Few Catholics today know much about Saint Dominic, who died eight hundred years ago in 1221. Unlike Francis of Assisi, Teresa of Ávila, or Ignatius of Loyola, Dominic did not leave a deposit of writings to be examined and built upon. Yet this medieval Spaniard still has much to teach us today, and we see this in the way of life he left to the Church. Dominic offers a rich approach to Christian living, not just for members of the Order of Preachers, the religious order he founded, but for all Catholics. His dedication to prayer, penance, and the Word of God, and his love of neighbor, form the deep foundation of his project of being conformed to God. By following in Dominic’s footsteps, we too can discover how to live with a heart that is undivided, seeking God first in all things. “The twenty-first century remains in need of the witness and ministry of Saint Dominic, the thirteenth-century priest who consecrated his life to the sharing of saving truth. Fortunately, Fathers Briscoe and Janczyk have produced a highly readable and inspiring book that enables the men and women of our own time to discover the graces that Dominic continues to bring to us as an instrument of God, the author of grace. In Saint Dominic, the contemplative preacher of grace, we can all find a spiritual father who will teach us to know and love the Lord Jesus, who is himself Saving Truth.” — Father Sebastian White, OP, editor-in-chief, Magnificat “This beautiful book allows us to get to know Saint Dominic better, who was so close to God and so full of compassion for all the sufferings of his time. He is a shining example of what we are called to do today: seek God with all our heart to pour out the balm of his merciful love on all the plagues of our world.” — Father Jacques Philippe, best-selling author and retreat master ABOUT THE AUTHORS Father Patrick Mary Briscoe, OP, and Father Jacob Bertrand Janczyk, OP, are cohosts of the lively Dominican friars’ podcast Godsplaining. Father Patrick serves as deputy senior editor of Aleteia.org and associate chaplain at Providence College. Father Jacob Bertrand is the director of vocations of the Dominican Province of St. Joseph.
Ever since St. Dominic de Guzmán founded the Order of Preachers 800 years ago, Dominican men and women have continued to shape Catholic spirituality, challenging the faithful to know God in their minds and to love God in their hearts. Praying with the Dominicans is a wellspring of Dominican prayer from the thirteenth to the twentieth centuries. Dominican spirituality emphasizes the goodness of the created world as the handiwork of a loving God. Author John Vidmar, OP, presents a generous sampling of this rich spiritual tradition in the form prayers, meditations, poems, hymns, devotions, and reflections. Within this book the reader will find an account of St. Dominic's nine ways of prayer, along with the Eucharistic writings of Thomas Aquinas. St. Catherine of Siena is prominently featured, as are contemporary English Dominicans Timothy Radcliffe and Bede Jarrett, Dominican theologian Mary Catherine Hilkert, Dominican inspirational poet Maryanna Childs, and many others. Also included are selections representing the vibrant tradition of Dominican Marian devotion. Illustrations and musical samples accompany the text. No comparable single-volume source offers such a diverse collection of Dominican prayer and thought. This book will guide, enlighten, and inspire anyone who wishes to experience the dynamic charism of the Order of Preachers. +
A beautiful book of meditations on various Christian virtues or charisms as reflected in the lives of nine holy Dominican men and women. Manifesting the special grace and spirit given to St. Dominic, these outsanding lives are shining examples for modern Christians on how to make the Gospel teaching incarnate in today's world. Saints portrayed include Thomas Aquinas, Catherine of Siena, Martin de Porres, Fra Angelico, Peter of Verona, Catherine de Ricci and others. Charisms highlighted by each life include prayer, joy, poverty, study, friendship, art and more. The lives of the saints occupy a special place in the history and spirituality of the Catholic Church. The men and women in this book form a comprehensive image of one of the most significant movements in the history of Western Christianity: the Dominican order, whose particular charism emphasizes the sanctification of the intellect and importance tht sacred truth holds in the life of the Christian believer.
The spirituality of St. Dominic and his early followers was a force in 13th-century Europe. Here is a selection of works that represent the simplicity, ruggedness and clarity of the Dominicans' biblically-based, Christ-centered spirituality.
Father Hinnebusch received his doctorate in philosophy from the University of Oxford where he studied prior to his assignment as professor of history at Providence College. He subsequently spent three years doing research at the Historical Institute of the Dominican Order in Rome where he published The Early English Friars Preachers. For many years he taught Church History at the Dominican House of Studies in Washington, DC. A contributor to the Encyclopedia Brittanica, the Catholic Youth Encyclopedia and the New Catholic Encyclopedia, Fr. Hinnebusch was also the author of Renewal in the Spirit of St. Dominic (1968).
Building the Benedict Option is a combination spiritual memoir and practical handbook for Christians who want to build communities of prayer, socialization, and evangelization in the places where they live and work. Beginning when the author was a new convert, she desired more communal prayer and fellowship than weekly Mass could provide. She surveyed her friends--busy, young, urban professionals like herself--and created unique enriching or supportive experiences that matched their desires and schedules. The result was a less lonely and more boisterous spiritual and social life. No Catholic Martha Stewart, Libresco is frank about how she plans events that allow her to feed thirty people on a Friday night without feeling exhausted. She is honest about the obstacles to prayer and the challenge to make it inviting and unobtrusive. Above all, she communicates the joy she has experienced since discovering ways to open her home (even when it was only a small studio apartment). The reader will close this book with four or five ideas for events to try over the next few weeks, along with the tools to make them fruitful. From film nights to picnics in the park to resume-writing evenings, there are plenty of ideas to choose from and loads of encouragement to make more room in one's life for others.
Dominican Penitent Women presents a fascinating overview of the spirituality, religious practices, and ways of life of medieval Italian women who belonged to the Dominican Order as lay members or penitents. Through selected texts, readers gain a fresh perspective on the institutional and spiritual foundations of Dominican lay life, but also an understanding of how these women refashioned Dominican ideals into practices that best responded to their individual and social means. Their way of life created an important alternative for women who sought religious perfection in the world. The first section consists of two penitent rules: the Ordinationes of Munio from the late 13th century and the formal penitent rule of the early 15th century, which show how penitents were to organize and live their lives. The second section is dedicated to hagiographic sources. The third section is made up of penitent women's religious writing. The texts translated here present an overview of Dominican women's literary production that complements the writings of Catherine of Siena, already available in English. While Dominican penitent women held an important position in medieval piety, aside from Catherine of Siena, their spirituality has not attracted much scholarly attention. As the first comprehensive introduction to medieval Dominican laywomen and Dominican penitent spirituality in English, this book makes a significant scholarly and spiritual contribution. +
Dominican Life, by the French Dominican Joret, is a masterful treatise for Dominican Tertiaries or anyone who with an affinity for St. Dominic and his sons to seek union with the Divine Will through Jesus Christ our Lord. The Children of this family of St. Dominic, forming themselves on the traditions and examples of seven centuries, are bound together within GodÕs Church by ties that transcend differences of race and language and are more enduring than the bonds of earthly kinship. This book is intended as a guide and manual to teach the spirit of St. Dominic so that the reader might learn more about the Dominican Order and absorb its spirit. Although it was written for lay Dominicans, it will prove instructive and useful to all members of the Dominican Order as well as any laity interested in finding the character and spiritual charism of St. Dominic. This new edition has been completely re-typeset in full agreement with the original. English spelling of words has been maintained from the original.