newsletter of the lay fraternities of st dominic (england, wales

NEWSLETTER OF THE
LAY FRATERNITIES OF
ST DOMINIC
Veritas
(ENGLAND, WALES &
SCOTLAND).
I S S U E
CONTENTS
President
2
Finding and
not Finding
3
Three in One 4
A Country
Parish
6
Reflections
7
Middle East
10
Bookshelf
11
Fraternities
12
Dominican
Saints
14
9 9
J U N E
2 0 1 4
PAGE
2
Presidentially speaking
Dear All,
VERITAS
The last meeting of Provincial Council was held at Keele University on 31st May but
I was unable to be there. I had the joy and privilege at that time of being in Austria
with my ninth grandchild, a baby boy born on 12th May 2014 and called Alexander
James. When you see a new born baby, the Mystery of the Incarnation comes to
mind. Our Lord and Saviour was born of the Virgin Mary and was a 'real' baby. Babies are precious and yet we learn that midwives might be involved in abortions.
We have to make sure the contrary voice is heard and that we fight for babies.
However, to the Council Meeting. The important matters arising are as follows: the
final text of the proposed new Directory will be presented to the Provincial Assembly on 12th July next (copies will be emailed to Fraternity Secretaries in advance for
distribution). If accepted by the Assembly, the new Directory will be formally approved by Provincial Council and promulgated by the Prior Provincial. The final text
owes a great deal to the input of Fr. Robert Ombres OP and Fr. Benjamin Earl OP
who have, as canon lawyers, made a number of helpful and clarifying comments and
adjustments. They have devoted a lot of time to their task of checking the new Directory and richly deserve our thanks as does the other Fr. Bob, our Provincial
Promoter.
A co-ordinator for the LLDF is still sought. Is there someone out there?
Finance: Please note that all Council bank accounts are now consolidated into one
Dominican Laity Current Account. No bank account purporting to be for Lay Dominican business can be opened without the prior approval of Council. To date
£675.00 in Annual Levy payments has been remitted by Fraternities. Levy payments
are now overdue. Fraternities make their own arrangements to cover the annual levy
of any member who cannot afford to pay it.
There is a possibility that the group of lay Catholics in Crawley who meet regularly
with the Sisters there could work towards becoming a Fraternal Group. The two Lay
Dominicans in Walsingham are organising a Dominican Day for the autumn and
Newcastle is organising a big parish study day later in the year.
Are you booked for 12th July and the Provincial Assembly? 49 delegates are already
registered for Leicester. Assembly 2015 will be at Blackfriars, Oxford in early July
(date to be confirmed) when the keynote speaker will be Fr. Timothy Radcliffe OP.
Communications: The database is now operational and there is a new website receiving submissions and regularly updated.
Formation: Our Formation Officer has received some feedback and a copy of the
recent paper on formation from the European Council of Lay Dominican Fraternities
(ECLDF). The new formation process is about unity rather than uniformity and aims
to develop practical resources building on the material we already have.
Veritas will now be available on the web.
I could not attend the recent Assembly of the ECLDF in Bologna because of teaching
commitments (my last year thereof) and Mary Regan went instead. Mary reported a
joyful and productive meeting and reports from the Assembly are available at http://
ecldf.net/assembly-bologna-2014/
I had the happy duty of writing to congratulate Bishop Malcolm McMahon OP on his
appointment as Archbishop of Liverpool. Nottingham's loss is Liverpool's gain.
May I end with reference to the Second Reading at Mass on Pentecost Sunday. It is
from the first letter of St. Paul to the Corinthians:
' There is a variety of gifts but always the same Spirit; there are all sorts of service to
be done, but always the same Lord; working in all sorts of different ways in different
people, it is the same God Who is working in all of them.'
Love to you all.
In St. Dominic,
Peter Kilty, President Interim Council
ISSUE
99
PAGE
Editorial
Dear Brothers and Sisters,
A thought for Summer: Contemplation is spiritual sunbathing.
Yours in SS. Dominic & Catherine,
Elizabeth
Finding and Not Finding
One of the differences between the birth of Christ and His resurrection can be seen in the Gospel of Luke. The shepherds found Joseph and Mary and the baby lying in a manger, at the beginning of the Gospel. This was in accordance with the promise of the angel, Luke 2:12 “you will
find a babe wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger”. Christmas is about finding something. At the resurrection in Luke we have the exact opposite. On the road to Emmaus, the two
disciples say that at the tomb the women had failed to find something, “some women of our
company amazed us. They were at the tomb early in the morning and did not find His body”.
The apostles also failed to see Him: “Some of those who were with us went to the tomb, and
found it just as the women had said; but Him they did not see.” (Luke 24: 22/24)
In the Gospels, people go looking for the baby Jesus and they find Him. The Magi in Matthew and
the Shepherds in Luke, find the baby. When the Christ rises from the dead, there is no longer a
question of our finding Him after a search. The Emmaus disciples are talking to Him, and they do
not recognise Him. Mary speaks in the Gospel of John to someone she thinks is the gardener.
Perhaps that is why we prefer Christmas to Easter. At Christmas we feel in control. A little faith
will lead us to the crib. The baby lies there, helpless and still. When we seek the risen Christ
though, we quickly discover that we are in the presence of power. We cannot find Him at the
empty tomb. “He is risen, He is not here.” Instead we have to follow Him , as He leads us. He is
always ahead. Yet because He is ahead, if we follow Him, we will always make progress. He has
led His Church already throughout much of the world. Yet there are still many times and places
where He has yet to lead us. One day we will find Him and when we do, we will know that in
truth, we did not really find Him. It was He Who found us.
Euan Marley OP
The above article was originally written for the 'back page' of the Holy Cross
(Leicester)Parish Newsletter some years ago. I found it among other papers
and thought it appropriate to the season.(Ed.).
VERITAS
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PAGE
4
Three in One
A Homily for Trinity Sunday
“The Lord passed before Moses and proclaimed, 'The Lord, the
Lord, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in
steadfast love and faithfulness.' ” [Exodus 34:6]
Iris Murdoch called her first novel, 'Under the Net' – it is not at first clear why,
but before long we find out that all the main characters in the book are caught
under the net of words, like sparrows trapped under a strawberry net. The words
they use are a snare and a deceit: they do not really understand themselves, and
fall into the trap of thinking they can be understood by the people who matter to
them. When they talk, and they talk a lot, they only make matters worse. The
reader has fun working out who is really in love with whom. Just as in A Midsummer Night's Dream, their own talk brings only obscurity and comical confusions
where there ought to be clarity. How difficult it can be to understand other human
beings!
Perhaps we
cannot speak of
the blessed
Trinity at all,
perhaps it
remains a total
mystery. What
we cannot say
has to be
consigned to
silence..
So, in that case, what of all out talk about God? How can we be sure of understanding anything? God is a mystery. Can our words really hold God, catch Him – if we
really have to speak as though God has a gender – in our net? St Thomas Aquinas
says, we are connected to God as to the unknown. Those are the words not only of
the thinker but of the saint. When we talk of God we talk of what we do not understand.
Perhaps we cannot speak of the blessed Trinity at all, perhaps it remains a total mystery. What we cannot say has to be consigned to silence.
This preacher shows no sign of leaving the lectern, so does he have anything else up
his sleeve? Well, there again, there is St. Paul. “The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ,
the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit” is what he wishes those people in Corinth, and also what they wish us when we come to church. The divine mystery is not concealed here. It is communicated, handed over. Spoken to us in so
many words.
Take another familiar phrase. In the resurrection the Risen Lord told His apostles to
make disciples of all the nations, baptising them in the name of the Father and of the
Son and of the Holy Spirit. If that means anything, it must mean that the whole of
humanity is meant to be, ought to be, Trinitarian. Marked with the sign of, we
might nearly say become the sacrament of, One God in Three Persons, the
blessed Trinity. The grace of Christ, the love of the heavenly Father, the communion of love that is between Them and is poured out from the day of Pentecost, with us all who believe and all who are to believe through our words. Being
baptised makes that plain as a pikestaff, whatever a pikestaff might be!
God is mystery. But I wish we could sit down and discover together how the
New Testament uses the word mystery. Come back again tomorrow and we will
do it! But if you have time to explore, I think you will find that the fathers and
mothers of our faith wanted to say that the mystery of God is not hidden and
concealed, but revealed by our knowing Jesus. He has revealed to us the mystery
hidden from all ages, and, He has done this through the cross and resurrection,
VERITAS
PAGE
His passing to the Father who is also our Father, and the sending of the
Holy Spirit. The Blessed Trinity, one God in Three Persons. Not a mystery hidden, a mystery unfolded in a life, the Christ-life. A mystery revealed.
The revealing of the Trinity is the making clear of Who God really is.
He is the God of tenderness and compassion, slow to anger, rich in
kindness and faithfulness, not the god who says, I kill and I make alive, I
wound and I heal, I will take vengeance on my adversaries and will repay
those who hate me, I will make my arrows drunk with blood – the
vengeful god who speaks in the Old Testament too. In the light of the
resurrection that confusion is cleared up. It becomes possible to see
that all that was a human violence, with various degrees of projection
onto God. We tried to catch God in the web of our words and what
we said about Him was not true.
God is Love. God is and was and always has been and always will be,
unchangeably, Love, and that love was made manifest in Him sending His
Son into the midst of violent humans, to be our victim. As we pray in
one of the prayers at Mass, the Son is Himself the Word that brings
salvation, the hand the Father holds out to sinners, the way which leads
to our peace. We find this in St. Paul, we find this in St. John, who tell us to look at the crucifixion
and the resurrection and come at last to understand God only from the perspective of that event.
The crucifixion was an act of violence on our part (showing what human beings are capable of). In our
doing that was revealed the depth of the love of God, Who was prepared to be a human victim to
show the depth of His love for humanity. And humanity was shown up, was revealed, as having been
locked into the realm of the Father of lies. Until we could understand.
We heard it in the gospel already. These words are written on every Christian heart, God so loved
the world that He gave His son. So that is Who God is, the one Who loves and loving, gives: 'love'
meaning not general benevolence but something active, the gift of one's very self. 'Love' is God the
Father sending His Son into humanity as an act of love, and the Son giving Himself freely to being victimised by human beings as part of His imitative love of the Father, and the Holy Spirit Who is the
inner dynamic of the relationship between the two of Them. Jesus on the Cross gives up His Spirit to
the Father. The Father at the resurrection gives back the Spirit to the Son, and the two of Them give
the same Spirit, the Spirit of the crucified and risen victim, to us as the introduction to a new way of
being human. That way St. John describes as “having eternal life”, by which he means, not an extra
dimension or prolongation of ordinary human life, but a sharing into the life of God Himself. “Eternal
life” being another name for the divine life, life with God. One who has the Son, has life, St. John
simply says.
If we had only heard the Word of God, that would be marvellous. If we knew the divine forgiveness,
that would be wonderful, but to come to know the life of the blessed Trinity, and to have that life in
us, that is much, much more.
Meister Eckhart the Dominican mystical theologian says, Jesus was born in Bethlehem to Mary, and
the Word of God is born also in human hearts by faith, that we may have life.
When the eternal Father raised His Son from amongst the dead, He raised us up with Him. We are
by faith in Him, by baptismal faith which is faith in the blessed Trinity, set alongside our Risen Lord to
be sons and daughters in the Son, adopted children of the Father, and receiving Their Holy Spirit, the
Spirit of God Himself poured into our hearts. That is why we can be believers at all. That is why we
can call Jesus 'Lord'. That is why we can pray, “Our Father.....”,
To Whom be glory in the Church and in Christ Jesus today and forever. Amen.
Fr. Bob Eccles OP
VERITAS
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PAGE
6
A Country Parish
Spilsby, Lincolnshire
Janet and Patrick Doyle have a home in this village. What follows is an amalgamation
of several reports Patrick has submitted.
The most
interesting visitor
was a travelling
evangelical
preacher –
itinerant,
mendicant,
travelling by bus
and on foot in the
spirit of St.
Dominic. It was a
privilege to meet
him, and we
prayed together.
Our Lady and English Martyrs is a beautiful neo-Gothic chapel set in the small
Lincolnshire market town of Spilsby. There is no resident priest and until last
summer it was open only on Sundays 9:00am and Wednesdays 6:30pm for Mass.
Otherwise it stood locked, closed to the world.
However, since July 2013 it has been open every Monday morning from 9:30am
to 12 noon, manned with tea/coffee available. At 9:45 there is Morning Prayer
and a Reflection and at 11:45 there is Holy Communion and The Angelus. There have
been some surprising results. There has been a mixed bag of visitors: Enquirers re
Sacraments; marginal Catholics; fellow Christians asking why we are opening; a travelling preacher; those interested to see inside the church; some seeking company
over coffee; Catholics from other parishes; some parishioners.
Some results A young mother of twins came seeking Baptism. The babies have been christened and
mother and grandparents are now regulars Mass attenders.
A few marginal Catholics dropped in, making tentative steps to return.
Someone passing by called, and came to the Carol Service a few days later.
The son and daughter-in-law came about funeral arrangements for their father, a former parishioner who in his residential home received no visit or Holy Communion.
[It was resolved that this situation should never happen again.]
A couple with a coastal holiday home came to make contact with the local Catholic
community.
The most interesting visitor was a travelling evangelical preacher – itinerant, mendicant, travelling by bus and on foot in the spirit of St. Dominic. It was a privilege to
meet him, and we prayed together.
This is one parish's response to an initiative of the (then) Bishop of Nottingham, Malcolm McMahon OP - “Crossing the Threshold”.
It transpires that apparently for every regular Mass goer there are least four nonpractitioners – for Spilsby, with a congregation of sixty, there are least 240 lapsed in
the town and the surrounding villages. At least a start has been made and other initiatives are planned, but the message is KEEP IT SIMPLE.
For two Lay Dominicans this is part of our 'preaching'; our two colleagues are, significantly, former Methodists and very recent converts.
On Saturday, 26th April, the now Archbishop Malcolm paid his last Nottingham pastoral visit to Spilsby/Skegness before his translation to Liverpool. Janet and Patrick
helped to lead Evening Prayer at English Martyrs , Spilsby.
VERITAS
On Saturday, 24th May, Richard Ounsworth OP, supported by Hans Doets [a Lay Dominican from Holland, and a subscriber to 'Veritas'], Janet and Patrick, led a discussion
at Spilsby on two themes: “What is a Gospel?” and “Introducing St. Mark's Gospel”.
Sixteen people attended, a very high percentage of this small Lincolnshire congregation – a normal Sunday Mass attendance is around sixty.
On the Sunday Fr. Richard concelebrated and preached at Mass. At the end blessed
rosaries were give to the children who then processed to, and placed flowers before,
Our Lady's statue.
Was the visit a success? Yes: the congregation are keen for a return visit and it is
hoped to launch a Bible Study group in the parish. Also it was good for a Friar and
Lays to work in an isolated parish to encourage study, prayer and mission. Incidentally, one parishioner was educated at Laxton, in the days of Fr. Gerald Vann; and another by Dominican Sisters in Belfast.
PAGE
7
Reflections
A Personal Recollection of Meeting Fr. Bruno Cadore, Master General by Jill Gunsell, Cambridge.
Five members of the Provincial Council – Peter Kilty, Dan Wright, Patricia Cole, Sue McQuinn and myself – met the Master General along with his travelling companion, fr. Dominic Izzo OP, at St. Dominic's
Priory in London. Our Prior Provincial, fr. John Farrell, made tea, coffee and the introductions and then
left us to it.
To begin at the end, I think my lasting impression of our brother Bruno Cadore will be his transparent,
unhesitating, trust in Christ.
He is a bright-eyed, tranquil, quietly spoken man. I had the impression that, even while looking directly at
you and listening attentively to what you say, interiorly Fr. Bruno is listening for the Lord's voice. He responds gently and with a clear focus on the nub of the question but so swiftly that it is almost as though
he has been considering it for ages. He probably has.....
To the proposition that Europe/England is an aggressively post-Christian society, he replied, 'No, this
phrase post-Christian is not appropriate now. On the contrary, this is a wonderful moment.
It is a Christianising time.'
He repeated this several times during the meeting.
I thought of the early church: the whole world waiting for news.... You will go ahead of the Lord, to make known
to his people their salvation.... Pre-Christian rather than post-Christian? And isn't this how it always was and always will be?
Fr. Bruno said, 'The world is full of people who believe in God. At a recent synod in Rome,
bishop after bishop said the same thing: “My city is full of people who believe in the Divine.”
Not Christians, of course, but not atheists and not secular.'
We are surrounded by the people for whom the Messiah came – for whom He is eternally coming. It is my feeble
faith in Him that is my problem, not the society I live in.
We spoke of how the situation of the Lay Dominican differs from that of the friars and sisters. They are
daily supported by each other, living in the same house, but we come together only infrequently to affirm
each other. In our everyday lives we are Dominicans where no other Dominican is (usually not even in
twos!) and can sometimes feel alone and exposed. We told the Master that we are currently looking at
how we can better support and affirm each other as we refresh our Province's constitutions and formation processes, and try to create new opportunities for fraternities to support other fraternities.
Fr. Bruno acknowledged the challenging realities of the times and of the Lay Dominican situation. He
proposed a breathtakingly simple solution: 'We can simply say to those we meet in our everyday
lives, “I have met Jesus. I know Him. I would love to introduce Him to you!”.'
This moving, childlike declaration came, visibly, from Fr. Bruno's heart. This is how he lives.
VERITAS
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8
Asked what he sees as the role of the Dominican Laity in 'the West' as opposed to, say, those in
Vietnam, Fr. Bruno turned the question on its head and straight away told us to follow
precisely the example of the Lay Dominicans of Vietnam! 'They were deprived of the
presence of their Friars by government but they were left alone because they “only meet
and pray together” and so were “not a problem”. A few small isolated groups, with no
priests, they flourished and became 90,000 preachers.'
Continuing this theme, but also responding to an observation that in this Province our Fraternities
seem to flourish best when they are close to the friars or sisters, Fr. Bruno reminded us, with a
very direct expression on his face, that 'The Laity are integral to the Order, as they have
been ever since Prouilhe, since St. Dominic's time.' He added, 'In the past the preaching
mission of the Church was seen as the job of the priests but this has changed in our time.
It is clear now that preaching the Gospel is the task of every Christian, of the laity.'
(cf Evangelii Gaudium)
This all sounded to me a bit like an affectionate poke in the ribs. 'There are more of you than there
are of us friars. Don't wait for us. Get on with it yourselves!'
He told us to consider the Lay Dominicans of Iraq where there are only seven priests and
a few sisters but 500 Lay Dominicans.' They are teaching the faith, preserving the Church
in that place and, very importantly, maintaining communion with Catholics of other
Rites in a way that is not usually possible for priests and sisters. This is the work of Lay
Dominicans: to keep the Church alive and maintain communion.'
Overlooking the island at the very top of the rocks is
VERITAS
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9
Speaking of our relatively large number of Lone Lay Dominicans who are isolated by age, ill-health or
distance, Fr. Bruno, 'We must care for these brothers and sisters. We owe them so
much, and we depend on their prayers.' We assured him that we try to do this as far as possible, at personal level, in our Fraternities, at our Provincial Council and through their own communications with each other. He repeated, 'This is extremely important.'
Suddenly the hour was over. We took a few photos, greeted the Master and each other, and took
our leave via the huge, beautiful priory church before setting off home.
This is a moment of change – and great potential – for Lay Dominican life in this province as we examine how we are Dominican and ask how we can help and refresh each other in our common life
and in the mission of the Order. In common with so many of my brothers and sisters, I have been
thinking deeply about what this means for us all, and for me as an individual. The opportunity to
meet and be affirmed by the successor of St. Dominic at this moment has been, for me, Providential.
It was a wonderfully grace-filled occasion, an encounter to thank God for. Fr. Bruno has given me
courage and much to think about.
St. Dominic, pray for him – and for all Dominicans.
22nd December 2013
Lay Dominican Archives
Please help to keep our Archives accurate and up
to date
by sending information on
Admittances and First & Final Professions name(s) of candidate(s),
date and place;
names of Fraternity President and Chaplain
presiding also transfers, departures and deaths;
and anything else you think is worth recording for
posterity,
to our Archivist:-
Mr. Michael Huxley-Evans, OP.
23, York Road,
Edgbaston
Birmingham
B16 9HX
Tel: 0121 454 4162
E-mail:
mchael@yorklodgeedgbaston.org
VERITAS
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10
The Church in the Middle East
Snippets from the Media
“We are
now surrounded
and threatened with
death....
pray for us”
Enabling better inter-faith understanding was the focus of meetings held in 2013 in Cairo
between Muslims and Dominican clergy. Fr. Michel Lachenaud OP said the intensive
course – in which he took part with help from ACN – would assist his fellow brothers to
live out their vocations as Christians in Muslim countries.
ACN Mirror, early 2014
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
A Friar living in Mosul has appealed for the world's prayers after the Iraqi city was
captured by Islamist militants this week.
Fr. Najeeb Michaeel OP emailed a request to friends after his city was overrun by the
Islamic State of Iraq and Syria [ISIS]. He called the situation “very critical and even
apocalyptic.”
The Islamists, he said, “have assassinated adults and children. The bodies have been left in
the streets and in the houses by the hundreds, without pity.”
Ed West, in The Catholic Herald, 13/6/14
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
One of Satan's present-day chef d'oeuvres is the annihilation of the Church in the Middle
East.
Piers Paul Read, also in The Catholic Herald, same issue.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Another report, from Nina Shea, in The Catholic Herald for 20th June, gives Fr. Najeeb's
chilling, abrupt sign-off: “We are now surrounded and threatened with death.... pray for us
I'm sorry that I can't continue..... They are not far from our convent.”
Our Lady of Perpetual Succour
Comforter of the Afflicted
Queen of the Most Holy Rosary
Queen of Peace
pray for them
pray for them
pray for them
pray for them
VERITAS
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Bookshelf
11
by our 'Staff Reviewer'
Being a Catholic Grandmother
Redemptorist Publications 2014
A well illustrated and laid out publication, which despite its title, is equally addressed to
Grandfathers. It is a book to be welcomed by those very many Catholics troubled by
the lapsation of their children and consequently the loss of grandchildren to the Faith.
The silence from the pulpit and the cosy assumptions of Catholic publications of the
practising families are light years from reality. The book does not provide answers so
much as guidance, but at least this most difficult, but increasingly familiar, pastoral problem is being raised. Perhaps, drawing on our own experience, here is a role for Lay
Dominicans.
Among the useful contacts listed is the Irish based Catholic Grandparents Association:www.catholicgrandparentsassociation.org
tel: 00353 (0) 98 24877
Looking for an introduction to Mark's Gospel?
Then try Wilfrid J. Harrington OP's Reading Mark for the First Time
Paulist Press 2013.
The Irish Dominican scripture scholar writes, “Increasingly, Mark has become my favourite Gospel. I believe I admire most the Evangelist's realism. It further confirms my
conviction that the Cross is indeed the heart of Christianity – the Cross as understood
by Paul and Mark and the author of Revelation. Mark's theology of the Cross and
Mark's Jesus is the most human in the Gospels.” These words from his introduction
summarize this short book – the theology of the Cross and the triumph of failure.
The inability of the disciples to recognise who Jesus is, contrasting with the perception
of Jesus' enemies, alongside the cries of the little people like Bartimeus able to call out,
“Jesus, Son of David, have pity on me”. A lasting impression of this reader is Harrington's emphasis upon Jesus' mission in Gentile territory. Occasionally, Harrington comments on the situation at the time he was writing, clearly this is pre-Francis, as he laments, “Perhaps the reader of today is once again attuned to the unambiguous message
of the word of Jesus, greatness in his church is found in diakonia (service). Sadly it
seems that the word is not heard where one might have expected it to be welcomed.”
The “Joy of the Gospel”, if acted upon, should bring some consolation to Fr. Wilfrid.
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12
Fraternity round-up
Holy Cross Fraternity, Leicester
On Saturday, 14th December last, three members of the Leicester Fraternity were Finally
Professed and one Admitted; but before the service some members had the opportunity
of perusing the 'Tertiaries Register', recently re-discovered in the Priory Library at Holy
Cross. The first entries were in the 1880s and others included great names from the past
such as Fr. Vincent McNabb OP. One referred to a canonical instruction by Fr. Bede Jarrett OP., and the final registrations in the late 1950s were made by Fr. Ian Hislop OP.
One poignant entry was of the late Frank (Thomas Aquinas) Collins, made in 1953. Frank
died relatively recently, and remained a [fully paid-up] member of Holy Cross Fraternity
to the end.
Eileen Collier, Mark Jacques and Barbara Knight were the three who made their Final
Professions before Mary Regan, President, and Fr. Fabian Radcliffe OP. Peter Green, a
former Methodist Minister, was Admitted. Mass was celebrated by Fr. Neil Ferguson OP,
Fr. David Rocks OP played the organ, and Bro. Andrew Brookes OP and Fr. Gerard
Dunne OP, from the Irish Province, were also present. Afterwards in St. Clement's Hall
there was a celebration. It was a joyous day!
January 11th was when we held our AGM. There was the election of new officers [see the
Catalogos]. There followed a discussion on Pope Francis' 'Joy of the Gospel', and appropriately the scripture focus was on Jesus as teacher.
At our February meeting, we discussed 'vocation', our call, after an excellent biblical exposition by Peter Green. Then we shared our own current engagement with evangelisation. Finally we discussed with Fr. Fabian ways in which our dispersed group might be
able to assist him in his role as Parish Priest of Holy Cross. To this end we have produced a newsletter for parishioners about the work of the Fraternity.
March 8th was our Discussion Day. Against the backdrop of the com-memoration of the
outbreak of the 1914-18 war we explored themes of war and peace, not least that of
what exactly are we remembering and commemorating in this centenary year? The main
speakers were Bruce Kent of Pax Christi, and Fr. Richard Finn OP of Blackfriars, Cambridge.
The Holy Cross Retreat was again held at Stone Convent, led by Fr. Fabian OP and Sr.
Jadwiga OP. We also had the opportunity to discuss the proposed Directory, and ideas
about formation during our stay.
Of course, in July, we will be hosting the Assembly, so we have a busy time ahead.
Patrick
Doyle
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13
Newcastle Fraternity
The Newcastle Fraternity set up a Day Conference to follow up on their previous one to commemorate the
fiftieth anniversary of Vatican II. It was held on Saturday, 14th June in a local parish. The talks were given by
the Diocesan Formation Officer, Fr. Sean Hall, the McGregors (Lay Dominicans) and Fr. Colin OP, and others gave imputs.there were eighty participants who were all served lunch at £5 a head. St. Paul's Bookshop
set up a stall and sold £260 worth of books.
The Fraternity is shortly to have a meeting with the priests who were present to see how the theme can be
carried forward. The aim is to follow the lead of “The Joy of the Gospel” and foster a sense of being missionary disciples in a challenging world.
The Fraternity members “made sure everyone knew the Dominicans were behind it!”.
Via Fr. Bob Eccles OP
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The Church and Europe; Dominican life prayer and vocation;
Adult Catechesis; Our Lady; Catholics and Gay Relationships;
War and Justice; New Age Spirituality; Cardinal Newman;
The Beatitudes.
High quality booklets (12 to 48 pages); inexpensive (£1 to £2.50)
A full list is available from
Blackfriars Publications
St. Dominic's Priory, Southampton Road,
London NW5 4LB
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14
Dominican Saints
All You
Dominican
Saints, pray
for us,
your
brethren
here below
June
2nd Bl. Sadoc and companions, Martyrs
4th St. Peter of Verona, Friar, Priest, Martyr
8th Bl. Diana d'Andalo & Bl. Cecilia Caesarini, Virgins
10th Bl. John Dominici, Friar, Bishop
12th Bl. Stephen Bandelli, Friar, Priest
18th Bl. Hosanna of Mantua, Lay Dominican, Virgin
20th Bl. Margaret Ebner, Nun, Virgin
23rd Bl. Innocent V, Friar, Pope
Commem.
Memorial
Optional
Optional
Commem.
Commem.
Commem.
Commem.
July
4th
Optional
Optional
Commem.
Memorial
7th
8th
9th
th
13
16th
22nd
24th
27th
Aug
Bl. Pier Giorgio Frassati, Lay Dominican
Bl. Catherine Jarrige, Lay Dominican
Bl. Benedict XI, Friar, Pope
Bl. Adrian Fortescue, Lay Dominican, husband, Martyr
St. John of Cologne, Friar, Priest and Companions, Martyrs
Bl. James of Varazzo, Friar, Bishop
St. Ceslaus of Poland, Friar, Priest
St. Mary Magdalene, Protectress of the Order
Bl. Jane of Orvieto, Virgin
Bl. Augustine of Biella, Friar, Priest
Bl. Robert Nutter, Friar, Priest, Martyr
1st Dedication of the Priory Church, London
2nd Bl. Jane of Aza, Mother of St. Dominic
3rd Bl. Augustine Kazotic, Religious, Priest
8th Our Holy Father St. Dominic
9th Bl. John of Salerno, Friar, Priest
12th Bl. Thomas Jean-Georges Rehm, Friar, Priest
13th Bl. Aimon Taparelli, Friar, Priest
Memorial
Commem.
Optional
Memorial
Commem.
Commem.
Memorial
Solemnity
Commem.
Commem.
Solemnity/Memorial
Commem.
Commem.
Commem.
All You Dominican Saints, pray for us, your brethren here below
Cycle of Prayer, June - August
For Deeper Understanding Between Christians and Jews;
Those who Suffer Persecution;
Oppression and Denial of Human Rights;
Europe; Human Life; Seafarers.
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15
LAY DOMINICANS of ENGLAND, SCOTLAND & WALES
FORTHCOMING EVENTS
Lay Dominican Assembly
Saturday, 12th July 2014
Holy Cross Priory, Leicester
contact: Mrs. Mary Regan
01283 703033 marywregan@me.com
The Elective Chapter
November 2014 (TBC)
Location to be decided
The Dominican Seminar
Dates:
2nd - 4th January 2015
Location: Hinsley Hall, Leeds
Theme: Jesus
contact: Rev. Nick Baggio
nick.baggio@zen.co.uk
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16
VERITAS
Newsletter of the
Lay Fraternities of St Dominic
(England, Wales & Scotland).
Elizabeth Howe, (Editor)
Top Flat, 20, Austin Street.
HUNSTANTON
PE36 6AL
Tel: 01485 535423
E-mail: elizabeth.howe@hotmail.co.uk
website: www.laydominicans.org.uk
Lay Dominican Supplies
Scapular*
Veritas Brooch Badge
Veritas Shield on long pin
Cross Brooch, small
Cross on pin
Pendant Cross, large
small
Shield on long pin
Star Brooch
Key Ring, large
Rule Book
Lay Dominican Prayer Book
Lone Lay Dominican Prayer Cards
Admittance/Profession Certificate
Dominican postcard
St. Dominic medals
£2.00
£3.60
£2.75
£2.75
£2.75
£4.60
£3.75
£2.75
£2.75
£3.95
£1.00
£0.50
£0.30
£0.25
£0.30
£0.20
*The SCAPULAR is white, characterising Dominican laicity.
Following recent instructions regarding this item, it is considered as very relevant
for those about to be Admitted or Professed. They are made by our own Anna
Baidoun.
Please note that prices are subject to change.
Order from:
Miss Pamela McNeil, OP.
47, Carisbrooke Road,
CAMBRIDGE
CB4 3LP
Tel:
01223 360976
VERITAS