December 2020 Vocation Office Newsletter

laudare, benedicere, praedicare TO PRAISE, TO BLESS, TO PREACH

December 2020

Inasmuch as He humbled Himself in becoming man, by so much the more does He show Himself greater in manifesting His goodness.

St. Thomas Aquinas

Inside this Issue: The second pillar - Study Keeping Our Faith Strong The Messianic Prophecies

Mission Spotlight - Cottleville, MO Motherhouse Fall Festival Dominican Prayers and Liturgy O Antiphons

The Four Pillars of Dominican Life Study

Adrift on a sea of “fake news” and opinions only loosely grounded on facts, we may find ourselves asking the question Pilate raised, “What is truth?” This is neither a new question nor a new concern, and it is particularly relevant to Dominicans. Indeed, it was an encounter with the confused misrepresentation of the Truth, particularly among the Albigensians, that led Bishop Diego and his faithful canon, Dominic to petition Rome for the foundation of an order to combat heresy.

It is not surprising, then, that “assiduous study of sacred truth” finds a privileged place in the Constitutions of the Dominican Order. As one of the early masters general of the Order, Blessed Humbert of the Romans, explained: “Study is not the end of our Order, but is extremely necessary to secure its twofold end, namely, preaching and the salvation of souls. For without study neither can be achieved" (qtd. by Father William A. Hinnebusch, O.P., in Dominican Spirituality: Principles and Practice).

Throughout the Order’s history, Dominicans have made noteworthy contributions to the practice of study in the Church. We have only to think of St. Albert and St. Thomas Aquinas as well as the many commentators who preserved and explicated their works.

In his encyclical Fides et Ratio, Pope St. John Paul II highlighted the legacy of St. Thomas Aquinas as one of methodology and attitude even more so than voluminous productivity: “Thomas had the great merit of giving pride of place to the harmony which exists between faith and reason. Both the light of reason and the light of faith come from God, he argued; hence there can be no contradiction between them. . . . Faith therefore has no fear of reason, but seeks it out and has trust in it.

Just as grace builds on nature and brings it to fulfilment, so faith builds upon and perfects reason.

Illumined by faith, reason is set free from the fragility and limitations deriving from the disobedience of sin and finds the strength required to rise to the knowledge of the Triune God” (43).

As Catholics, we have so many resources to nourish our study. Perhaps the greatest challenge for us is to create the time and space to nurture perseverance and true exercise of our intellect rather than settling for sound bites or even the weekly podcasts of faithful Catholic leaders. As a community, we set aside three nights a month for personal study, and one for group discussion, focusing on a particular virtue or aspect of religious life. In our classrooms, we push our students to find the balance: to delight in seeking the truth and to realize the difficult work of persevering in the process to complete a challenging math problem or revise an essay again to more accurately express the truth of the matter.

It is edifying to see members of our Dominican Laity who are currently studying Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger's (Pope Benedict XVI )The Spirit of the Liturgy for its own sake but also to nourish their prayer life and enrich their participation in the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass.

As we journey through Advent, we recall the example of Our Lady who is so often pictured at sacred study at the moment of the Annunciation. As the Gospel of St. Luke indicates, “Mary kept all these things, reflecting on them in her heart” (2:19). Our study is not an end in itself but a formation of our intellect and a preparation for contemplation of the One who is “the Way, the Truth, and the Life” (John 14:6). May our study always lead us to Him, the long-desired of nations (cf. Haggai 2:7-9)!

The Annunciation, by Guglielmo Caccia at St. Andrew's Church (Alba, Italy)

"I have prayed that your faith may be strong..." Luke 22:32 Throughout the centuries of the Old Testament, the people of Israel longed for the coming of the Messiah. The prophets were appointed by God as His messengers, heralding the coming of the Christ and preparing the world for Him. Let us take some time this Advent to pray with these five Messianic Prophecies of the Old Testament, asking the Holy Spirit to prepare our hearts to receive the gift of the Infant Christ at Christmas.

The Prophecy of Light The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light... Isaiah 9:1 The Prophecy of Names For a child is born to us, a son is given to us; upon his shoulder dominion rests.

They name him Wonder-Counselor, God-Hero, Father-Forever, Prince of Peace... Isaiah 9:5 The Prophecy of the Mother Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign; Behold a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son and his name shall be called Emmanuel... Isaiah 7:14 The Prophecy of the Birthplace of the Messiah But you, Bethlehem-Ephrathaha least among the clans of Judah, From you shall come forth for me one who is to be ruler in Israel... Micah 5:1 The Prophecy of the Star and Scepter I see him, though not now; I observe him, though not near: A star shall advance from Jacob, and a scepter shall rise from Israel... Numbers 24:17

From one of our Finally Professed Sisters Sister Maria Sophia, O.P. final profession of vows - 2020

I grew up in northern Illinois, and from a young age I remember my parents being very involved in my home parish. My mom helped me to develop a deep love for the rosary, which I believe was a foundational part in discovering my vocation. I was very involved with youth ministry in high school, and fell deeply in love with Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament. Upon graduating from college, I worked at my home parish doing youth ministry before moving to another parish to be the director of religious education. Though I was working in a parish, there was something always lacking, and I realized I had never asked the Lord what He wanted for my life, a question that let me to enter the Congregation in 2013.

I am so grateful for the initial formation of the past seven years, and it is a tremendous joy to make perpetual profession, to know that “I have found Him whom my soul loves” and “I belong to my lover, and my lover belongs to me” as the Song of Songs says. I look forward to the many adventures this life as I grow in the love and knowledge of God living out my vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience for all my life.

Resources for Private Study

Some find it hard to know where to start when it comes to studying the faith. Below are some ideas that might be helpful as we strive to live the pillar of study.

The Catechism is a great place to study the basics of our faith. Click on the image to see a free resource that structures reading the Bible and the Catechism in a year.

Aquinas College hosts webinars and lecture series about Catholic education, catechetics and culture. Click on the image to visit their website.

Click on the image to access videos from the Thomistic Institute explaining St. Thomas' teachings in the Summa.

Mission Spotlight Cottleville MO

L-R: Sister Kateri Rose, Sister Mary Xavier, Sister Agnes Clare, Sister Magdalena The first quarter of school has been busy and unique for everyone, but we are all so grateful to be together. Some of our families chose to begin the year with our distance learning option, so we as teachers worked on finding the balance between in person and online lessons and grading. We are all wearing masks and cleaning the classrooms between every class. The precautions have been followed well and have proven successful - no spread of COVID amongst the student body although individuals in families have been diagnosed. This is a triumph for a school of over 800 students!

For second quarter, we have rejoiced at the return of many of our distance learners. It has been an experience of finding joy in the simple goodness of being together. Our students are always precious to us, but this year they have been an even deeper source of hope and delight. We are looking forward to a new quarter and hoping we can continue to be together for the year.

St. Joseph School P3 - 8th Grade Our Sisters have taught at SJS since 2007.

Motherhouse Fall Festival

Face Painting

Cake Walk

Magic Show

Ultimate Cornhole

Waffle Bar

Roasting hotdogs

Advent Prayers and Liturgy

O Antiphons

Many of us are familiar with the Advent hymn "O Come, O Come Emmanuel". The titles for the Messiah used in this hymn come from the Vespers Magnificat Antiphons from the last days of Advent, and singing them always brings a heightened sense of anticipation for the Community as we know Christ's birth is very near.

These titles may be familiar enough to us, but have you every noticed what happens when you arrange the Latin names in reverse order and put the first letter together?

Dec. 23 Emmanuel

Dec. 22 Rex Gentium

Dec. 20 Dec. 19 Dec. 18 Clavis David Radix Jesse Adonai

Dec. 21 Oriens

Dec. 17 Sapientia

ERO CRAS - Tomorrow I come...