Immaculate Conception Chapter
to praise-to bless-to preach
Lay Fraternities of St. Dominic
Chapter &
Regional News
Visit with General Promoter, Fr. David Kammler, OP.
Fr. David Kammler, OP, heroically squeezed Region 5 into his travel arrangements. He traveled to Washington, DC, just before returning to Europe. While the visit was of necessity short, it was very joyful and he enthralled all of us with stories of his travels to meet Lay Dominicans throughout the world. The old adage remains true, “if you meet one Dominican, you have met one Dominican.” Among the stories he told was the 10,000 Vietnamese Lay Dominicans who greeted him despite the risk of falling out of favor or being ostracized or worse by the government. He also told us that the Lay Dominicans collaborate with the other branches of the family to operate a key hospital in the Phillipine. Immaculate Conception Chapter hosted the event. Please visit our photo page to see photos of this event.
Region 5 Members
Fr. Kammler, OP, General Promoter of Lay Fraternities of St. Dominic
Immaculate Conception Chapter, Washington, DC – Lepanto Lectures and Dinner by author Christopher Check on May 25
Chapter member, Ms. Fran Griffin, OP, has organized two events on May 25th featuring Christopher Check, a noted expert on the Battle of Lepanto and Dominican Pope Pius V. There will be a lecture at 2:00 p.m. at the Dominican House of Studies in Washington, D.C. A dinner and second lecture will follow at a restaurant in Virginia. For more information, visit www.opthird.com/lepanto.html or send an email opthirdwashdc@aol.com. Guests are most welcome.
Spring Retreat with the Very Reverend, Fr. Dominic Izzo, OP
Fr. Dominic Izzo, OP, our Provincial, was the retreat master for the April 4 to April 6th Spring Retreat sponsored by the Immaculate Conception Chapter at the Shrine of Mother Seton Center in Emmitsburg, Md. To celebrate the feast of the great Dominican Saint Vincent Ferrer on April 5, Fr. Izzo examined the apocalyptic in his honor and its role in preaching and witness. He put together an engaging series of power point presentations that explored the symbolism in the book of Revelation and the import for our lives. Everyone thoroughly enjoyed the presentations; the general consensus was that this was one of those retreats that would continue to bear much fruit long after the retreat. Everyone is eagerly awaiting the CD’s of the talks. Many were able to speak one-on-one with him when, despite allergies or an on-coming cold, he generously spent many more hours than scheduled listening to confessions or giving spiritual direction.
Fr. Dominic Izzo, OP
Blessed Fra Angelico Pro-Chapter, Washington, DC – Dr. Jem Sullivan, OP, Publishes Again.
A professor at the Pontifical Faculty of the Immaculate Conception and recent author of the Official Study Guide to the Catholic Catechism of the United States Bishops, has published again. This time she published a study guide for the Pope’s Encyclical Spe Salvi at the request of the National Conference of Bishops to provide a resource for preparing for the Holy Father’s visit. The guide would also make a great resource for a chapter or parish study or discussion. The best part is that it is free and available on line at: http://www.adw.org/papalvisit/pdf/SpeSalvi_all.pdf. She also wrote a feature article for the Arlington Catholic Herald series entitled, “From Benedict to Peter: The Keys to the Kingdom.” Dr. Sullivan’s article is titled, “Theme 'Christ our Hope' prepares us to welcome the Holy Father.” The article can be found on line at: http://www.catholicherald.com/sullivan/lent8.html. In it she reminds us that “Pope Benedict comes to us as a minister of hope. And his ministry of hope is rooted in the conviction that the present crisis of faith is essentially a crisis of Christian hope (“Spes Salvi” )” (Editor’s note: Information in this article is based on an article by Brother Pius, OP at www.dominicanfriars.org )
St. Thomas Aquinas Pro-Chapter, Charlottesville, VA -- Spiritual Multi-tasking
The St. Thomas Aquinas Chapter’s Rosary Apostolate has evolved into morning and evening groups that make rosaries for the military, their twin parish in Haiti, and Eucharistic ministers visiting hospitals. It also may coin a new term: “spiritual multi-tasking.” While making the rosaries, members not only pray for the recipients but also study and discuss – e.g., the morning group is reading “Spe Salvi” while the evening group is reading Guy Bedouelle's "St. Dominic.” The fruits of this combined rosary making, prayer, and study time do not end here: they have resulted in ideas for new active apostolates and spiritual insights that are finding their way into the chapter’s new online quarterly newsletter, “Veritas.” The newsletter is published on the parish website; visit www.st-thomas-aquinas.org/documents/parish_life/3rdOrdernewsletterApril2008.pdf to see the first issue.
Fr. Kammler, OP, leafs through paper copy of electronic newsletter, Veritas
St. Thomas Aquinas Pro-Chapter, Charlottesville, VA -- Congratulations are in order.
One of the chapter’s newly received members, Mr.Kevin Mitchell,OP, has just completed the requirements for the Master of Arts in Religious Studies at the University of Virginia. His concentration was in Christianity and Judaism in Antiquity. During the April 12 meeting, the chapter was a benefit of his studies: he led a session on the Early History of the Papacy with emphasis on Papal Primacy. The chapter feels blessed that he joined them and send him a warm and hearty “Congratulations!”
St. Catherine of Siena Chapter, Great Falls, VA – Save-the-Date!
Save-the-date – the 3rd annual "Pledge of Future Glory" Golf Tournament and Auction/Gala Dinner benefiting Mother Assumpta and the Dominican Sisters of Mary, Mother of the Eucharist, will take place on October 20th at the Fairfax County Club in Fairfax, VA. The tournament will start with mass and will be followed by a cocktail hour, dinner, and auction. This makes a great present for the golfer(s) in your life. There are always a good number of prizes to be won and the company (Dominicans) can not be beat! For more information visit www.sistersofmary.org/golf.
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© 1999 Sister Mary Grace Thul, O.P.
Prayer of Thanksgiving to the Trinity
"O eternal Trinity, You are a deep sea in which the more I seek the more I find, and the more I find, the more I seek to know You. You fill us insatiably, because the soul, before the abyss which You are, is always famished; and hungering for You, O eternal Trinity, it desires to behold truth in Your light. As the thirsty heart pants after the fount of living water, so does my soul long to leave this gloomy body and see You as You are, in truth.
"O unfathomable depth! O Deity eternal! O deep ocean!
What more could You give me than to give me Yourself? You are an
ever-burning Fire; You consume and are not consumed. By Your fire,
You consume every trace of self-love in the soul. You are a Fire
which drives away all coldness and illumines minds with its light, and
with this light You have made known Your truth. Truly this light is
a sea which feeds the soul until it is all immersed in You, O peaceful
Sea, eternal Trinity! The water of this sea is never turbid; it
never causes fear, but gives knowledge of the truth. This water is
transparent and discloses hidden things; and a living faith gives such
abundance of light that the soul almost attains to certitude in what it
believes.
"You are the supreme and infinite Good, good above all good;
good which is joyful, incomprehensible, inestimable; beauty exceeding all
other beauty; wisdom surpassing all wisdom, because You are Wisdom itself.
Food of angels, giving Yourself with fire of love to men! You are
the garment which covers our nakedness; You feed us, hungry as we are,
with Your sweetness, because You are all sweetness, with no bitterness.
Clothe me, O eternal Trinity, clothe me with Yourself, so that I may pass
this mortal life in true obedience and in the light of the most holy faith
with which You have inebriated my soul
-- St Catherine of Siena in her Dialogue
Still of Interest