Happy Dominican All Saints Day

"Do not ask me how many saints the Order of Saint Dominic has given to Heaven. Count, if you can, the stars which gleam in the firmament, and then you will know the number of saints among the descendants of Saint Dominic." --Pope Clement X

Happy Dominican All Saints Day!

Feast of St. Dominic

Deus, qui Ecclesiam tuam beati Dominici confessoris tui, Patris nostri, illuminare dignatus es meritis et doctrinis, concede ut eius intercessione temporalibus non destitatur auxiliis, et spiritualibus semper proficiat incrementis. Per Dominum.

photo: St. Dominic, St. Cecilia's, Nashville, TN; me 1/08

The Student's Prayer

of St. Thomas Aquinas

Ineffable Creator Who, from the treasures of Your wisdom, has established three hierarchies of angels,
has arrayed them in marvelous order above the fiery heavens, and has marshaled the regions of the universe with such artful skill, You are proclaimed the true font of light and wisdom, and the primal origin raised high beyond all things. Pour forth a ray of Your brightness into the darkened places of my mind; disperse from my soul the twofold darkness into which I was born: sin and ignorance. You make eloquent the tongues of infants. Refine my speech and pour forth upon my lips the goodness of Your blessing. Grant to me keenness of mind, capacity to remember, skill in learning, subtlety to interpret, and eloquence in speech. May You guide the beginning of my work, direct its progress, and bring it to completion. You Who are true God and true Man, Who live and reign, world without end. Amen.

Published in the Raccolta #764, Pius XI Studiorum Ducem, 1923.


I haven't seen it around lately, and thought it might be a good reminder.

Dominican Retreat in D.C.

Br. Peter reports on the vocations weekend the Dominicans hosted down in D.C. this past weekend. The 26 retreatants included a couple Domers - good friends of mine. (Don't they look so cute in the picture! :-D I won't embarrass them further by pointing them out ) Keep them all in your prayers!

SISTERS!

Last month, right before I visited, the Dominican Sisters in Nashville were visited by a crew from PBS who filmed and interviewed Sisters for their Religion and Ethics series.
I love them!

Last I checked, the link and embedding function weren't working, but you can try to go here to GloriaTV

You can also go straight to the source, PBS.

In a few shots you can see novice Sr. Michaela, a ND grad and one of the sweetest and coolest young ladies you'll ever meet :-)

Retreat Report

Thank you to everyone who kept me in their prayers this past week as I stayed with the Dominican Sisters in Nashville!

The retreat was one of the most amazing experiences of my life. There were 28 retreatants, all wonderful young women from age 18 to 27. They came from across the country - and there was even one from Australia! The sisters were incredible as well (and as usual! Remember, they taught me in high school).

There was plenty of time for prayer, reflection and discernment - all of which I needed desperately. It also gave me an opportunity to experience the life of the sisters and see how beautiful the vocation of consecrated life is. I now have a much greater appreciation and understanding of the life.

Thank you again, everyone.

Hopefully I'll have a better chance to share more stories and reflections from the week soon.


St Cecilia Window, 1888 chapel
photo: me 1/08

Retreat

Dear everyone,

Please keep me in your prayers these next few days. I leave in the morning for a 5 day retreat given by the Dominican Sisters in Nashville. From there I'll return to Notre Dame. Pray that my travels are safe (I'll be driving) and that the retreat is fruitful.

Thank you :-)

St Andrew's Day!

O Glorious Saint Andrew, you were the first to recognize and follow the Lamb of God. With your friend Saint John you remained with Jesus for that first day, for your entire life, and now throughout eternity.

As you led your brother Saint Peter to Christ and many others after him, draw us also to him. Teach us to lead others to Christ solely out of love for him and dedication in his service. Help us to learn the lesson of the Cross and to carry our daily crosses without complaint so that they may carry us to Jesus.

Happy Feastday to a very great number of wonderful people!

Happy feastday to all of the men of Morrissey Manor! (Particularly my very dear friends who reside on the first floor)

Happy feastday to Drew of the Holy Whapping and all those who have been given this fine name.

Happy feastday to all those of Scottish descent - particularly a few of my coworkers back home.

Last, but far from being least, happy feastday 3 very wonderful Dominicans who have all made a rather large impact on my life.



I've also just discovered that, oddly enough, St Andrew is the patron saint of singers & sore throats (I'm going to keep that in mind) and maidens, unmarried women, spinsters, and those who wish to be mothers. Hmmmmmm...



Have a blessed day, everyone!

All Saints

Sorry I missed All Saints Day. I hope everyone had very blessed and happy feastday. I most certainly did.


Among the highlights of the day was one of my friends from Moreau dressing as the Angelic Doctor with the help of a real Dominican. The expressions of some of the good Holy Cross fathers upon seeing him were priceless!







P.S. A belated happy Vocations Sunday too! Please pray for all those discerning God's call - especially those of us here at Notre Dame.

Oxford Dominicans

Aren't they amazing? There they are in full habit on the streets of Oxford standing up for life.
For those of you who don't keep tabs on the Dominicans at Oxford, you really should.