Friars' Passions - 7 It's a dog's life

When I was growing up in rural Kilkenny I was surrounded by animals, farm animals, wildlife in its many amazing forms, and of course dogs. As a child I had the usual collection of animals: rabbits, sometimes injured on the road and kept until they could be released, a quick succession of goldfish, hamsters and most of all dogs. Dogs are by far my favourite domestic animal. Dogs are utterly faithful, affectionate and loyal. They offer to a kind owner complete and utter devotion. 

The types of dogs I have had have all been rough haired collies, which in my opinion exemplify the aforementioned characteristics/virtues. When I got home our dog always welcomes me with a display of excitement. While I was living at home I never had to depend on an alarm clock, as I was usually woken with a paw in the face. In the course of my religious life I have never been in a priory that has had pets of any kind, but if I ever become a superior I will try to change that! 

One of the symbols of our order is a dog with a flaming torch in its mouth, and while that was not the reason I joined (contrary to what my novice master thought) it does support my position that dogs ought to be a natural part of priory life. I leave with a quote that a friend e-mailed to me one day, concerning dogs: “My goal in life is to be as good a person my dog already thinks I am”.

Br Dennis Murphy OP is a student of the Irish Province, shown above with his dream dog!

On the Areopagus - 1 A New Series

Godzdogz has been marking the Year of St Paul in a number of ways including, the A-Z of Paul which we published last year. During February 2009 we will publish a new series called 'On the Areopagus'. This refers to Paul's preaching at Athens, recounted in Acts 17. The Areopagus was, like the Forum in Rome, a central meeting place for business, discussion and civil affairs. We are told that Paul there spoke to the philosophers and citizens of Athens, trying to make connections between their convictions and worship and the gospel of Christ.

His preaching went well for a long time, they were curious and interested, but it broke down when he began to speak about judgement and the fact that God had appointed one man, Jesus, to be judge, confirming his role as judge by raising him from the dead. At that point many laughed, others said they would listen again sometime, and a handful came to believe.

Our idea in 'On the Areopagus' is to try to imitate Paul in his preaching at Athens, making connections between the convictions and concerns of people in various areas of life and the gospel of Christ. Our hope is to show how Catholic teaching responds to contemporary questions in culture, politics, science, etc. starting, where possible, with texts of Paul himself. We want to show how the gospel sheds a distinctive light on human problems. We hope that it will be of interest to you and that it will offer answers, or at least further food for thought, about many of the questions you send our way.

The Areopagus as it is today

In launching the Vatican's YouTube channel, Pope Benedict referred to St Paul's preaching on the Areopagus. 'So that the Church and its message continue to be present in the great Areopagus of social communications as defined by John Paul II', he said, 'and so that it is not a stranger to those spaces where numerous young people search for answers and meaning in their lives, you must find new ways to spread voices and images of hope through the ever-evolving communications system that surrounds our planet' (see here).

Friars' Passions - 6 A Design for Life

I have always taken an interest in design.  From a young age I was drawn to consider the abstract form of objects and how this could be improved upon.  When I moved to London as a student I was overwhelmed by the beauty of the architecture and the range of styles which can be found there, something for which London is famous.  As Christians we believe that God is beauty itself.  For the human being, therefore, who is created in the image of God, to make something beautiful is to participate in God's creativity. The sacred art I had prayed before in my parish church, and the devotion it expressed, inspired me as I grew up to seek out the best that could be found in art, architecture and design. 

In a beautifully made object we can see a reflection of God's very beauty and beauty is something that everyone appreciates, in some way or other.  Since joining the Order I have been able to use my interest in design to assist in the production of many things with other brothers who have a keen eye.  The interesting thing is that as I get older, although I am still fascinated by the talent some people have to create beautiful things and the processes that they use to do so, I find myself more and more inspired by the beauty of nature.  Nothing made by human beings, no matter how interesting, can compare to the beauty of God's own handiwork.   

Friars' Passions - 5 An enduring interest in History

'What has been will be again, what has been done will be done again; there is nothing new under the sun.' So the book of Ecclesiastes reminds us with something of a weary tone. One of my interests over the years has been the study of history. I particularly like the biographies of people who over the centuries have had the courage to live out their principles and struggle towards their vision, sometimes against great odds. I believe that to understand our past with all it achievements and victories, setbacks and defeats, joys and horrors, we must seek to understand better the people who were involved in shaping those moments with all their motivations, dreams and ideas.

Although our world has changed beyond recognition in the last two decades, I think we can be sure that human nature has not changed. There is nothing new under the sun. Therefore a study of history and its characters will help us understand better our world as it is today and make us wiser is trying to avoid the mistakes of our past. It can give us a fascinating insight into human nature in all its complexity. It should also give each of us the knowledge that, with God’s help, and if only in a small way, one person can make a real difference for the better in the lives of others. In the words of the great Irishman Edmund Burke, 'nobody made a greater mistake than he who did nothing because he could do only a little'.

In the News....

Two recent articles, one in The Times and the other in The Catholic Herald, speak about the Priory and the Dominican students in Oxford.

Friars' Passions - 4 O Praise Him with Sound of Trumpet

The recent atheist advertising campaign with the slogan “God probably doesn’t exist. Now stop worrying and enjoy your life” seems to suggest that having faith in God is an obstacle to enjoying life. Clearly, someone has got the wrong end of the stick. One of the great joys in my life, something I am very passionate about is playing the trumpet. It never ceases to amaze me that by making a strange buzzing noise down a piece of metal tubing, it is possible to produce such a celestial sound.

I first started playing the trumpet when I was 10 years old, and from the age of 13, I started playing at church for special feasts such as Christmas and Easter. I’ve always felt a great honour in being allowed to praise God and glorify His name in this way.

From a young age, I’ve found the music of JS Bach very inspiring. Works such as the Magnificat, the Mass in B minor and the Christmas Oratorio contain so much joy. As I was growing up, I told myself that one day I would be able to play these pieces. I saved up my pocket money to buy a piccolo trumpet, but I remember the disappointment in discovering that this instrument didn’t make Bach instantly playable. The years went by, and I kept telling myself ‘maybe next year I’ll have the range and endurance to play the Christmas Oratorio.’

By the age of 26, several years before I’d joined the Dominicans, it was obvious I had reached a plateau – I was practising the trumpet between 2 and 3 hours a day, and I wasn’t getting any closer to playing Bach’s beautiful music. Was it just that I didn’t have the natural ability – were my lips or teeth the wrong shape? No. It was just that I had learnt to play in a way that was rather limiting. I’d reached a dead end. I came to this conclusion after reading about a trumpet player called Jerome Callet. He spent many years struggling to play the trumpet. He sought the advice of some of the best trumpet players in America, and they told him he didn’t have the natural ability. But undeterred, he experimented, he looked at photographs of great players, he listened to their sound, and he discovered that these players weren’t special in themselves, but rather, they were playing the trumpet in a special way, a technique Jerome Callet now teaches. Now I had read lots about all sorts of trumpet technique, and what Jerome Callet was suggesting was radically different from what everyone else was saying, but I found the hope that he was offering irresistible.

So I totally abandoned my old way of playing and tried this new method. It really was starting from scratch – I sounded like a 10 year old again. I had some lessons from Jerome but I found it so difficult to break my old habits. I spent 3 years in the wilderness, a time in which I felt a loss of confidence, a time I couldn’t even play the music I’d played in church as a 13 year old, never mind JS Bach. Then about 5 years ago, something suddenly clicked into place. I started to understand what Jerome had been trying to teach me. From that moment onwards I’ve made such a lot of progress, and I don’t even have to practise that hard – as a Dominican, it would be completely impossible to practise 3 hours a day. Here is a recording of me playing some of the music that inspired me during my childhood.


I haven’t performed these pieces in public yet, but I’d love to have the opportunity to play them in their proper liturgical setting.

The struggles I’ve had with playing the trumpet seem to mirror some of the struggles I’ve had with being a Catholic. Having to recognise there are times when I’m wrong, having to put aside whatever prevents me from flourishing, having to look to the lives of other people for inspiration. Some ways of doing things are better than others and human reason can help us to decide which. But there may also be times when we just have to let go of our ideological baggage and embrace something without fully understanding it. As Jesus says, ‘come and see’.

Friars' Passions - 4 O Praise Him with Sound of Trumpet

The recent atheist advertising campaign with the slogan “God probably doesn’t exist. Now stop worrying and enjoy your life” seems to suggest that having faith in God is an obstacle to enjoying life. Clearly, someone has got the wrong end of the stick. One of the great joys in my life, something I am very passionate about is playing the trumpet. It never ceases to amaze me that by making a strange buzzing noise down a piece of metal tubing, it is possible to produce such a celestial sound.

I first started playing the trumpet when I was 10 years old, and from the age of 13, I started playing at church for special feasts such as Christmas and Easter. I’ve always felt a great honour in being allowed to praise God and glorify His name in this way.

From a young age, I’ve found the music of JS Bach very inspiring. Works such as the Magnificat, the Mass in B minor and the Christmas Oratorio contain so much joy. As I was growing up, I told myself that one day I would be able to play these pieces. I saved up my pocket money to buy a piccolo trumpet, but I remember the disappointment in discovering that this instrument didn’t make Bach instantly playable. The years went by, and I kept telling myself ‘maybe next year I’ll have the range and endurance to play the Christmas Oratorio.’

By the age of 26, several years before I’d joined the Dominicans, it was obvious I had reached a plateau – I was practising the trumpet between 2 and 3 hours a day, and I wasn’t getting any closer to playing Bach’s beautiful music. Was it just that I didn’t have the natural ability – were my lips or teeth the wrong shape? No. It was just that I had learnt to play in a way that was rather limiting. I’d reached a dead end. I came to this conclusion after reading about a trumpet player called Jerome Callet. He spent many years struggling to play the trumpet. He sought the advice of some of the best trumpet players in America, and they told him he didn’t have the natural ability. But undeterred, he experimented, he looked at photographs of great players, he listened to their sound, and he discovered that these players weren’t special in themselves, but rather, they were playing the trumpet in a special way, a technique Jerome Callet now teaches. Now I had read lots about all sorts of trumpet technique, and what Jerome Callet was suggesting was radically different from what everyone else was saying, but I found the hope that he was offering irresistible.

So I totally abandoned my old way of playing and tried this new method. It really was starting from scratch – I sounded like a 10 year old again. I had some lessons from Jerome but I found it so difficult to break my old habits. I spent 3 years in the wilderness, a time in which I felt a loss of confidence, a time I couldn’t even play the music I’d played in church as a 13 year old, never mind JS Bach. Then about 5 years ago, something suddenly clicked into place. I started to understand what Jerome had been trying to teach me. From that moment onwards I’ve made such a lot of progress, and I don’t even have to practise that hard – as a Dominican, it would be completely impossible to practise 3 hours a day. Here is a recording of me playing some of the music that inspired me during my childhood.


I haven’t performed these pieces in public yet, but I’d love to have the opportunity to play them in their proper liturgical setting.

The struggles I’ve had with playing the trumpet seem to mirror some of the struggles I’ve had with being a Catholic. Having to recognise there are times when I’m wrong, having to put aside whatever prevents me from flourishing, having to look to the lives of other people for inspiration. Some ways of doing things are better than others and human reason can help us to decide which. But there may also be times when we just have to let go of our ideological baggage and embrace something without fully understanding it. As Jesus says, ‘come and see’.

Friars' Passions - 3 The Heavens are telling the glory of God …

It’s not very inviting to venture out these January evenings, but the frost and cold is no match for warm clothes, sturdy shoes, thermal gloves, and the determination to train my telescope on the stellar constellations and planets that light up the night sky.

Astronomy is a hobby I have enjoyed since I was a child. I have always been hooked on the thrill of seeing with my own eyes something that isn’t even on the planet. There is something truly exquisite about being able to appreciate a feast of natural beauty often billions of miles away. I’m watching closely at the moment for a clear night in Oxford, when I can train my telescope on the planet Saturn (currently visible in the night sky in the later evening) and see the rings that are illumined by the Sun, and first viewed by the human eye of Galileo Galilei in 1610. Saturn itself is at a minimum of 1.3 billion kilometres distance from earth, when the sun and Saturn are seen at opposing sides from Earth.

Recently the BBC News website reported: “Pope Praises Galileo’s Astronomy”, as he did on the 21 December 2008. The article notes that Pope Benedict XVI has been embroiled in controversy in the past for appearing to condone the verdict of heresy against Galileo, famously declared in 1633 for his assertion that the earth revolved around the sun and not the other way round. This controversy has led to a perceived split between the practice of faith and the discipline of astronomy, no doubt a smaller symptom of the dichotomy between faith and reason, science and religion so highlighted in areas of Enlightenment and modern thought.

Of course, the Church now accepts that Galileo’s observation was correct, but she has never been opposed to astronomy in principle. In fact, the date of Easter is carefully appointed for each year by the Church with the aid of astronomers, who devised sophisticated equipment that allows them to predict years in advance the date of the first full moon of spring, the Sunday after which is Easter Sunday.

In his Angelus address on 21 December 2008, the Pope prayed for those who participate in various ways in this International Year of Astronomy. This venerable discipline, the Pope reflected, plays a significant role in marking out the rhythm of prayer, recalling particularly the Angelus prayer itself, recited by tradition at morning, noon and evening: 'you made the moon to mark the months, the sun knows the time of its setting' (Psalm 103).

I myself have no professional skill or advanced learning in the field of astronomy. It is merely the beauty of the universe that causes me to lift my eyes above the mountains, and witness there that the heavens are telling the glory of God (Psalm 19).

Teaching an Old Dog New Tricks

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January 25 - Saul to Paul

For the first half of his life he was Saul and for the second part Paul. He became the apostle to the Gentiles, the founder of Churches, a travelling preacher and a writer of letters. At the end he witnessed to Christ by shedding his blood as a martyr for the faith at Rome. January 25th is the feast of the Conversion of Saint Paul, the moment he ceased to be Saul and became Paul. By God’s grace he was destined to be one of the greatest saints of the Church, a man whose life and writings continue to nourish the faith of millions. Paul describes himself as ‘one untimely born’ (1 Corinthians 15), brought to birth as ‘the last and least’ of the apostles, those privileged to encounter the risen Lord. His life before that moment – his life as ‘Saul’, culminating in his persecution of the Church of God – does not count any more.

It is true that in 2 Corinthians 11, Philippians 3, and Romans 11 Paul gives us a lot of information about his life and times, about his ancestry and education, and about the events of his life before and after his conversion. The Acts of the Apostles fills in many gaps and there is more to be gleaned from other letters of the New Testament. But if we are to take his own words seriously, then the significant life of Paul the Apostle is his preaching of the gospel and his establishment of churches. His life in Christ is the life that counts. There is nothing before or around that that is worthy of much attention. This is because for him ‘to live is Christ’ (Philippians 1.21) so that ‘it is no longer Paul who lives but Christ who lives in him’ (Galatians 2.20). The fate of Paul is now completely entwined with the fate of Christ and of his Body, the Church.

Paul belongs to the line of Israel’s prophets for whom a vision and vocation inaugurate a new life. Isaiah, for example, saw God’s glory in the temple at Jerusalem, felt his own unworthiness, had his lips burned clean with fire, and then entrusted himself to the grace that made him the bearer of God’s word (Isaiah 6). Amos the keeper of sycamore trees is also turned into a prophet (Amos 7). Jeremiah is called in spite of his feeling that he is too young for the responsibilities involved (Jeremiah 1).

We can use the words of Isaiah, describing the effects of God’s presence in the temple, to say that Paul’s experience of untimely birth meant the shaking of his foundations and the filling of his house with smoke. He was confused and blinded for some time until a representative of the Church, Ananias, came as the instrument of God’s Spirit and guided him to his new birth (Acts 9). Then in baptism, as he has taught the whole Church, Paul became a new creation (2 Corinthians 5.17).

And so his life begins. We cannot doubt that Paul’s personal experience of Jesus on the road to Damascus and in the days that followed deserves all the attention that has been lavished on it. The Acts of the Apostles tells the story three times. (Artists tend to paint the scene with Paul falling from a horse but in none of these accounts is there any reference to a horse!) His teaching and the energy with which he travelled back and forth across the Roman Empire were the result of that moment in which Paul met Jesus and was forever overwhelmed.

What did Saint Paul then do all day? He tells us that he burned himself out in his anxiety and care for the churches. There are hints that he continued to earn a living through his trade of tent making (1 Corinthians 9). But this would have been a tedious distraction from his heart’s passion, which was to preach the gospel of the crucified and risen Lord, to become all things to all people that he might somehow win some of them. He preached to Jews and Greeks, to tradesmen and philosophers, to prison guards and political leaders, to men and women.

As an instrument of the Spirit he achieved remarkable things. He established and strengthened Christian communities in many places. He brought the gospel to Europe. He ended his life by dying a martyr’s death in Rome. He was privileged to follow Christ in more than a figurative sense. With his physical blood Paul completed the outpouring of his heart’s passion, his love for Christ, that love from God that had been poured into his heart by the Holy Spirit. He lived always in faith and love, never for a moment forgetting the grace of God working in him in spite of many difficulties and personal weaknesses.

Saint Paul is one of the best-known personalities of the ancient world who continues to teach and inspire millions of disciples of Jesus. On January 25 we recall the wonderful things God did through him. Let us, in Paul’s own words, ‘give thanks to God who gave him (and gives us) the victory through our Lord, Jesus Christ’ (1 Corinthians 15.57).

Vocations Fair at St Gregory's

On 21 January, Dominican students from Blackfriars, Oxford took part in a Vocations Fair organised by St Gregory the Great school. Over a dozen religious orders and congregations including the Dominican Sisters of St Joseph were represented in the school hall. Small groups of secondary school students moved from one stall to another in successive 3-minute periods, where they were given a short introduction to the particular religious order and its charism.


The children asked us a range of questions from the usual 'Why did you choose to be a Dominican?', to the more thought-provoking: 'How do you know the devil exists?'. Many were also interested in the Dominican habit and its use.

The school has had three days of promoting the vocation to priesthood and the religious life this week, and the Vocations Fair was the final event. It was a tiring but stimulating day, and it was a delight to meet the children as well as other religious from the Birmingham archdiocese and further afield. 

Friars' Passions - 2 Lawrence the Photomartyr

Some people are amazed whenever they see me without a camera around my neck. In my novitiate, with a derivation from my religious name which is after St Lawrence Ruiz, protomartyr of the Philippines, I was dubbed the 'photo-martyr', because I would spend my free afternoons wandering around taking photographs. How did this passion for photography happen, and what does it offer for a Dominican friar?

Like many people, I initially only used my camera to capture those moments that I wanted to remember, like my graduation, foreign holidays and parties with friends; the sort of photos one generally sees on 'Facebook'. However, during my year in the Philippines as a Dominican lay volunteer, I took more photos than ever before and started to enjoy photography as an art, but I soon realised that my simple camera restricted the creative range of my photographs. So, before I entered the novitiate, I acquired a better camera, with the intention of developing my new-found interest into a hobby. I reckoned that once I had a digital camera with rechargeable batteries, I did not have any further consumables or substantial running costs, thus making it a low-cost hobby for a poor mendicant friar to maintain.

Like most things, practice improves our skills and enjoyment of the thing. Fortunately, my novitiate year in Cambridge provided me with plenty of places to photograph. Initially, I had a special interest in stained glass windows because their colourful scenes of Biblical stories and saints seemed to me ideal for catechetical slide shows and presentations, especially for children. However, as I explored the churches around Cambridge, I began to develop an interest in the buildings and their history. This interest in architecture and church buildings was not new, but a conscious effort to photograph them well and to explore the details and history of the church with my camera was new to me. 

I upload my photos on a photo-sharing site called Flickr, initially to support a blog I wrote as a novice, and later on to support Godzdogz. However, through Flickr, I also discovered the beauty and wonder of photography and a community of like-minded photographers who inspired me to develop my photographic eye and improve. Developing this eye for beauty in the world around me meant learning to be more observant and attentive to God's creation, to people and places. I find that, as Hopkins said, "the world is charged with the grandeur of God", and so my photos might be likened to an offering of thanks to God for the goodness I see around me.

Through Flickr, I arranged to meet up with other photographers and 'church-crawlers' in Oxford and thoroughly explored the city with my camera in tow. As my portfolio grew, I was able to upload photos on my Flickr page every day, often with a quotation from Scripture or a Christian writer or a simple reflection. I wanted to draw people from the beauty of the photograph and what it represented to God who is beauty. I also hoped to explain to others what the stained glass windows depicted, whether it was a Biblical scene, or sacrament, or saint, and so prompt further interest in the Christian faith which inspired such works of art. Thus, what began as a past-time became a means to preach and share my faith with the wider world. Through Flickr, I often encounter people who may not be Christian or church-going but who have an interest in God and the Christian story, and so the photos initiate a dialogue of faith.

To my delight, I also found that my love for photography could be used for the Order in other ways, as I was asked to photograph provincial events and pilgrimages, as well as various occasions in Blackfriars, Oxford. I enjoy taking photos of people, my brethren and our Dominican life. Often, people can be self-conscious about being photographed, so it is a joy to reveal through my photos how beautiful we truly are, how diverse the range of human facial expressions and gestures, and indeed how grace-filled is the everyday life we Dominicans live as 'brothers dwelling in unity'. 

Many of these photos have appeared in Godzdogz and in newspapers, and I have also used my photos to illustrate the new website of the English Dominican Province. My photos have also been used in commercial publications, for which I invite publishers to send the priory a donation. So far no one has ever refused to send us a donation, and I am glad that my hobby can help the priory financially, albeit in a small way. A recent publication was the St Paul Prayer Book (Family Publications).

Hence, what began as a pastime and hobby has grown into a passion and a part of my Dominican vocation, and I am thankful that I am able to use my photos for the good of the Church and the Order. 

Friars' Passions - 1 Fever Pitch

As any decent north-Londoner I have been a life-long supporter of Arsenal football club. My brothers and I were taken to Highbury from an early age by our father. Whilst the football played during the George Graham era was neither exciting nor beautiful, I developed a love not only for the Gunners but for football itself. Watching a slick, silky and attacking side (as encouraged by Monsieur Wenger!) is exhilarating and at its best awe-inspiring. On the other side a conservative and defensive game can be intriguing as you wait for a spark to break the tension. There is also the hard-tackling, route one game which, whilst ugly, is a guilty pleasure. During ninety minutes I can unleash the full spectrum of emotions: from indignation to adulation, melancholy to nostalgia, happiness to thankfulness.

Football however, is more than twenty-two men running around with a ball. Its history, development and global reach have resulted in a culture that is diverse, surreal and interesting. Reading about how the Tyne-Wear rivalry has its roots in the English civil war, hearing about the typical Scottish third-division experience, or watching a film about the American soccer league in the 1970’s can be fascinating.

Since joining the Order, I have not been able to go to as many live matches as before but in the digital media age I can still get my fix. There are times when the bell for office is ringing and I am shouting at the referee to blow time whilst preparing to sprint to the church! But my interest in football has been very fruitful since I became a friar. Most importantly it has, at times, allowed me to find initial neutral common ground with people who feel isolated from the Church. This has at times led eventually to talking about the Gospel. Football has also provoked many animated, yet fraternal, discussions with my brethren. My time in the order has also matured my footballing character. I will even now sit down with S***s fans.

Solemn Profession in Augsburg

Over the years, several brothers from the Province of St Albert in Southern Germany and Austria have studied and worked in the English Province. On 10 January 2009 we rejoiced in the solemn profession of three brothers in Augsburg, Germany: fr Martin Grandinger OP, fr Sebastian Tönnesen OP, and fr Johannes Weise OP. fr Martin is currently studying theology in Blackfriars, Oxford and writes for Godzdogz. fr Johannes undertook a pastoral placement in St Dominic's Priory, London in 2007 and joined us on our provincial pilgrimage to Lourdes.

Three brothers from Oxford attended the Mass of Profession. Below, fr Benedict Jonak OP and fr Robert Gay OP sing with fr Robert Mehlhart OP, another student of the Province of St Albert who lived with us in Blackfriars, Oxford in the academic year 2006-07. He has also written articles for Godzdogz. Also present at the Mass was fr Gregory Murphy OP. Occasions like these, full of fraternal joy, bring together brothers from all over the world and emphasise the unity of the sons of St Dominic.

The friars who are about to make solemn profession lie prostrate in the church of the Holy Cross in Augsburg.

fr Martin Grandinger OP makes profession bis zum Tod ('until death'), in the hands of his Provincial, fr Dietmar Schon OP.

Friars and laity gather round the altar and celebrate the Eucharist, thanking God on the occasion of the solemn profession of our brothers.

Please pray for our brothers that the Lord who has begun this good work in them may bring it to completion.

Dominican Seminar

The annual Dominican Seminar for friars, sisters and laity of the Order took place in Hinsley Hall, Leeds from the 3rd - 5th of January this year. As it is the Pauline Year, the theme was 'In the Steps of St Paul - A Call to Mission' and there were seven talks about various aspects of St Paul's writings, his theology and influence.


fr Robert Gay OP (above) spoke about the influence of St Paul on Christian spirituality, particularly monastic asceticism. The key Pauline text in this regard is 1 Corinthians 9:24-27: "Do you not know that in a race all the runners compete, but only one receives the prize? So run that you may obtain it. Every athlete exercises self-control in all things. They do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable. Well, I do not run aimlessly, I do not box as one beating the air; but I pommel my body and subdue it, lest after preaching to others I myself should be disqualified." 

The Greek word Paul uses is 'ascesis', which means practice or exercise, including athletic exercise. fr Robert thus explained how this Pauline text influenced St Antony of Egypt, Evagrius and John Cassian and their writings on Christian asceticism which exhorted Christians to discipline the passions and bodily desires so that we might more faithfully imitate Christ, conform our lives to his, and be rid of anything that distracts us from living in Christ.

This key Pauline thought - life in Christ, which was examined in detail in a guided Scripture study by fr John Farrell OP - formed the basis for the second part of fr Robert's talk as he also looked at the mystical writings of St Bernard of Clairvaux and St John of the Cross. Asceticism and the desire for mystical union with Christ, then, are found in the writings of St Paul; we too, like St Paul, should strive, through various ascetic goals, to reach our final end of union with God.

Related to fr Robert's talk was one given by the student master, fr Vivian Boland OP on Paul's anthropology and understanding of human destiny. fr Richard Conrad OP gave a talk on the letter to the Hebrews and its possible Pauline inspiration. Sr Ann Cunningham OP (in the photo below) looked at St Paul's attitude to women and refreshingly placed him in his cultural context and concluded that Paul was a man of affection and passion for the Lord whom she would have loved to have met and worked with. Following on from this was a talk by Patrick Doyle, a lay Dominican, on the collaborative ministry of St Paul and the role of the laity. Finally, Sr Cecily Boulding OP gave a talk on Paul's ecclesiology which led to an extended discussion on the Church today and the challenges the Church faces as she seeks to preach the gospel in the 21st century.



All the talks were stimulating, generating much discussion, and they led to a re-discovery of the beauty of St Paul's letters, the depth of his theology and the attractiveness of his love for Jesus Christ. As members of the Dominican family, we also enjoyed times of recreation with one another, animated conversations and laughter, and quieter moments of prayer and solemn sung liturgy.