DominicanPilgrimage toKnock

Editorial

Chapter News

A Testimony

Dates for yourDiary

Dominican FamilyDay

What does it meanto be a LayDominican

Obituaries

OngoingFormation

LLAAYYDominican NEWSLETTER

November 2014

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Each year the Dominican Order makesa Pilgrimage to Knock, Co Mayo, theNational Shrine of Our Lady Queen ofIreland. This year we celebrated60years of pilgrimage (1954-2014). Theprinciple celebrant was Rev Fr GregoryCarroll OP, prior provincial.The homilist was Fr Brian Doyle OP, StSaviours, Dublin. The choir was the Aquinas Singersfrom Newbridge College, and theycertainly made the liturgies so veryprayerful. The Dominican Magnificatwas prayerfully sung, and this especiallybrought the Spirit of joy to the heartsof all Dominicans present.

The Programme for the day was:Anointing of the Sick, Mass, Benediction& the Rosary Procession from theBasilica to the place of apparition whichtook place in the year 1879 at the gableend of Knock parish church. The youth were catered for very well.Some even climbed Croagh Patrick inthe early morning before making theirway back for the ceremonies. Others

arrived just in time for afew words by brothersDamien & Jesse OP and FrJohn OP on the Rosary.The Dominican pilgrimagethis year saw the close ofthe basilica as we know it.We look forward tocelebrating in the newlyrefurbished Basilica nextyear. ■

DOMINICANPILGRIMAGETO KNOCK2014

EditorialDear Readers,

The months of November and December are a time of heightened loneliness andupset for so many people, young and old. The hype to celebrate what, for many, isthe Mid-Winter festival and for others a commemoration of the birth of Jesus furtherexaggerates the loneliness and anxiety of those who feel left out, cast aside.

At Christmas time one year, in my professional capacity as a nurse, I visited ayoung, deserted mum with five small children. She was in a state of anxiety becauseshe had no money, so Santa wouldn’t be visiting that year. Her 9 year old son said"Mammy, we can sit around the fire, in the dark, and you tell us stories like you didbefore." She was in tears at the boy’s words. I contacted Barnardos who supplied herwith food and toys that the public had handed in. How many others were like herthat year, every year?

When I make my Christmas cakes and puddings I always make an extra one of eachfor my Traveller Family who have been coming to our door for the past 27 years.Second Corinthians 9:7-8 says:

"Each one should give, then, as he has decided, not with regret or out of a sense ofduty; for God loves the one who gives gladly. And God is able to give you more thanyou need for yourselves and more than enough for every good cause."

— Anne Marie Lee

(Contributions may be emailed to <amfsweeneylee @hotmail.com> or posted to: Anne Marie Lee, 48 Allen Park Road, Stillorgan, Co Dublin)

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NeNew Chapter in Castleknockw Chapter in Castleknock

A New Chapter has been formed in Castleknock, so we take this opportunity towish them well, and may the blessings of St Dominic and St Catherine envelopethem now and into the future.

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Chapter News

Albert, President ofOur LadyImmaculate of theRosary chapter,receiving the whiteScapular at theinauguration of thenew Lay Dominicanchapter, Castleknock.

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Dr. Gaven Kerr (and his daughter Evelyn), Christina Martin, Fr. Martin Graham, Michael O'Toole, Leah Gaines, Michelle Beirne.

Our Lady Seat of Wisdom Chapter, Belfast.Our Lady Seat of Wisdom Chapter, Belfast.

The NeThe New Law Lay Dominican Chaptery Dominican Chapter,, CastleknockCastleknock

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Our working roles, family roles andespecially our own unique talentsafford numerous opportunities toexpress and testify to the beauty andjoy of God’s creation. This is where theDominican charism of preaching comesin. Admittedly, I was tentative at firstabout whether I could meet therequirements of a preaching vocation.However, I soon realised that the callto evangelise through preaching has ahome in the most simple and ordinaryexperiences of everyday life.

TTrruth of the Futh of the Faithaith

Many times in the past I have beenasked to explain or defend tenets ofChristianity among friends and family.What’s more, I soon learned that, withthe backbone of prayer and scripture,study and preaching can take manyforms. I have found the words offormer Master of the DominicanOrder, Timothy Radcliffe OP, illustratethis character of preaching in a veryheartening way. He writes,

“Preachers must discover their own voiceand their own way of being, otherwisethey will not speak authentically. Some… Dominicans preach through art, othersthrough writing or speaking, or byworking for justice, or just by the silenceof the monastic life.”1

As well as studying language, I alsolove to write, to read fiction and topaint. I can see in the Dominican way

the recognition of art as a medium toexpress the truth of the faith,something for which even Saint JohnPaul II, in his Letter to Artists in 1999,encouraged artists to strive. Indeed, myfavourite works of art and fiction arethe ones that achieve this reflection ofGod, sometimes, as is the case withTolkien for example, withoutnecessarily realising it!

A PA Personal Journeersonal Journeyy

The road to Reception has been afruitful one. Having frequented theQueen’s University Catholic Chaplaincyfor worship and study during my timethus far as an undergraduate, I feelcomfortable there. However, althoughI knew there existed a chapter ofDominicans in Queen’s at that time, Ifelt it would be of more assistance tomy process of discernment to ventureoutside of my comfort zone and pursuethe Dominican vocation in a new areawhere I could meet other Dominicansoutside of my university life. Therefore I travelled instead toLagmore in Belfast to attend themeetings of Our Lady Seat of WisdomChapter. I found the meetings to bethoroughly beneficial, insightful andenjoyable. I was excited to make myreception into the Order at the vigilMass for the Feast of the Assumption.Now I am continuing my formation asa novice, after which I hope with the

A Testimony …

help of God to arrive at profession nextyear. Thus far, I have been blessed tohave formed and strengthenedfriendships in the Dominican family,who have welcomed me with care andenthusiasm. I have even gotten theopportunity over the past year to meetmany Dominican Sisters and Friars whohave been truly welcoming andencouraging. Later in September I willembark on a work placement in Spainas part of my Queen’s studies, where Ipray that, in order to enrich myformation process, I will also beafforded the chance to visit Calaruegaand other sites in the countryintimately associated with the life of StDominic and the Order. I thank Godfor this Dominican path that he hasallowed me to tread, and pray for hisguidance through the rest of thisjourney. Our Lady Seat of Wisdom, pray for us.– Christina Martin1. Timothy Radcliffe

OP. Introduction.The DominicanWay. Ed. by LucetteVerboven(Continuum:London, 2011)

Dates foryour Diary

• Regional Meeting Kilkenny, Athy,Newbridge. Saturday 25th at 3pm.Kilkenny. Speaker Alan O'Sullivan OP.

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• Provincial Council Meeting willtake place on Sat January 10th 2015.

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• Presidents’ Meeting will takeplace on Saturday January 24th 2015.

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• Dominican Association Meetingon Thursday January 29th 2015.

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29th September 2014.At the beautiful setting of NewbridgeCollege, Co Kildare, on a brightAutumn day, the Dominican Family ofthe Irish Province celebrated thecoming together of the four branchesof the Family: Friars, Nuns, Sisters andLaity, and also associate members. Fr Rui Lopez OP, promoter general of thefamily, was the main speaker for the day. There is always a great buzz at agathering like this and one can sense

the joy of being together as a family. The hospitality shown by theNewbridge Community was very muchappreciated, so we offer a specialthanks both to Fr Joe Dineen OP, priorof Newbridge, for allowing us to holdthe day at the College, and to theDominican Association of GreatBritain and Ireland for organising andbringing the family together each year.A wonderful day was had by all.

- Patricia Kelly

Dominican Family Day

Fr Rui Lopez OP, Patricia Kelly, Niamh Smith and Tara Wheelan

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ExtrExtracts fracts from Fom Fr Rui’r Rui’s s TTalkalk“Allow the breath of God to inspire

our words”Dear Brothers and Sisters,Thanks for your invitation to thismeeting and for the possibility you giveme to share with you this reflection. You ask me to speak about a veryinteresting theme – that the Word wepreach isn’t our word; it’s a gift fromGod that we propose with our humanfragility, like clay pots as Saint Paulused to express. We know of course that the truth is aquality of the Word of God, but veryoften I see that we use the Word ofGod to support our theological orspiritual convictions, and not the otherway around. I think there is a risk thatthe Catholic Church doesn’t serve theWord, but takes the Word of God assupport for its doctrine. To be takenby the Word of God like a breathmeans being open to this gift,including the risk that the Wordrepresents, because this breath canchange many of our previous schemas. Let me share with you some ideasabout that.

The prThe prophet Elijah aophet Elijah attthe mountainthe mountainAll of you know the moment of theprophet Elijah on the mountain (1Kings 19:11-12). He discovered thepresence of God in a slight breeze.God came, not in powerful signs likean earthquake, strong wind or fire, butin a slight breeze. For me the text is areal invitation to find the slight breezeor the breath that the Lord uses tocome to reach us in our lives. Nostrong signs, just a breath that comesto our lives.It may be an invitation for the

important practice of Lectio Divina. Weneed to have this contact with theWord of God. Sometimes I see animportant investment in thecelebration of the Liturgy of theHours; and this is very important, butit is not enough to have involvementwith the Word of God, it must takeplace in our hearts and intelligence.Our big secret and our inspiration, ourrapport with the Word, our priority, isto make this word flesh in our lives andin the world. Our respiration must bethe Word of God.Let us question ourselves about theplace of the Word of God in ourprayer, in our lives and in ourpreaching.

FFrreedom andeedom anditineritinerancyancyAnother important matter of thisbreath is the liberty that this breezeoffers. One of the most importantvalues of our vocation is liberty. In ourDominican Family we always considerliberty a part of our charisma. This liberty makes us conscious of ourown responsibility in the developmentof our vocation: study, prayer,community life and of course in thepreaching. There are so many placesboth within the Church and outside herfrontier where the Word of God mustbe preached with the liberty that thoseplaces and expressions can offer to us.The Master of the Order in the letterhe addressed about the laity and thepreaching reminds us that thepreaching must be like a conversation.For me conversation is very important;in a conversation there are twoimportant aspects: we listen and wespeak, there is also a very importantmoment of liberty. The words of the

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conversation go deeper in our lives,can offer answers to many questions. I think often that our preachingdoesn’t reach the lives of the peoplebecause we don’t hear what the peoplehave to say to us. We speak so muchabout truth in our preaching, butmaybe the truth stated in a formal wayis too alien from people’s lives. Wemust remember how Jesus proposedthe truth, not in theory but with

words, concepts,images familiar to thepeople: his preachingwas like aconversation. Ourpreaching, andspecially the laypreaching, must be aconversation with allthe liberty andconfidence we can usein a humanconversation.The lay provincialchapter of France asksme to reflect withthem about theopenness in the layDominican

fraternities. There are so many formsof openness possiblefor us: such asbeing a place to help those who wantto grow in the faith or to try someexperience of mission with the youngpeople or to propose times for prayerand reflection which are open to otherpeople.This breeze of the word drives us toother places, to other people, withnew challenges.

PPoovvererty and humilityty and humilityNow I want to reflect with you aboutanother dimension of our Dominicanvocation.As you know Dominic refused to helpthe Crusade against the Cathars. Hewanted to help them to return to theChurch by the example of his povertyand humility. I think we need toreflect on what it means to be humbleand poor today; of course it is alifestyle. In religious communities it isobvious that we need to find a style oflife according to the Gospel. Our

Dominican Family Attending Mass at Newbridge

Sinead Fallon and Andrew Claytonprovided the music and led the singing

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communities and the Lay Dominicansmust present/offer the Holy Preachingby the example of the simplicity,poverty and humility of our lives. Avery well-known theologian calledCristoph Théobald wrote a book calledA Christian Style. I think and maybeyou can help me because I believethere is also a Dominican style to findand I think it is not just in anintellectual sense. We don’t reflect enough on theexample of Saint Dominic and how hecan inspire us today. For example inthe conversation he had with his hostin Toulouse, a heretic who returned tothe Church after a long night ofconversation. I think how the humilityand simplicity of Dominic touchedhim. Dominic took a new way ofpreaching where the humility, thesimplicity and the poverty have a veryimportant place. It’s very important topreach, but also how we preach withwords, silence and acts. We arepreachers all the time, in differentways: friars, nuns, apostolic sisters andlaity, because we are invited to makeour lives a continuous preaching whereall must be an announcement of theWord of God.

ContemplaContemplation astion asthe wthe waay to pry to preacheachReturning to the experience of theprophet Elijah, we remember thatwhen he felt the breeze he coveredhimself in a sense of adoration. Hefelt God’s presence in this softbreeze. This breath that sent us to preachasks us about our capacity to feelthe presence of God all around us.Our contemplative vocation is alsoour capacity to see the world moredeeply, to see the problems all

around us in our own lives and thelives of others. Our contemplativevocation is this capacity to discern thesigns of the times. For us the history,the present, is a locus theologicus, a placeto feel the presence of God.When we know that our preaching willbe at same time an announcement and adenunciation, a word of peace and ofhope, word of love and forgiveness. To be preachers we must becontemplative, we must see the events allaround with the eyes of God, to answerthem with his love and his mercy.Maybe one of the most importantwords in our Dominican life is mercy,something that is in God’s heart andwhich we must offer to our world. Welearn what mercy means when we findGod’s presence in us and around us. We must feel the tender freshness ofthis lovely breath; this breath topreach must transform us. The Masterin his letter on the vocation of thelaity speaks about the preaching andthe experience. The word withcapacity to convince is a word bornfrom an experience.- Rui Carlos Antunes e Almeida Lopes O.P

We watched the Newbridge College studentshaving a kayaking lesson on the Liffey

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St Dominic founded the Order toconvert the Albigensians and bringthem back into the Church. His desirewas to educate his followers andthereby create a church of people whoknew their faith. The friars were to goout and preach in the churches andgive the people an understanding ofwhat it meant to be a Catholic. Thisrole of preaching today is so important.At the time of Dominic, only bishopscould preach. So Dominic spent manyyears going to Rome to get permissionfor priests to preach. We, living in the21st century, have a very sophisticatedsociety. Ordinary citizens can progressinto so many fields of humanendeavour to great heights: in politics,commerce, and all facets of life – thingsthat were unheard of in St Dominic’stime. The church through the guidanceof the Holy Spirit convened the SecondVatican Council and gave us lay peoplea more significant role in the church.We should take on this role withenthusiasm and conviction to bringChrist into the lives of all citizens. It isnot because there is a lack of prieststhat lay people should get involved, itis because that through our living andpractising our faith we are fulfilling

Christ’s command of loving oneanother; in Baptism we were given thisrole. Lay Dominicans here in Ireland are anexpanding force. Every one of usshould be proud of ourselves in whatwe do as Lay Dominicans. Look atwhat we are doing. Prayer is the life-blood of the church, and we are up toour ears in it. Don’t let anyone tell youit is not important. North, South, Eastor West, Lay Dominicans are praying.The Rosary is constantly been said -some are saying it privately; others aresaying it publicly in our priories, and inthe convents. Look at the work you aredoing to help the DominicanCommunity where you live. This helphas many aspects special ministers,ministers of the word, baptism teams,participating in morning prayer,helping in the day to day running of

What Does itMean to bea LayDominican?

churches, organising and running retreats,educating the community where you live,raising much needed finance, prayerservices, Lectio Divina the list goes on.Our work is spreading, new chaptersare being set up. New members arejoining, being received, and beingprofessed. Keep up the good work.Structures are important. As humanswe need to feel a sense of belonging.Family, whether it be our humanfamily or spiritual family, helps us tolive better. Our human familynourishes us, helps us through difficulttimes, celebrates our joys, and keeps us onthe right road. Our spiritual family – theDominican Family – is one very importantaspect of our spiritual life. Look at the resourcewe have in the members of our chapters; thegrouping of our chapters coming together,whether this is on a regional or a nationalbasis. We have the help of the priests toguide us, through the homilies they give,through their dipping in and out ofour lives. We have a duty to themso we should be there for them to.In their prayer-life the nuns areinterceding for us with God tohelp us in our trials anddifficulties. They are a source ofammunition to help us in our day-to-day lives; the sisters whothrough their work as teachershave helped to educate so many ofour older generation. You move upa stage and we have the Europeanand world structures. What anorganisation!St Dominic was a far-thinkingman and we should be proud to bepart of such a family – TheDominican Family- John O’Brien

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Obituaries

Rhiann Maguire 1957 – 2004

Rhiann was born in 1957, daughter of Doctor Brian and Megan Maguire.Her daily Mass in the Dominican Church, Athy, was the most important

event in her day. She joined the Dominican laity, which led to her becoming aminister of the Word. She attended Morning Prayer of the Church with the

community daily.While studying in Tallaght for a few years she became involved in a prayergroup there and made many good friends. She also continued to be a lifetime

member of the charismatic prayer group in Athy.All through her illness she completely put her trust in her God – her great faithgave her amazing strength and comfort. She never complained. Her whole life

was dedicated to the love and service of God.Rhiann’s favourite words from scripture were from St Paul’s Letter to the

Ephesians (Ch: 3, vv 14-21). To quote Verse 20:

"Glory be to Him whose power working in us can do infinitely more than we can ask or imagine"

May her gentle soul rest in peace.

Ann Cleary

Pat McMahon – In Loving Memory

It was with great sadness that we learned of the unexpected death of PatMcMahon, Youghal, on 27th May 2014. Pat was a lay Dominican for over

30 years and made a huge contribution to the Dominican Family. She was a woman of prayer and deep faith, and her love of the "Word of God"was key to her very personal relationship with the Lord. She would often say that

"the Bible was the only book that mattered and that it was God’s opinion of you thatwas important and not what others thought". It was this belief that gave Pat thestrength and courage to serve the Dominican Family in so many ways during her

life.

She was a woman of action as well as contemplation, and it is difficult to captureall the projects that Pat was involved in over the years. She hosted her own "GodSlot" every Saturday night on a local radio station as she wanted to preach theWord of God. She also spent 2 years in Trinidad with Fr Candon OP tohelp with his work. She spent time in the prisons and schools in Trinidad and

was greatly moved by the poverty that she saw. On her return to Youghal she opened a charity shop to raise funds for FrCandon and other charitable causes including the sending of food/clothing

containers to Kurdish refugees. She had a generous heart and was always readyto help wherever there was a need.

Pat loved being a Lay Dominican and enjoyed attending Dominican Familyevents. She loved the social aspects of the meetings and many of us have fond

memories of our singsong at the Annual Lay Dominican Conference in April.The week before she died, she also attended the Cork /Kerry Regional Meeting

in Ennismore.

Pat died suddenly but peacefully surrounded by her loving family. She was thebeloved wife of the late Pat and loving mother of the late Martina. She is sadlymissed by her loving children, Michael, Catherine, Sheila, Martin and Maria,daughters-in-law Sheila and Caitriona, son- in-law Kelly, grandchildren, sistersand brothers, nieces, nephews, neighbours and friends. We keep her family andfriends in our prayers at this sad time. Ar dheis Dé go raibh a h-anam dilis.

Nellie Manning

Websites:friars: http://www.Dominicanfriars.ie Contemplative Nuns: www.DominicanNuns.ieApostolic Sisters: www.DominicanSisters.ie Dominican Laity: www.LayDominicans.ie

The designated person for safeguarding children and vulnerable adults in the Dominican Province is: FrVincent Travers OP, St Mary’s Priory, Tallaght Village, Dublin 24. Tel: 01 4048118

The formation sessions in Tallaght havestarted and are well worth attending.Those of you who missed the first oneplease feel free to link in for othersessions. Anyone who has visited thelands of Dominic will have renewedmemories of their visit, and those whohaven’t will have a whole new angle onSt Dominic and his life and spirituality.

Ongoing FOngoing FormaormationtionSessions fSessions for Laor LayyDominicans Dominicans The Priory Institute, Tallaght(Everyone Welcome)– John LittletonThis course consists of six sessions of 2hours each, between October 2014 andFebruary 2015. It will be held inTallaght, with three weeks betweeneach session.Each session will involve a viewing ofthe DVD series: Dominican Spirituality: ARetreat with the Life and Lands of SaintDominic (Sr Ann Willits OP), followedby a facilitated discussion.

o-oCost: €5 per session or €25 for full course. St Mary’s Priory, Tallaght, Dublin 24.

STRUCTURE

Session 1: (19 October 2014, 3.30-5.30pm)1. The spiritual geography of a

pilgrimage2. A place called Home

Session 2: (9 November 2014, 3.30-5.30pm)3. Ten years in the life of a canon4. The space of Dominic’s tent is

widened

Session 3: (30 November 2014, 3.30-5.30pm)5. Who were the Cathars?6. The nuns

Session 4: (21 December 2014, 3.30-5.30pm)7. From Fanjeaux to Toulouse8. The Dominican Order of

Preachers is established

Session 5: ( 18 January 2015, 3.30-5.30pm)9. Who was this man?10. In the midst of the Church

Session 6: (8 February 2015, 3.30-5.30pm)11. What Catherine has to teach us12. The Dominican family

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On-going Formation …