English Dominicans in Santa Sabina, Rome

fr. Lawrence Lew was in Rome recently for the 10th Anniversary celebrations of the Dominican Volunteers International program, which was inaugurated by fr. Timothy Radcliffe in 2000. There will be a report about this on Godzdogz in a few days time. The DVI meeting took place in Santa Sabina, which includes the 5th-century basilica given to St Dominic in 1219. The priory, which has a 13th-century cloister and a wing built by Pope St Pius V, is home to the Master of the Order and his Curia. Many great saints of the Order, including St Dominic, St Albert the Great, St Thomas Aquinas, and St Hyacinth have lived at Santa Sabina. At the moment, four brothers of the English Province live and work there. It is unprecedented for so many English Dominicans to be living concurrently in this historic priory of the Order.

From the Province of England, there have been:

Philip Thomas Cardinal Howard who lived here as a Cardinal and was a member of the community, only using his palace (which is now part of the Venerable English College) for official business in the city.

And more recently:

Conrad Pepler, liturgist at the 'School for Novice Masters';

Aylwin Tyndal-Atkinson, former Provincial and socius to fr. Emmanuel Suarez;

David Lawson, a lay brother who came to assist fr. Aylwin, and later lived at Santa Maria Maggiore where he (David) died;

Drostan McLaren, who was assistant to the Order's Syndic (bursar) in the 1950s;

Hilary Carpenter, former Provincial, socius to fr. Michael Browne and then to fr. Aniceto Fernandez;

Godfrey Anstruther, who was a member of the Dominican Historical Institute;

John Orme Mills, assistant to the Master on the means of social communication;

Timothy Radcliffe, former Provinicial, and 85th Master of the Order of Preachers;

Benjamin Earl, student in canon law;

And currently (all in the photo below along with fr. Lawrence, l. to r.):

Bruno Clifton, student in Sacred Scripture;

Robert Ombres, Procurator General;

Mark Edney, President of the International Dominican Foundation;

Allan White, former Provincial, and socius to fr. Carlos Azpiroz Costa and now to fr. Bruno Cadoré.