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.