Do you feel called to be a Dominican?
Have you ever considered living a religious life as a third order brother or sister, as a single or married person? We are here to help you discern God’s will for your life. The call to be a Dominican is a calling to be someone who desperately wants to experience and know God. Dominicans are committed to study and prayer first and foremost, because without these they have nothing to share with others. Dominicans do not tell about God based on theory, but based on their own intimate relationship with the Divine Master. To be a Dominican is to be on a spiritual journey with Jesus Christ and toward Jesus Christ. That is one of the great paradoxes of the Christian faith. Our lives are spent moving toward God yet each and every moment is spent with God. Dominicans seek to become people who are aware of God at every moment and in everyplace; whether we are preaching, washing the dishes, or driving down the street.
Religious Life in the 21st Century
In the 13th century when St. Dominic founded his Order of preaching friars he was doing something new in the life of the Church. Bishops were considered to be the primary preachers and teachers of faith. Priests merely acted as agents of the Bishop and could only minister in their parish or diocese. St. Dominic’s Order was a group of men who traveled from place to place and included priests and lay brothers. Having lay persons preaching the Gospel and carrying out missions was unheard of at the time. Later on the Roman Dominican Order became clergy centered but our community seeks to emulate the spirit of the early Dominican Order.
The Order strongly embraces the teaching found in the Catechism of the Episcopal Church which states that the ministers of the church are “lay persons, bishops, priests, and deacons (Book of Common Prayer, 855).” Lay members of the Order are recognized as ministers of the Gospel by virtue of their baptism and confirmation. Ordained members of the Order are extended no other privileges based on their ordination except that pertaining to their office whether it be priest, deacon, or bishop. All positions of rank in the order may be held by a lay or ordained minister.
Dominican Spirituality: Embracing the Fullness of the Church
What is powerful about the Dominican way is that it embraces the sacramental, the evangelical, and the charismatic threads of Christianity in an integrated path of following God. Dominicans are ardent students of the Bible, open to the movement of the Holy Spirit in profound and subtle ways, and devoted to the reception of the sacraments as encounters with Jesus Christ.
Talk With Us
Please contact us to consider whether you have a vocation to be a Dominican. You may send e-mail to AskaDominican@hotmail.com
Overview of the Discernment Process
There are three major phases in the discernment process for a man or women considering a Dominican calling.
Inquirer Phase: This is an informal phase where the individual explores a potential Dominican calling through prayer, spiritual direction, and reading. At some point during this phase the inquirer should contact the Order and begin a correspondence with the Director of Initial Formation.
Postulant Phase: This is the first formal phase of the discernment process. After a series of initial readings, personal conversations with family, friends, and faith mentors, the inquirer may be asked to be admitted as a postulant. Postulancy is a formal period of study, spiritual searching, and learning, usually lasting at least six months. The journey of postulancy is taken with other postulants, Dominicans, and friends, family, and the postulant’s local faith community. After the six months the postulant may petition the Master of the Order to enter the novitiate. The chapter (the leadership body of the Order) must approve all postulants wishing to enter the novitiate. If both parties agree the postulant makes his or her novice promises.
Novitiate Phase: This is a two year period of trying out the Dominican way of life. Novices undergo formal studies through the Dominican Institute under the guidance of the Director of Formation. In addition, continuing spiritual conversations with important mentors and friends in the novices life take place. This two year period also gives the novice time to integrate Dominican spirituality and principles into his or her daily life. After at least two years, the novice may petition the Master of the Order to take his or her life vows. The chapter must approve all novices wishing to make life vows. If both parties agree the novice will then move forward to make his or her life vows.
Life Vows: This is the final and fourth phase of the process of entering Dominican life. Training, formation, and further study are a part of the Dominican’s life until they depart this world.