VOCATION OFFICE E_NEWSLETTER SEPTEMBER 2020

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

September 2020

The Four Pillars of Dominican Life Inside this Issue: Introduction to the Pillars of Dominican Life Keeping Our Faith Strong Community Events Mission Spotlight - Oak Ridge, TN Dominican Prayers and Liturgy

An Introduction to the Four Pillars of Dominican Life PRAYER - COMMUNITY - APOSTOLATE - STUDY The baldacchino in St Peter’s Basilica is a magnificent structure: four spiral pillars of cast bronze support a ‘cloth’ canopy (also cast bronze) above the central altar. Baldacchinos are a common feature over the altars of Catholic churches. The architectural feature is evocative of the canopy held over the bridegroom and bride in the Jewish marriage custom. The mystery of two becoming one in the covenant of marriage is, as St Paul teaches, a reflection of the great mystery of Christ becoming one with His Church. This everlasting covenant is re-presented and renewed at each and every Mass, thus the baldacchino over the altar. Four pillars support the canopy over the sacred mystery of Christ’s Holy Communion with humanity. In Dominican life, we also give prominent place to four pillars which support our living of the sacred vows which bind us to Christ.

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The Four Pillars of Dominican Life

PRAYER - COMMUNITY - APOSTOLATE - STUDY The four pillars of Dominican life are prayer, community, apostolate, and study.

Together they provide the framework in which we continually deepen our consecration to God. Prayer is the foundational dimension of consecrated life and encompasses personal and communal prayer. In prayer we seek God and we also seek the grace to surrender to the Love who seeks us first. Community life is the place in which our prayer becomes ‘incarnate’ and the virtues are nourished. We support one another and experience in a privileged way a foretaste of the Heavenly communion. Faithful perseverance in prayer and community life is the foundation of all our apostolic fruitfulness. The apostolate of the Dominican is centered on the grace which St Dominic received: that of preaching for the salvation of souls. In our Congregation this grace of preaching is expressed in the apostolate of Catholic education, both in the classroom and in work of evangelization.

Study is the constant pursuit of truth and especially the One who is Truth. Study nourishes our contemplation and enables us to fulfill our apostolic work with fidelity and deep commitment. As we pray, live in community, give ourselves in the apostolate, and earnestly seek the truth in study, our consecrated life is deepened and we experience some of Christ’s promised hundredfold.

1 With the four-pillared baldacchino overhead, we are free to enter more deeply into the mystery of communion with God, through the vows of consecrated life.

"I have prayed that your faith may be strong..." Luke 22:32 As we begin a new school year, how can we deepen our faith during these uncertain times? Here are some ideas...

Prayer... It seems obvious, but we need to be intentional about making time for prayer daily.

TRY: Attending daily Mass (perhaps participating by live stream if necessary), pray the rosary, stop by your local Church to make a Chapel visit, pray short aspiration prayers throughout the day - Jesus, I trust in YOU. Silence... Incorporate quiet time into your day to let Him speak.

TRY: Unplug from technology after supper, have silence while commuting, enjoy an afternoon walk or run in silence.

Holy Friendships... surround yourself with like-minded people who are seeking the Kingdom.

TRY: Be intentional about catching up with friends, offer support to those in your family and community who need it most; try a service project together, and seek out heavenly friends in the saints!

Feed the soul... Like our bodies, our souls need nourishment too!

TRY: Download homilies or Catholic talks to listen to on your commute, or while working out; read a chapter from the Gospels every day, and keep up-to-date with news from the Vatican.

Don't forget to smile... Joy is contagious and is a fruit of the Holy Spirit, so let it well up inside of you and share it with others!

Reception to the Habit - August, 2020 Please pray for our New Novices!

For more pictures from Reception to the Habit, click here!

To the Honor of Almighty God... final profession of vows - 2020

Mother Anna Grace, Sister Paulina, Sister Mary Xavier, Sister Albertine, Sister Agnes Clare, Sister Regina Ann, Sister Rose Dominic, Sister Maria Sophia, Sister Anna Catherine

For more pictures from Final Profession, click here!

From one of our Finally Professed Sisters Sister Anna Catherine Kim, O.P. final profession of vows - 2020

Sister Anna Catherine grew up in Huntsville, Alabama as the second of six children. She began discerning a religious vocation at the end of her senior year in High School. "I first met the Dominican Sisters at their mission house in Birmingham, Alabama." She explains, "It was there that the sisters' devotion to the Eucharist and joyful living of community life encouraged me to further explore the possibility of a religious vocation." After visiting the Motherhouse for a Jesu Caritas Retreat and later a Vocation Retreat, Sister entered the community in August of 2013. "The Lord wishes to give Himself to each of us in abundance. The beautiful day of Perpetual Profession, where I was joined with so many sisters, family members, and friends to proclaim the goodness of the Lord, was a tangible sign that God will not be outdone in generosity and truly gives us all grace in place of grace."

For All My Life...

Mission Spotlight Oak Ridge, Tennessee

Knoxville Catholic St. Mary's School High School P3 - 8th Grade 9th - 12th Grade Our Sisters have taught at SMS Our Sisters have taught at KCHS since 2005. since it opened in 1950.

We started back to school at the end of July, earlier than expected, but we are delighted to see our students and families. In fact, one of the blessings that has come from the quarantine is that students are thrilled to be allowed to come to school, even teenagers!

Each day we learn more about technology L-R: Sr. Teresa Joy, Sr. Madeline Rose, Sr. Grace Dominic, Sr. Maria Kolbe, Sr. Marie Blanchette, Sr. Scholastica and live-streaming classes so that some at-home learners can still join us in class.

Teachers and students alike are learning how to social distance in the classrooms and hallways, and yes, even at recess! Temperature checks, hand sanitizer, and face masks might not be in St. Dominic's Nine Ways of Prayer, but we can definitely use these as opportunities to give glory to God.

Dominican Prayers and Liturgy

The Dominican Order is richly blessed with a tradition of various prayers and devotions from its 800 years of history. The Dominican Sisters of Saint Cecilia are blessed to celebrate many traditional aspects of Dominican prayers and liturgy daily.

O Lumen

O Light of the Church

Not long after St. Dominic’s death, Constantine of Orvieto wrote the words of the O Lumen as an antiphon in honor of St. Dominic. It began to be recited or sung at the conclusion of Compline after Dominic was canonized. The nightly singing of the O Lumen which continues today gives witness to Dominic's lasting witness of holiness and his intercession for the Order. As Dominicans, we strive to follow in the footsteps of our Holy Father Dominic contemplating and begging for the virtues that united him to Christ.

To hear our Sisters chanting the O Lumen, click HERE.

Join us for our Jesu Caritas Retreat Online!

October 2-4, 2020