A-Z of the Mass - He Placed Himself in the Order of Signs

During the summer months we will be offering an A-Z of the Mass, a series of reflections on different aspects and moments of the Mass. Here we give a general introduction to the sacramental system which is at the heart of the Catholic faith.

Poetry, symbol and ritual are essential parts of the celebration of Catholic faith. If our gatherings involved just words and ideas they would become tedious and boring, a kind of committee meeting—and this happens sometimes when liturgies get overloaded with explanations and commentaries on what is going on. A good symbol needs little commentary. Where a lot of explaining is required, the symbol is a weak one.

Poetry, symbol and ritual are parts of human culture everywhere. These are ways in which human beings communicate with each other, celebrate and share life together, express their convictions and values, mark the fact of belonging to one another. Go to Old Trafford or White Hart Lane on a Saturday and you will see a powerful human gathering involving poetry, symbol and ritual. Part of the delicacy of God’s love is that God adapted himself to our needs, revealing the mystery of his life in ways that would reach us. The Welsh poet David Jones speaks of this by saying that our Lord ‘placed himself in the order of signs’, not for his own sake but for ours, since these are the ways in which we share meaning, hope, conviction and life.

The history of Israel is a series of events and words. The exodus from Egypt, entry into the promised land, exile to Babylon, return to Palestine ... all these great events are moments in the story of God’s relationship with Israel. The significance of each moment is interpreted by teachers and prophets. The life shared between God and God’s people is celebrated and renewed in the rituals and liturgies which recall those events and make their power effective again. When a Jewish family gathers to celebrate the Passover it is not just to recall a historical moment but to experience anew its meaning and power for believers today.

Christians have made their own this Jewish understanding of rituals which re-enact great historical events. For Christians the great event now is of course the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. The meaning and power of ‘the mysteries of Christ’ are not only recalled but are made present for us in the rituals of the Church, especially in the great central liturgies which we call the sacraments. Sacraments are signs or symbols, ‘outward signs of inward grace’ in the classical definition going back to Saint Augustine. But the sacraments are not just ‘things’—the consecrated bread and wine, the blessed water, the hallowed oil. It is better to think in terms of ‘sacramental liturgies’, the events of baptism, confirmation, the Mass, anointing, marriage and so on. Each of these involves words, ideas, symbols, silences, gestures, songs, physical elements, an agreed order in which things happen when the people of God come together.

When David Jones spoke of our Lord ‘placing himself in the order of signs’ he took it to mean a further emptying of himself by the Son of God. Not only did he become human like us, not only did he accept death on the cross, but he put himself, his life and teaching, at our disposal. He placed himself in our hands. It may seem scandalous that we should think this way but it is true that he has handed himself over completely to the disciples making us the ministers of his teaching and life.

This is all ‘for us and for our salvation’. Thomas Aquinas says that the sacraments of the Church mark the most significant moments and relationships in our spiritual lives in a way that parallels the moments and relationships of our physical lives. Just as we are brought to birth, grow to maturity and are daily nourished in order to live physically, so we are baptised, confirmed and fed with the Eucharist in order to live spiritually. Just as we take remedies against illness and the threat of death, so the sacraments of penance and anointing restore us to health and strengthen us for dying. Just as there is marriage and government in any human community, so there are the sacraments of marriage and holy orders to structure the life of the Church.

There is a sense, of course, in which Christ remains hidden in the sacraments, ‘beneath’ or ‘within’ the signs. For the moment this is how he is available to us, this is where we encounter him. But in the kingdom of heaven it will not be so. When we are face to face with Him, enabled to see him as He really is, there will then be no need for sacraments. For now, though, God’s kindness and wisdom have established this ‘order of signs’, simple and ordinary symbolic rituals, through which we are in touch with God and God with us.

Garden Parties

The recent weather has been quite ideal for that great English institution, the garden party. Strawberries and cream are de rigueur and a refreshing drink lubricates the conversation. Here in Blackfriars, Oxford, we have had two garden parties. The first was to mark the end of the academic year. The Blackfriars Hall Garden Party is a good chance for students and tutors to unwind and catch up with friends before they scatter for the long vacation.





Blackfriars Priory also had a garden party on Sunday 27 June, one of a series of events to thank our benefactors who support us throughout the year and particularly with the recently-completed Priory Renewal project. It was a good occasion to meet people from our various Mass congregations. Families came on the hottest day of the summer (so far!) to chat with us and to enjoy the sunshine. Provision was even made for those who wanted to watch the unfortunate England-Germany World Cup match!

Vamos a Madrid - Join us for World Youth Day 2011!

Join the Dominican students of Godzdogz, other English Dominican friars, and millions of young Catholics for World Youth Day 2011 in Madrid. For more information on our specially-tailored Dominican pilgrimage to WYD 2011 email wyd@english.op.org.

Vocations Story: Br Robert Gay OP

When did you first start thinking about religious life?

I was in a bookshop in Canterbury, before I became a Catholic, and I came across a book by the late Cardinal Basil Hume OSB called Searching for God. It is a collection of talks he gave to the novices and juniors of Ampleforth when he was Abbot of that monastery. This was actually one of the first Catholic books that I had read, and so my journey towards Catholicism and my journey towards religious life were very much linked.

In that case, what was it that attracted you to Catholicism?

I came across a group of Italian Erasmus students as a PhD student, and they were Sunday Mass goers. One week I went along with them, and to put it simply, I didn't stop. At the time, I wasn't quite sure why, I was simply captivated by what happened at the altar and impressed by the priest's homily. Later I came to realize that it was the real presence of Christ that was drawing me in. It seemed to me that if this was true, if Christ was really present sacramentally, then this must make a difference to my entire life. So it was natural that I should begin to consider both becoming a Catholic and also the possibility of a call to religious life.

What happened next?

I was received into the Church at Wye College in Kent, then two weeks later I followed my supervisor to Glasgow where he had a new position, but after three months a serious fire in my lab stalled my PhD. This gave me a lot of time to think about the future in a prayerful way, to ponder what I was doing and why. I began to attend daily mass, and a local prayer group in which I began to see and understand the importance and value of the pastor in a Christian community. I began to recognize the importance of being guided in the spiritual life. I suppose the crunch moment came on Vocations Sunday, when I found myself at Westminster Cathedral for Mass. Bishop George Stack gave an excellent homily, and the liturgy was beautiful. Afterwards, while I was praying, I remember thinking that it was a shame that more people didn't offer their lives to Christ as priests and religious. Then it occurred to me that it was people like me that needed to make that gift of their lives, perhaps God was calling me?

How did you respond to this insight?

I went and had a chat with the curate of my parish and he became my spiritual director. He asked me all the right questions. In the process my understanding of my own vocation began to slowly take shape. I realized then that I did not feel tied to a particular place, neither a particular monastery nor a particular diocese. This seemed to rule out the stability of the monastic life, yet there were elements of Benedictine life in particular that I found very attractive: the prayer, the community life, the study. But in addition to these points I wanted an apostolate, I could only see myself as a Benedictine up to a certain point. My spiritual director suggested that I research some other religious orders, and I came across the Dominicans via the internet.

What was it about the Order that attracted you?

I could tell from the photographs on the website that there was common prayer as there were photographs of the brethren singing in choir. At the same time the descriptions of their work included hospital chaplaincy, prison chaplaincy, the kind of apostolic outlet that I had been looking for. At this point I stopped looking at other Orders. It seems very bold looking back, but I honestly felt as soon as I saw the Dominican website that this was exactly the life that I had been looking for, and that either I had a vocation to be a Dominican, or I didn't have a vocation at all.

What was your next move?

I got in touch with the vocations director, and I spent about a year visiting Dominican houses up and down the country. I remember attending morning prayer at Blackfriars ,Oxford. I was very impressed by the beauty of the Church, with the morning sun streaming through the windows, and the energy of the prayer. The community looked dynamic, there was a good mix of ages among the brethren in choir, and they certainly sang lustily!

What really impressed me during my time visiting Dominican houses was my sense that the desire to study and preach the Gospel was very much alive. At that time I was reading Timothy Radcliffe's book Sing a New Song and you could see that the brethren were striving for the ideals of Dominican life that Timothy described in his book. Of course, the communities weren't perfect, but I got the sense that the Order was a place for passionate people. At the same time, there was a real humanity about the brethren. I immediately felt at home, even on very short visits. I was struck by how joyful the communities were.

Have you any more thoughts on vocation that you would like to share?

I think that it is important that every young person takes the time prayerfully to discern their vocation, whatever that may be. It is so important for the future of the Church that young people have the courage to ask themselves: 'what is it that God wants me to do with my life?' If we take Christ seriously and really listen to his particular call for our lives, then we can end up in places that we never expected. The natural response is to say: 'surely this does not apply to me,' but we must take the question seriously. Finding what God wants from us is to find our home - the place where we can flourish. It seems like a risk, and like the disciples we seem to be 'casting into the deep' but that risk helps us to learn to live in a way that is God-filled and life-giving. I can honestly say that there is nothing I have given up as a religious that I have not received back with interest. If we give our life to Christ and believe in his love and transforming grace, then we who are ordinary people can do extraordinary things for his sake.

Br Robert has recently been appointed vocations promoter for the English Province. He will be ordained to the priesthood in July.

For more information about the Dominican vocation see here

Dominican Priesthood

Our Dominican brother Anthony Fisher, Bishop of Paramatta, gave a talk to the friars of the Irish Province on 'Priesthood in the Dominican Order' as they gathered to reflect on Dominican Priesthood at the end of the Year for Priests.

The text and more details are available here.

H/T to Dominican Interactive

Quodlibet 31 - FAQs about the Dominican habit

Godzdogz has received a range of questions about the form and colour of the Dominican habit, when and how it is worn, and who may use it. This post will attempt to answer these questions.

Firstly, the word 'habit' comes from the Latin habitus which, among other things, simply means clothing. However, the religious habit is not just clothing but also has a symbolic value. As the Dominican Constitutions §51 says, the habit is worn "as a sign of our consecration". Therefore, it is both a reminder to the brother of the consecrated life to which he has vowed himself, and also a sign to others of his commitment to Christ and the vows he has taken. So, the Dominican historian, William Hinnebusch says that "its cloth, colour, and cut expressed the poverty, chastity and obedience [the friar] had promised".

The habit is placed under the section on 'Regular Observance' in the current Constitutions, and it is described thus: "The habit of the Order comprises a white tunic, scapular and capuce, together with a black cappa and capuce, a leather belt and a rosary" (§50). An appendix (3) then details tailoring instructions on the length of the habit and the proportions of each part of the habit in relation to the others. The appendix, however, does not detail the textile to be used, nor details like how the cappa is fastened, nor the type and colour of one's shoes, nor the colour of the Rosary or even how many decades it should have. So, these matters are left to one's personal preference.

It may be necessary to explain the terms used by the Constitutions.
The tunic is a long ankle-length garment, with long sleeves that can be simply folded up, or have buttons to hold those folds in place.
The scapular is a long piece of cloth with a hole cut in the middle for the head; the cloth then hangs over the shoulders and covers the front and back of the tunic. It should be about a hand's width from the bottom of the tunic, and wide enough to cover the "juncture of the sleeves with the tunic".
The capuce is a hood attached to a circular piece of cloth that falls over the shoulders and comes down to a point in the small of the back. This hood used to be simply attached to the scapular (like a Carthusian's habit) but at some point it became detached from the scapular and evolved into a rather elegant shoulder-cape with hood.
The black cappa, from which we get the name Black Friars, is just a large cape that covers most of the white habit. It was worn for warmth and when travelling. This too had a hood that became detached, resulting in a black capuce.
The entire Dominican habit thus has five items of clothing, plus a leather belt and the Rosary.

The same habit is worn by all Dominican brothers. Until Vatican II, non-clerical brothers (lay brothers) like St Martin de Porres wore a habit that did not have a black cappa and the scapular was black rather than white.

Traditionally the cappa was worn "during the winter and during certain liturgical services, when [the friar] heard confessions, preached, met the laity, or left the priory". In the English Province, it is worn in choir from All Souls Day (2 November) until the Gloria of the Easter Vigil, and on other liturgical occasions such as professions, funerals and in processions.

The Dominican receives the habit at the start of the novitiate, and is eventually also buried in one. Regarding its use, the Constitution only says that it should be worn inside the convent, "unless, for a good reason, the prior provincial shall have determined otherwise" (§51). As for wearing the habit outside the convent, one typically follows the custom of a local priory, and it is for the prior provincial to give directives in this matter if necessary. In the English Province, a brother is left to decide prudently whether or not to wear the habit on the streets. Most friars will wear the habit whenever they are engaged in work for the Order, such as giving talks and retreats, teaching, on pilgrimages, etc.

The current law does not mention what material the habit has to be made of. It used to stipulate wool, and in the English Province, we currently have our habits made from a wool blend, and a cappa of 100% wool. These habits are currently made by two lay Dominicans and they source the materials for us. People often wonder why there are cream and white habits. This comes down to sheer practicalities: the availability of material, and the tailor. Some habits, which tend to be worn in the summer, are from the tropics. An example is the habit of our brothers in our Vicariate in Grenada and Barbados which tends to be of lightweight white cotton. Brothers are generally supplied with one habit on beginning their novitiate and they can ask for another at their profession if they need one. However, if they need lighter-weight habits they will have to find someone to make them. The result is an interesting mixture of habits from different places and tailors when we sit in choir! This lack of uniformity is not new. Hinnebusch notes that in the Middle Ages "shades and colours varied from province to province, even from house to house".

Finally, some people wonder about whether we use our hoods (capuce) to cover our heads, and if so, when. We no longer have any customs or rubrics about their use, so that they are raised, if an individual brother so desires, for purely practical reasons: to keep the head warm in the winter, to minimize distractions during private prayer, to keep the head dry when it is raining. However, a fuller answer with historical explanations can be found at the Dominican Liturgy site.

There is then notable freedom in the use of the habit. Ultimately, I think it should help form us in the observance of our vows of poverty, chastity and obedience, and be used accordingly. So, the early Dominicans emphasized in their stories, the Vitae Fratrum that the habit was sacred and was a sign of salvation. No matter how much or how little a friar wears the habit, I think it still holds true that all Dominicans love the habit. Like our brothers down the ages, we affirmed in our legends that "Mary endorsed it [and] Dominic wore it", and because of it we are still known in England as 'Black Friars'.

Quodlibet 25 - Happy Dominicans?

A Godzdogz reader has asked us: which qualities make a person successful or happy in their Dominican life?

I think that a person will be happy in their Dominican life for two reasons: firstly, because it is their vocation, and secondly, because they live out their Dominican vocation as fully as possible.

The reason for mentioning the first point is that sometimes people join the Order, and then find out that they are unhappy or unfulfilled in some way. This might be for a variety of reasons, but one might be that they are not called to a life in the Order, and that their vocation lies elsewhere. The reason for the novitiate and the years of initial formation in simple vows is to learn about the life, to live it, and to discern more clearly if this is the Lord's will. A person will be 'successful' as a Dominican if the life and the preacher's mission is a source of joy.

The Lord seems to call a broad range of people to the Order, so it is hard to give a list of qualities that make a good Dominican. I suppose what is fundamental is that someone should be open to prayer, both in common and private. Our vocation is discovered and nourished in the encounter with God in prayer. Then there should be a desire to want to discover the Lord in other people, both in religious community and in the people that we serve in various ways. A good Dominican will be happy when he is on his own with the Lord, and when he is in the company of others. The next thing is that there should be a passion for studying and communicating the message of the Gospel in many ways. This mission requires a certain personal flexibility, so that we can adapt ourselves to the needs and challenges of the mission.

The second point I made at the beginning was that a Dominican will be happy and successful in the mission if they live out the life as fully as possible. I think that in various ways, we all struggle at times to live Dominican life to the full. There may be times when we are lazy, poorly motivated, or not as prayerful as we should be. We may find things difficult in community, perhaps because we have hurt or been hurt by our brothers. Being happy and successful in our life and mission demands that we learn from these experiences, and grow and develop through the grace that the Lord offers us.

The Mother of a Saint

Blessed Jerzy Popiełuszko was beatified in Warsaw last Sunday. An account of his great witness to the Gospel can be found here. One of the most striking images of last week's celebration was his 100-year-old mother, Marianna, praying at his tomb. Her witness reminds us that the saints are not some abstract collection of super-men and wonder-women but real people like us.

H/T to the always excellent Deacon Greg Kandra at The Deacons Bench

Join us for World Youth Day 2011 in Madrid

The English Dominicans are hoping to take a group of pilgrims, aged from 16 to 35, to the World Youth Day celebrations in Madrid from 13 -22 August 2011. If you're interested and would like more details, write to wyd@english.op.org

Every three years, young Catholics from all over the world converge in a city to celebrate their faith with the Holy Father and with one another. The events take place over five days.



As a Dominican pilgrimage, we also plan to visit, en route to Madrid, the tomb of St Thomas Aquinas in Toulouse, the birthplace of St Dominic in Caleruega and the city of Ávila.

Once in Madrid, we shall take part in the World Youth Day celebrations with over a million Catholics, join in events organized by the Dominican Family, and stay in Dominican priories and institutions. This will truly be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity!

For more information on WYD 2011 events visit the official website.



There's no obligation at this stage: if you're interested in joining our WYD 2011 Pilgrimage, or if you just want to find out more information about the itinerary and cost, send an email to wyd@english.op.org.

The Godzdogz Team hopes to see you next summer in Spain!

Quodlibet 24 - Celibacy

What do you think of the norm of the Roman Catholic Church which asks each man called to priesthood to take also a promise of celibacy? Are there reasons to change this nowadays? What happens if a priest after his ordination falls deeply in love and wishes to marry?

The history of celibacy in the Church is a long and complicated one, and there is a great deal of controversy about the nature and antiquity of restrictions on the marriage of the clergy. What seems clear is that, from a very early period, celibacy was considered desirable for ministers in the Church. There is even evidence from some points in the Church’s history that when married men did become priests or bishops, they were expected to leave their wives (who would live the single life as nuns or “widows”)! On the other hand, we should also note that in the Catholic Church today, there is a significant number of priests that are married, both in the Eastern Catholic Churches in communion with Rome, and also certain priests who were formerly Protestant ministers and have been granted exceptions from the general discipline of the Latin Church. This makes it clear that clerical celibacy is not required for some dogmatic reason (indeed, bearing in mind the recommendations for appointing a Bishop, ‘the husband of one wife’ in 1 Timothy 3:2, that is clearly ruled out), but rather a practice which the Church asks of her ministers because of the benefits it is seen to bring.

What might these be? Firstly, we might note the value of celibacy as witness. By denying themselves the natural good of marriage, priests bear witness to Jesus’ call to conform our whole lives to him, and, if it is asked of us, to be prepared for his sake to abandon anything else to which we might be attached (cf. Luke 14: 25-33). The celibacy of the clergy highlights the fact that these people consider their faith to have such a place in their lives that they are willing, for its sake, to make the whole significance of what they do with their life depend on that faith.

Traditionally, a symbolic significance has also been seen in the practice of clerics being celibate: a popular image of the Church in the Book of Revelation, and subsequent tradition, is of the bride of Christ. Consequently, Catholics have perceived a significance in the priest, who acts in persona Christi (in the person of Christ) in the celebration of the Eucharist, being “married” to the Church. This reminds us both of the complete self-giving asked of the celibate priest, as of the spouses in a marriage, and also of the love which the priest is called to (and is free to) bestow on the Church, in Jesus Christ her head and in her members.

As well as the symbolism and the witness of celibacy, we must also remember it has a certain practical value. I have been struck several times by stories of Dominican brethren working as chaplains in prisons and hospitals, who have been able to go and make pastoral visits on the great feasts of Easter and Christmas, when inmates and patients feel particularly lonely and isolated: the married chaplains of other Christian denominations quite understandably want to be with their families at these times. Of course, there’s no problem with that: I just find this a good example of how celibacy enables a priest to devote himself wholeheartedly to the people he has been called to serve: as St Paul teaches us in 1 Corinthians, ‘the unmarried man is anxious about the affairs of the Lord’ (1 Cor 7: 32).

As for the case of a priest wishing to marry after ordination, this is where general principles and particular cases collide. Clearly, it would be silly to ask every Latin priest to promise celibacy, only then, with equal regularity, to dispense that promise for anyone if they later wanted to marry: it would take away the value of the promise in the first place. Besides, tradition in the Churches of East and West from the earliest centuries (and perhaps from Apostolic times) has not allowed the priests or bishops, once already ordained, to marry and continue in their ministry. However, the Church is able to release a priest from the obligations of the promises he made at ordination, both of celibacy and of ministerial service in the Church. If a priest does seek to marry, then, this ‘dispensation’ is often given.

Overall, then, it is certainly legitimate to ask whether priests have to be unmarried, and indeed there are arguments that can be made in favour of allowing certain married men to be ordained (as happens in Eastern Catholic Churches). However, we should not forget the important place of celibacy within the Church not just in particular cases, but as the general practice of the Latin Church, and allow ourselves to consider why it has enjoyed the support of a very long tradition as desirable both for priests themselves and for the Church.

Saints This Month - 4 June: St. Petroc

In the year 2003 the fine county of Devon decided that it needed a flag. Spurred on by the high visibility of the Cornish flag. the Cross of St. Piran, a poll was held on the BBC Devon website to decide on a county standard. The winning design "the cross of St. Petroc" is surprising for many reasons but what is most strange is St. Petroc's patronage of the county.

He was the son of a Welsh warlord, who was sent to Ireland to be educated at a very young age in 510AD. He became a monk in Ireland and it is thought that he was one of the the teachers of St. Kevin. He was sent as part of a mission to Cornwall where he established two monasteries at Padstow and Bodmin. After thirty year amongst the Cornish he went on pilgrimage to Rome via Brittany.

On his return trip to Cornwall he passed through Devon and reached the town of Newtone (now Newton Saint Petroc). Legend tells of how it began to rain on his arrival. Petroc predicted it would soon stop, but it rained for three days. As a self imposed penance for presuming to predict God's weather, Petroc returned to Rome, then to Jerusalem, then to India where he lived for seven years on an island in the Indian Ocean. He then returned to Cornwall and died in Bodmin. Despite the little time he spent in Devon dedications to him are numerous, about seventeen compared to Cornwall's five.

What is also interesting is use of such a Christian symbol in the supposedly secular twenty-first century. The people of Devon has chosen a flag that acknowledges that the foundation of European society is Christianity. It acknowledges that what united the warring tribes of the south-west into peaceful union was Christianity. What should inspire all Christians is that the effects of Petroc's preaching and witness in Devon, which lasted only a few months, still echo nearly 1,500 years later. Truly this is an example of the Parable of the Mustard Seed realised.

Corpus Christi in Oxford

The rain held off in Oxford, allowing the annual Corpus Christi procession to take place as planned on Sunday 6 June 2010. This year, Bishop William Kenney CP led the procession, carrying the Blessed Sacrament from St Aloysius (the Oxford Oratory) to Blackfriars. As the procession entered, a schola of friars sang the beautiful sequence hymn Lauda Sion written by their confrere, St Thomas Aquinas. Bishop Kenney preached a sermon on Melchizedek and the relational and ecclesial dimensions of the Eucharist.

The prior of Oxford, fr John O'Connor OP then carried the Blessed Sacrament part of the way to the Oxford University Catholic Chaplaincy. He was assisted by the deacon, fr David Barrins OP. The final section of the procession, which wound its way down the streets of central Oxford, saw the University chaplain, Fr Simon Bishop SJ carrying the Blessed Sacrament.

Once inside the chaplaincy hall, the heavens opened as we sang the Tantum Ergo, and Bishop Kenney then imparted the Benediction. The event finished with a Salve Regina, a rendition of Faith of our Fathers, and then tea and refreshments courtesy of the chaplaincy. And to add to the blessings of the day, the rain stopped as we emerged from the building!

Below are more photos from the event, and others may be found on this Flickr set

Quodlibet 23 - The Use of 'Brother' and the Study Programme

A Godzdogz reader asks about our use of the term 'brother' (frater) as well as about the study programme for Dominican students:

The use of the term brother for members of religious orders has its roots, as with most aspects of the religious life, in scripture. In the Old Testament there are numerous examples of the term which was often applied to any kinsman by blood, not just a son of the same parents, as in the case of Abraham, Lot and Jacob. For the Jewish people the term signified their common status as the people of God and Jewish law spelled out in detail the responsibilities of this brotherly relationship. For example in Deuteronomy 15:7 we read, “If among you, one of your brothers should become poor, in any of your towns within your land that the LORD your God is giving you, you shall not harden your heart or shut your hand against your poor brother.”

For the early Christians the term was much used and is firmly established in the scriptures of the New Testament. Indeed, throughout the New Testament the Greek word, philadelphia, is used to denote the love which Christians cherish for each other as brethren. “Having purified your souls by your obedience to the truth for a sincere love of the brethren, love one another earnestly from the heart” (1 Pet. 1:22) and in Hebrews 13:1 we read, “Let brotherly love continue.” The term koinonia, meaning fellowship or community, used to denote this body of early Christians, further reinforces this principle of brotherly love which should permeate the whole Church as the Body of Christ.

It is then, clear to see where the roots of this term lay. In modern English the term friar, probably from the French frère, in turn takes its meaning from the Latin for brother, frater. The term ‘brother’ was then, a natural choice for ours and other religious orders, containing as it does, a rich scriptural heritage but also reminding us of our common vocation and of our equality before God and each other.

The formation process for brothers, laid out in the Order's Constitutions, reflects the goal of this brotherly unity. In the Rule of St. Augustine, on which our Constitutions are built, the first precept states, “Live together in unity and be of one mind and one heart in God, remembering this is the end for which you are gathered.” Though not all aspects of the formation of brothers are set in stone, the process in our Province can be broken down roughly as follows.

Beginning in Cambridge as postulants, there is a week's retreat before being clothed in the habit of the Order. Here begins the Novitiate during which novices “experience the Order’s way of life, are trained mind and heart in the Dominican spirit, and their intention and suitability ascertained.” After at least one year but no more than two, a novice ordinarily makes simple profession for three years and begins in earnest upon our programme of philosophical and theological studies at Oxford. These academic studies are further supplemented by a variety of pastoral placements in term and out, as well as training in languages and preaching (as well as other skills such as IT, driving, cooking ...). Simply professed brethren are normally admitted to the ministries of lector and acolyte and following three years can apply for solemn profession. If this request is accepted by the community, the brother then makes profession for life. It is normally following this that the brother, if on the clerical track, will apply for ordination first to the diaconate and then to the priesthood. If his superiors are “satisfied about his religious conduct, his suitability for priestly office and his progress in study” then the brother is ordained.

There are, obviously, exceptions to this process depending upon individual circumstances, but this should give some idea as to the general formation process. It must also be remembered that priestly ordination does not mark an end to formation. Ongoing formation is taken seriously by the Order and has to do “with the brothers’ renewal and development in keeping with the different stages of their life’s journey, so that they are increasingly prepared to adapt their preaching of the Word of God to people today.” This, we hope, will equip us well to do the work of the Order which was established specifically “for preaching and the salvation of souls.”

Quodlibet 22 - Old Testament Saints

Why have some pre-New Testament people (like St. Anne and St. Joachim) become Saints while others like Isaiah and Moses have not?

A saint is a follower of Christ, someone that has accepted Christ's offer of salvation. Whilst those that lived before the Incarnation did not have the opportunity to accept or reject Christ during their time on Earth, this did not make their redemption impossible. In the Apostles Creed we assert that Christ descended to the dead. After his death, then, Christ continued his mission by preaching the Gospel even to those that had died (1 Peter 4:6). Hence the death and resurrection of Christ extends throughout history, past, present and future for the salvation of all. Those among the dead that accepted the Good News became followers of Christ as he led them into heaven.

Historically the Greek Orthodox Church has privileged Old Testament saints more than the Latin West, for example, the Melkite (Greek or Byzantine Catholic) calendar honours St. Moses, St. Hosea and many other prophets. In the Latin West, with some interesting exceptions, we have tended to emphasise in our liturgies those saints whose lives were imitations of the life of Christ. Isaiah, however, is honoured in the Roman Maryrology which dates back to 1600. It seems as though popular devotion to St. Anne and St. Joachim, the parents of Our Lady, has its roots in a Greek cult that dates back to the fourth century and moved west in the thirteenth century thanks to the medieval bestseller 'The Golden Legend.'

Quodlibet 21 - The Vow of Poverty

What is the Dominican understanding of the vow of poverty in the modern world, asks a Godzdogz reader.

To answer this question, it is helpful to think a little bit about St Dominic's motivation for living a life of poverty. The primary motivation came from scripture. Concerning poverty the constitutions of the Dominican Order say:

Hearing the Lord say, "Go sell what you have, and give to the poor, and come follow me," we have decided to be poor both in fact and in spirit, so that while we endeavour to convert people to heavenly things and to rescue them from the domination of wealth, we may be ourselves conquerors of greed by conformity with Christ, "who for our sake became poor, that by his poverty we might become rich."

St Dominic did live a much more extreme form of poverty compared to the vow of poverty lived by friars today. This is understandable in terms of the situation in which he lived. It was a time when the Catholic Faith was under severe attack from the Cathars, a sect which taught that the physical world was evil. As the extreme poverty lived by many Cathar preachers seemed to give them a veneer of holiness and credibility, St Dominic realised that Christian preachers would also have to live lives of extreme poverty if they were to be taken seriously. Although in today's society, it is perhaps not necessary to live a life of poverty to the same degree as St Dominic did, the vow of poverty is still an important means of being available and ready to effectively preach the Gospel. The way we live it should provide a valuable witness to the Gospel. The vow of poverty is not meant to be a rejection of the physical world, but rather it is a matter of giving up something that is good in order that we can enjoy something that is even better; it is a sign that all the riches in the world cannot compare with the joy of being totally united with God in the world to come.

On a day to day level, we try to live the vow of poverty by living a simple life in which we are not overly attached to material possessions. When I joined the Order, I was told that I could only bring a car boot full of possessions with me – in the past, it used to be just a suitcase. If a brother has any savings when he joins, he is not allowed to use them, and if he goes on to solemn profession he has to dispose of his savings, although it is generally up to him how he does this. Also on making solemn profession, the ownership of all personal possessions passes to the Order, although a brother may continue to keep using them if this is compatible with the community life.

When living in community, the priory pays for things such as food, clothing and books needed for study and preaching. There is always a danger when losing financial independence and having all one's basic needs taken care of that the value of money is forgotten. It is very important that this doesn't happen, as one of the motivations for the vow of poverty is solidarity with the poor, who are often only too aware of the value of money. We do get a small allowance each month called an ad honesta. Having a small amount of money to spend on little luxuries helps us to remember how to handle money responsibly. Having a job can also help foster a sense of financial responsibility. Many brothers have jobs such as teaching or chaplaincy work, and usually the money they earn goes straight to the priory. Because when we work, it is not for our own financial gain but for the whole community, this way of living the vow of poverty is an expression of fraternal love.

Dominican communities also receive donations from benefactors. This means that it is important that we try to live frugally and avoid wastefulness so that we don't cause offence to those on whose generosity we depend. We can receive personal gifts, but if they are worth over a certain amount, we have to ask for permission to receive them. We have to be careful that we don't start accumulating too much stuff, so when we are offered personal gifts, we need to discern carefully whether accepting them would be in keeping with the vow of poverty. Sometimes we do fail in our resolve to live this vow. This was something that was noted in the acts of last General Chapter where it says:

We entered the Order abandoning everything we had in order to hold all things in common. Over time, have we slowly reclaimed what we had once renounced?

Whilst we have to be careful that our life doesn't become too comfortable and cluttered, we also have to be careful we don't go to the other extreme. If a brother didn't understand why we vow to live a life of poverty and had radically different views from other brothers on how this vow should be lived out, it could cause a lot of animosity in a community. Therefore it is vital that we always remember that the vow of poverty is rooted in our love for God, our love for the Gospel and our love of each other.