Dominican Sisters of St. Cecilia 801 Dominican Drive Nashville, TN 37228 www.nashvilledominican.org vocation@op-tn.org
“The means St. Dominic gave his children to make them apostles are identical with those that make them holy… The charity which leads the Dominican to seek union with God, prompts him to love his neighbor and work for his salvation. The means established by our holy Founder are, first, the vows of religion and the community life. Then come the liturgy, other prayers, monastic observances… When the Dominican steps from the sanctuary, choir, or cloister into ministry, he has already prepared the way.” William A Hinnebusch, O.P. Dominican Spirituality, pg. 73
August 2015
Dear Friends, As we enjoy the fruits of so many summer blessings, we look forward to a new academic year. Celebrating the feast of Saint Dominic, “man of an apostolic heart,” we remember that the love we have received is to be given freely. May each of us give Christ to those we encounter! In Christ, The Dominican Sisters of St. Cecilia
Recommended Reading 1
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Dominican Spirituality: Principles and Practice
by William A. Hinnebusch, OP “An incident in St. Dominic’s life distills the power of Dominican life into a moment. Once, during a preaching journey, he sat up all night with a heretical innkeeper, and talked with him until he returned to the faith. …he engaged the proprietor in that comprehensive encounter we call a conversation… Dominic’s presence to the conversation with the innkeeper flowed from the conversation among the elements of his life. The integral working of these flies off Fr. Hinnebusch’s pages… Perhaps one could say that the spirituality of a Dominican life lies in the willingness to engage in lifelong conversation: with God in the liturgy, with the tradition in study, with the brothers in chapter, and God’s people in ministry...” from the Foreword by Fr. Walter Wagner, OP, ii-iii
(Wipf & Stock publishers, original © 1965)
A Professed Sister’s Reflection
Like those of many saints, the story of St. Dominic’s life begins with childhood intimations of divine election and future sanctity. While pregnant with St. Dominic, Blessed Jane of Aza, his mother, dreamed of a dog carrying a torch which set the world ablaze with the light of truth and the fire of charity. At his baptism, a light appeared radiating from his forehead, which some described as a star and others as a moon. As he grew older, St. Dominic retained and deepened the saintly qualities of childhood, especially those of trust and joy. St. Dominic’s trust in divine providence, which was nurtured by his mother’s example and instruction, became especially manifest when he was called to found the Order of Preachers. Once when the brethren who had begged for their daily bread returned empty-handed, St. Dominic nonetheless called the community to the refectory to be nourished spiritually. While they were listening to the reading at table prescribed by monastic custom, two angels appeared in the refectory to provide bread for all. Relying upon the inspiration of the Holy Spirit rather than upon mere human calculation, St. Dominic dispersed the small band of preachers to the major cities of Europe less than a year after the foundation of the Order. In all of this, St. Dominic knew that the success of the Order’s mission did not depend on him, nor could it be measured by human standards; but, like a confident child, he trusted in his Heavenly Father to complete the good work He had begun. That radiance that shone on St. Dominic’s face at baptism continued to be an outward manifestation of that joy which is an inward fruit of the Holy Spirit. And this joy seemed to increase in the midst of trials. When he was ambushed by heretics along his path, St. Dominic was so overjoyed by the prospect of martyrdom that his would-be assassins fled, confounded by such courage and enthusiasm. Often on their journeys, Dominic and his band of itinerant preachers would experience weariness from the road or rejection from the townspeople. Yet it seemed to the brethren that the greater the adversity, the more fervent the song on St. Dominic’s lips. Through the centuries, St. Dominic has inspired in his spiritual progeny these childlike dispositions of trust and joy. We find them, for instance, in St. Thomas Aquinas’s moral theology, centered as it is on man’s God-given desire for happiness. We find them also in St. Catherine of Siena’s treatise on Divine Providence and her own bold trust in God’s power working through her weakness. Even in a simple poem entitled “To Any Friar Preacher,” we find Sister Mary Benvenuta, OP, encouraging her fellow Dominicans to be “A child at play with the Eternal Child… / Alert to catch creation’s undertones / Of laughter through the travail and the groans.” This coming year will mark the 800th anniversary of the approval of the Order of Preachers. Our Founder and succeeding generations of Dominicans have bequeathed to us a rich heritage of wisdom gleaned from years of experience and contemplation as well as a youthful and hope-filled spirit borne from confidence in God’s providence. This has enabled the Order to remain—in the words of St. Augustine whose Rule we follow— “ever ancient, ever new.”
Holiness Highlights
BLESSED JANE OF AZA Born: circa 1135 in Aza, Spain Died: circa 1202, Caleruega, Spain Feast Day: August 2 Known for: instructing her children in the Catholic Faith and forming them in a life of devotion and virtue; generously caring for the poor; trusting in Divine Providence when human resources failed How to imitate the saint: express gratitude to those who instructed you in the faith, especially your parents; look for opportunities to participate in parish catechesis; give of your possessions to those in need
Blessed Jane of Aza, Pray for us!
“Like that holy mother of centuries past, Blessed Jane [the mother of St. Dominic] trusted in the Lord. While that mother received an angel of the Lord to reveal to her the good news of the birth of her Son, to Jane was given a vision of another sort. She saw a dog bearing a flaming torch, a symbol of the humble greatness of the task that God would entrust to her son: the task of setting the world ablaze with the truth of the Gospel, of enflaming cold hearts and re-directing the burning zeal of those deceived by heresy.� from Meditations for the Fifteen Tuesdays in Honor of St. Dominic, LBP Communications, 2009
This summer Sister Mary Reginald celebrated the 50th anniversary of her religious profession. Bishop Christopher Cardone from the Diocese of Auki in the Solomon Islands was principal celebrant and homilist for the Mass.
Above: Sister Joseph Marie, Sister Mary Caroline, Sister Mary Rita, Sister Mary Sarah, Sister Imelda, Sister Mary Ruth, and Sister Mary Aquinas at the reception following the Mass celebrating their 25 years of religious profession.
Bishop David Choby was the principal celebrant for the Mass, and Father Brian Mullady, OP, preached the homily.
The observance of Independence Day at the Motherhouse began with a flag-raising ceremony, the pledge of allegiance, patriotic hymns, and prayers.
In the afternoon, the community gathered to recite a special Rosary for our country, with individual prayers for each state and branch of government.