Vocation Office E-Newsletter November 2021

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

November 2021 Fra Angelico, The Ascension of Christ, The Last Judgment, Pentecost (Corsini Triptych), c. 1448

N O V E M B E R 2021 St. Martin de Porres was a Dominican Brother from Lima, Peru who devoted himself to the Eucharist and care for the poor.

Saint Albert the Great was a Dominican of the 13th Century known for great his intellect and teaching. His most famous student was St. Thomas Aquinas.

St. Cecilia was martyred in the 3rd century courageously giving witness to the Gospel during a time of intense persecution.

St. Andrew the Apostle worked tirelessly for the spread the Gospel and was martyred by crucifixion.

1 / ALL SAINTS 2/ The Commemoration of All the Faithful Departed (All Soul's Day) 3 / Saint Martin de Porres 4 / Saint Charles Borromeo 5/ 6/ 7 / THIRTY-SECOND SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME 8 / Anniversary of Deceased Brothers and Sisters of the Order 9 / The Dedication of the Lateran Basilica

10 / Saint Leo the Great 11 / Saint Martin of Tours 12 / Saint Josaphat 13 / Saint Frances Xavier Cabrini 14 / THIRTY-THIRD SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME 15 / Saint Albert the Great 16 / Saint Margaret of Scotland 17 / Saint Elizabeth of Hungary 18 / Saint Rose Philippine Duchesne 19 / 20 / 21 / OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST, KING OF THE UNIVERSE 22 / SAINT CECILIA 23/ Blessed Miguel Augustín Pro 24 / Saints Ignatius Delgado, Vincent Liem, Dominic An-Kham, Andrew Dũng-Lạc and Companions 25 / Saint Catherine of Alexandria 26/ 27 / 28 / FIRST SUNDAY OF ADVENT Celebrations from the 29 / Dominican calendar 30/ St. Andrew, Apostle

appear in italics.

Saints Souls AND

T

he climax of the liturgical year is the celebration of Christ’s Passion, Death, and Resurrection. After his forty days upon earth following the Resurrection were completed, His nascent Church awaited nine days the coming of the Promised Paraclete. On the calendar, the period following Pentecost is sprinkled—one might rather say “drenched”—with saints’ feast days, the celebrations of those in whom Christ has triumphed.

Truly in them “the Spirit of the Lord has filled the whole world.”

Getting Oriented Traditionally, September 14th has marked a turn in the liturgical year. Historically, the feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross was the date when, in the Dominican Order, deeper fasting would resume in anticipation of the next feasting of Easter. With the exultant feast of the Triumph of the Cross we begin to find the liturgical calendar punctuated with celebrations of some facet of the Paschal Mystery.

With the arrival of November we find ourselves seven times seven days after the Feast of the Exaltation of the Cross. A little Pentecost has passed and we have come to two of the most lovely, if most mysterious, of the Church’s feasts.

All Saints and All Souls: “Hidden with Christ in God” The Church’s canonization process is rigorous, documented and detailed. Even on days when we celebrate particular martyrs and their “companions,” even if we don’t know the names of each saint, we at least usually know the number of those who have given their lives in witness to Christ and who now bear the name of “Saint.”

Perhaps the closest thing to the “anonymity” of All Saints and All Souls is the feast of the Holy Innocents when we commemorate all those tiny children, their names are known only to Christ, who were first privileged to shed their blood for Him.

On the Solemnity of All Saints we celebrate all those who now share in heaven in Christ's triumph, though their holiness of life may not have been formally recognized through canonization. In 1336, Pope Benedict XII wrote in Benedictus Deus, “According to the general disposition of God, the souls of all the saints… have been, are and will be with Christ in heaven, in the heavenly kingdom and paradise, joined to the company of the holy angels. Since the passion and death of the Lord Jesus Christ, these souls have seen and see the divine essence with an intuitive vision and even face to face…”

Pope Benedict XII continues with reference to us: “Also the souls of those who will die in the future will see the same divine essence and will enjoy it before the general judgment…the same vision and enjoyment has continued and will continue without any interruption and without end until the last Judgment and from then on forever.” What a blessed and certain hope!

These feasts of All Saints and All Souls deeply concern us as well.. Please God, when our time on earth ends, we will be found by Christ in the prayers of both of these days. No one who has died with Christ has not a feast day! These two days also enlarge our hearts as we celebrate - or on the Commemoration of All Souls, pray fervently for - those we do not know along with those we do.

These souls are hidden with Christ; God alone knows which already enjoy His vision and which await His glory. In remembering them we also recall the mystery of our own deaths, of which the Catechism of the Catholic Church says that man “can transform his own death into an act of obedience and love toward the Father, after the example of Christ” (1011). There are many who even at this moment are preparing to meet the judgment seat of Christ; we pray fervently for their final perseverance and for ours.

God is making saints among us. We rejoice in all those in whom Christ already shows His glory and pray for those in whom He is still doing His sanctifying work. When our time comes to meet Him, may we be among those in whom Christ’s Cross has triumphed for His glory.

O Wondrous Hope Saint Dominic left his Order the wonderful hope that he would be of more use to them in heaven than on earth.

On November 7th we celebrate the feast of All Dominican Saints, on which we rejoice in our own who are now united with God in eternal life. The following day we remember all the deceased of the Order as we intercede on their behalf on November 8th, the feast of All Dominican Souls. May eternal light shine upon them! We pray to our Holy Father Dominic, "O wonderous hope that you did give at the hour of death to those who mourned you, when you did promise to help them even after death. Father, keep your word and aid us by your prayers."

OUR LITURGICAL LIFE

Prayers for the Dead As Dominicans, we have a special love for those who have gone before us. Prayers for the dead are a frequent element of Dominican life. Each day, before we enter the refectory for dinner and supper we pray together the psalm De Profundis offered for deceased sisters, for deceased parents of the sisters, and deceased benefactors of the Order. This psalm, Psalm 130, conveys the anguish of one who from his very depths is crying out to God. He stands as one who has turned to God as His hope and salvation, begging God to incline his ears, to be attentive to his plea. In the second half of the psalm there is a shift from the individual person to the community. The psalmist unites himself with the entire community of Israel. In the same way, as we pray for our beloved dead, we stand as a community, hopeful of God’s steadfast love.

The month of November brings an opportunity for a special focus on the holy souls. During the month, the community prays together the 20 mysteries of the Rosary and observes the Commemoration of the Deceased Brothers and Sisters of the Order on November 8th. Other prayers for the deceased include the weekly Libera Procession as well as prayers for the deceased or dying at Compline each evening, and the Sorrowful Mysteries of the rosary two days each week.

Be Present to the One Present to You During times of discernment, whether it be of a vocation or some other large decision, there can be a tendency to become fixated on the future. At times one might wonder, “Can I see myself doing ___ in the future?” or “What does God want me to do with the rest of my life?” While it is good to seek the Lord’s will and we should place our future in His hands, if we find ourselves too preoccupied with what lies ahead, we might miss the grace of the present moment.

Father Anselm Moynihan, OP, in his book “The Presence of God” has a message that is important for anyone seeking the Lord. The book outlines the various manifestations of God’s presence according to St. Thomas Aquinas. After discussing God as present in creation in his essence, presence, and power, he describes God’s special presence in the Blessed Sacrament and climaxes with God’s presence in the baptized soul, or the indwelling of the Blessed Trinity in the graced human soul.

When the soul receives the gift of sanctifying grace at the moment of baptism, it is filled with the infused theological and cardinal virtues, the gifts of the Holy Spirit, and the indwelling of the Blessed Trinity. Love makes His home in the soul and remains as long as the soul possesses the gift of grace. With such a gift, it is our task to foster a worthy dwelling for such a divine Guest. Father Moynihan suggests that we defend, adorn, and enter this sacred place. Then we will find God dwelling within and be open to His plan for us, because we will find that His will is always “to prosper you and not harm you, to give you a future and a hope” (Jeremiah 29:11).

Defend

Ward off temptation Avail of the Sacrament of Confession

Adorn

Fill your heart with noble desires Practice virtue

Enter

Embrace silence

Be present to the One present to you

November 22

Saint Cecilia J

Patroness of the Congregation

oin us in praying the Novena to Saint Cecilia November 13-21. Follow the links below for the novena and other information on Saint Cecilia:

Novena to St. Cecilia

Life of St. Cecilia

Patroness of the Congregation

We long for a fidelity which is a testimony not unlike that of the virginmartyr, St. Cecilia. For love of God and conquest of the kingdom of heaven, we desire to build up the body of Christ until we ourselves are transformed into his image. (Constitutions of the Congregation)

Trips and Events

Pra Univ ise Pizz a ersit y of L Theolog y wit ouis ville h the Cath olic G roup

t ight a N s ' n ome ea W r a h y urg rator Pittsb the O

ta Hike and Mass at Interstate Park in Minneso

University of Kentucky Newm an Center Women's Night

At Fran Pictured ciscan U here are niversit Guerin C y a t h olic alum school t eacher S ni with their hig ister An n Thom h as

etreat ring the r u d l e n a P Vocation

treat at the Come and See Re Motherhouse

Visit with the Dominican Nuns in Lufkin, TX

Retreat M aster Fr. Patrick Hyde, OP

Women's

Night at t h e S o u th e r n M e th o d University ist Catholic C e n te r

Eternal rest grant unto them, O Lord, And let perpetual light shine upon them.

May their souls and the souls of all the faithful departed through the mercy of God Rest In Peace.

Amen.

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