplatives, not because she always immediately grasped the meaning of the words and actions of her son Jesus, but as, the gospel writer assures us, because she treasured in her heart everything that took place. Mary was always asking herself "Where is God in this?" … and, in seeking, she would find.

As children of God, we too, must always be asking: "Where is God in this?" Not too long ago, a parishioner at St. Mary Magdalene in Berkeley asked me: "What do the student brothers at St. Albert's Priory think about the current scandal in the Church?" I told her about how the brothers at our house of studies shared in the people's anger, disillusionment, and frustration. But I was able to go a step further. This crisis has caused these men, my brothers, to be fortified in their resolve to be uncompromising in the quest for holiness, to be worthy of Christ and His Church. These men don't just want to be good priests, they want to become saints and reformers.

For me, the Priory of St. Albert the Great is a joyful place, an oasis of prayer and tranquility. Dominican parishes in the West, like St. Dominic's here in San Francisco, are fortunate, no, blessed, in that they can look forward to a bright future on account of not only the number, but the quality of the brothers we have in formation today. I can boast this way, because I am somewhat of an outsider. I am still technically a member of another canonical religious community, and while I can say good things about where I am from, I have to tell you that I asked to transfiliate, in other words, transfer to this Province, because I am absolutely impressed by what God is doing here. If you have met our five recent ordinandi to the priesthood and the diaconate, you know what I mean. These are true churchmen, not mere careerists. And there are more like them on the way.

The morale of the student brothers assigned to St. Albert's is high because they are, all in all, a healthy group of men; mentally, emotionally, morally, and spiritually. They are conscious of being part of something greater themselves, and they want to make their personal stories part of an already glory-filled legacy. This is not by accident. One of our deacons and I happen to be therapists by training, and we are convinced that the personality of a religious community's Vocation Director definitely attracts and repels certain types of candidates. If you know Fr. Martin Walsh, you will understand why the Western Dominican Province Novitiate and Studentate have a disproportionately high percentage of men possessing remarkable energy, zeal, idealism, and I would dare say, purity of heart. As every chef knows, if you want excellent results, always begin with the best ingredients.

But inasmuch as inspired work and sweat in the kitchen make a difference, too, I have to add that the formation program in this Province is something you can genuinely be proud of. In Fr. Anthony Rosevear, we have a revered Novice Master, someone whose words and actions inspire a longing for holiness and its object, cruciform union with Christ. By his example, he is teaching men the true meaning of spiritual fatherhood.

In Fr. Chris Renz, we have a psychologically sophisticated Student Master, someone who knows how to ask the hard, pointed questions. St. Albert's is a disciplined, observant community, but Fr. Chris does not settle for just outward conformity, he also looks for progress in the interior life. He insists that we know ourselves, our motivations, our weaknesses and our strengths, because there is no substitute for self-awareness and a sense of accountability in persons who someday are going to be handed over a great deal of authority and responsibility.

All of this is necessary, because the single most important quality of a future priest, apart from abiding faith, is the capacity for sacrifice. In fact, several brothers are converts who have had to surrender old, familiar, comforting belief systems in order to obey the Truth. And some have answered God's call to discern a religious vocation over family objections, even at the cost of grave misunderstanding and much heartbreak. In this, they follow the example of St. Francis of Assisi whose Feast day we just celebrated, and whom we Dominicans honor as the second father of the Order. In this, they follow the example of Jesus, who had to reply to Mary and Joseph, "Did you not know that I had to be in my Father's house?" It was natural that Mary should be worried by her son's disappearance and separation from her side, and that she would be puzzled by his response when she found Him in a place she did not expect. Nevertheless, she trusted God, treasured everything in her heart, and waited for Providence to show its hand. And she supported her son, to the very end … and to new beginnings. In joy and in sorrow and in glory, she was with Him, and He with her-every step of the way. That is what family is for, unwavering support, solidarity in hope. And this should not be less so, but even more so in the case of spiritual families, communities of faith bound together by the love of God and one another.

And so now, I must ask you, "How will you support those disciples Jesus has called to follow him today in the service of his people as future priests and vowed religious?"  Counting the friars in formation, the Western Province has 10 novices, 31 student brothers, and 4 cooperator brothers, for a total of 45.  In addition we are hosting 5 student brothers, 1 cooperator brother from other Dominican communities, and one Chaldean seminarian.   Many dioceses and religious congregations across the country have only something like 4 or 5 or 6 or fewer men to support. We have 45 of our very own. Our numbers are increasing, but so are our expenses. And our budgets are tighter than ever. Will you help us? I trust that most of you will be able to answer "Yes." For some of you, this might mean considering making a sacrifice. Always, let prudence be your guide; but let love have the final word. You've demonstrated great generosity in the past, and so on behalf of all the brothers, I want to thank you for your many gifts, prayers, and words of encouragement over the years. Please remember us as we remember you in our prayers and aspirations.

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