CSVF Blog

Today the Church celebrates the feast of St. Ignatius of Loyola (1491-1566), the founder of the Society of Jesus, an intellectual and missionary congregation of men better known as the Jesuits.

Much has been made of the centuries-old intellectual rivalry between the Dominicans and the Jesuits.  One might argue that Ignatius himself set up the contest.  At their foundation in the sixteenth century, the Jesuits immersed themselves in the Thomistic tradition of philosophy and theology then gaining magisterial sanction during the Council of Trent.  Ignatius directed his young disciples to study the doctrines of the Common Doctor, and the Society’s 1599 Ratio Studiorum (plan of studies) repeated this instruction for all of the Society’s teachers.  For example, this direction was given to provincials:

The provincial is to be especially careful that no one be appointed to teach theology who is not well disposed to the teaching of St. Thomas. Those who do not approve of his doctrine or take little interest in it, should not be allowed to teach theology.

Naturally, disagreements would arise over the authentic interpretation of St. Thomas.  Without getting into those disputes, it suffices to say that the Jesuits should be remembered well today.  Through the beginning of the twentieth century, Jesuit intellectuals were on the ecclesial and cultural front lines promoting and defending the principles of Thomistic philosophy and theology.

Father, you gave Saint Ignatius of Loyola to your Church to bring greater glory to your name.  May we follow his example on earth and share the crown of life in heaven.

We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, forever and ever.  Amen.

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In a world bent on shaping marriage and family more according to fallen desire than to right reason, today’s feast acquires particular importance.  Saints Joachim and Ann, the parents of the Virgin Mary, have long stood as exemplars of chaste married love.  Their virtues are recorded in a second-century text called The Protoevangelium of James, and today’s Office of Readings has us ponder St. John Damascene’s eighth-century praise of the holy couple:  

Joachim and Ann, how blessed a couple!  All creation is indebted to you.  For at your hands the Creator was offered a gift excelling all other gifts: a chaste mother, who alone was worthy of him.

Joachim and Ann, how blessed and spotless a couple!  You will be known by the fruit you have borne, as the Lord says: By their fruits you will know them.  The conduct of your life pleased God and was worthy of your daughter.  For by the chaste and holy life you led together, you have fashioned a jewel of virginity; she who remained a virgin before, during, and after giving birth.  She alone for all time would maintain her virginity in mind and soul as well as body.

Joachim and Ann, how chaste a couple!  While safeguarding the chastity prescribed by the law of nature, you achieved with God’s help something which transcends nature in giving the world the Virgin Mother of God as your daughter.  While leading a devout and holy life in your human nature, you gave birth to a daughter nobler than the angels, whose queen she now is.  Girl of utter beauy and delight, daughter of Adam and mother of God, blessed the loins and blessed the womb from which you come! Blessed the arms that carried you, and blessed your parents’ lips, which you were allowed to cover with chaste kisses, ever maintaining your virginity.  Rejoice in God, all the earth.  Sing, exult and sign hymns.  Raise your voice, raise it and do not be afraid.

God of our fathers, you gave Saints Joachim and Ann the privilege of being the parents of Mary, the mother of your incarnate Son.  May their prayers help us to attain the salvation you have promised to your people.

We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, forever and ever.  Amen.

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The Province of St. Joseph recently launched a new version of its website. Bookmark it and check it often for news, announcements, and media presentations from friars assigned all over the eastern US.  Of particular interest to us, the new design contains images of all of our parishes, including several of the Church of St. Vincent Ferrer posted throughout the site.

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Below is a brief meditation written by Br. James Brent, OP, a student brother who recently spent a few days here at St. Vincent Ferrer.  Like many who visit the parish, Br. James discovered several mysteries hidden in the church’s side chapels.  

It had been a couple of years since I last visited the Church of St. Vincent Ferrer. I had forgotten the many riches that are to be found within those walls. While slowly strolling around the side chapels I was confronted again with the large crucifix in the Holy Name Chapel. The old fashioned prayer at the foot of that cross implores the Crucified One to impress upon our hearts lively sentiments of faith, hope, and love. A few feet away I found again the statue of the Sacred Heart. The old fashioned prayer at the base of the Sacred Heart asks that divine charity would radiate throughout one’s whole being – even through all of one’s senses and all one’s faculties. Sometimes, I am struck by the depth and power of those old fashioned prayers.

For what if there was one more person in this world whose whole being really was irradiated by divine charity? How different would life be if one lived with lively sentiments of faith, hope, and charity?

There are mysteries in the side chapels of St. Vincent Ferrer. My urban pilgrimage from one chapel to the next opened my eyes to see something that the city outside tends to conceal. But it is best to go and see for oneself what that is.

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“Sing we now the praise of the Magdalen!”

I’m pretty late in getting this post up, but better late than never.

Today the Church Universal observes the feast of St. Mary Magdalen, and in its own celebrations of the feast the Order of Preachers honors one of its patronesses.  For centuries, Dominicans have revered the Magdalen as an icon of preaching and a model of penitence.  Here is how her feast is described in the Dominican ordo:

Mary Magdalen, who was healed by the Lord Jesus, followed him with great love and ministered to him (Luke 8:3).  Later when the disciples fled, Mary Madgalen stood at the cross with the Mother of the Lord, John and some of the women (John 19:25).  On Easter morning Jesus appeared to her and sent her to announce the news of his resurrection to the disciples (Mark 16:9; John 20:11-18).

Her cult spread throughout the western Church, especially in the eleventh century, and flourished in the Order of Preachers.  As Humbert of Romans attests: “After Magdalen was converted to penitence the Lord bestowed such great grace upon her tha tafter the Blessed Virgin no woman could be found to whom greater reverence should be shown in this world and greater glory in heaven.”

The Order of Preachers numbers her among its patrons.  Its brothers and sisters of every age have honored her as the “Apostle to the Apostles”-for thus is she celebrated in the Byzantine liturgy-and have compared the mission of the Magdalen in announcing the resurrection to their own mission.

The old Catholic Encyclopedia has a great article on Mary Magdalen, and the Australian Dominicans’ vocations website includes a page dedicated to explaining her patronage of the Order.

A hymn written by Philip the Chancellor (+1236) was adopted by the Dominicans to be sung on this day.  Below you’ll find an English translation of it prepared by Fr. Becket Soule, OP.  It can be sung to the familiar Pange lingua tune.  Also after the break I’ve included several depictions of Mary Magdalen in classical art. Enjoy, and please continue to ask the Magdalen’s intercession for the Order of Preachers!

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On this day in 1867, Mass was celebrated for the first time in the newly erected parish of St. Vincent Ferrer.  Where this first Mass actually took place, however, remains something of a mystery.  The parish’s first church, pictured above, wasn’t dedicated until later that year.  

Much has changed around St. Vincent’s over the past 141 years, but the Gospel of Jesus Christ and his sacraments haven’t.  They remain the same, and they’re the reason we’re still around.

Happy anniversary to all of our families and friends!  Remember in your grateful prayers today those friars and fellow parishioners who have gone before us and have provided the rich gifts born of sacrifice that we continue to enjoy today. Requiescant in pace.

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Earlier today, Pope Benedict XVI brought World Youth Day in Sydney to a close, offering Mass for 350,000 souls at the Royal Randwick Racecourse and announcing that the next WYD will be held in Madrid.  Naturally, the Spaniards went wild.  

The expected choice of Spain’s capital city is in keeping with the Vatican’s recent tradition of choosing the more secularized cities of the world in which to demonstrate the Gospel’s unrivaled power to attract and inspire young people.

As he did here in New York City, the Pope delivered a number of remarkable speeches and homilies while in Sydney.  I’ve collected the links to them here for easy access.  Take your time with them.  They are important texts.

Interview on the flight to Australia – July 12

Welcoming Ceremony at Sydney’s Government House – July 17

Welcoming Ceremony at Sydney Harbor – July 17

Ecumenical Meeting at St. Mary’s Cathedral – July 18

Interfaith Meeting at St. Mary’s Cathedral – July 18

Meeting with Disadvantaged Youth at Sacred Heart Church – July 18

Mass with Bishops, Priests, and Religious at St. Mary’s Cathedral – July 19

Vigil with Youth at Randwick Racecourse – July 19

Mass at Randwick Racecourse – July 20

Angelus at Randwick Racecourse – July 20

After the page break, you’ll find a small collection of the sights of WYD 2008.  And don’t forget to check out the Sisters of Life’s WYD blog, where they’ve posted their personal stories and pictures.

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Keep up with the sights and sounds of World Youth Day with the Sisters of Life!  

Most of the New York congregation, including those from the nearby East 66th Street convent, have gone to Sydney to be with the Holy Father, and they’re chronicling their visit on a new blog.  On it they’ve already posted tons of terrific pics and stories.  Check it out, and pray for the good sisters, that their witness and catechesis will bear much fruit for the Church in Australia!

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Click below to hear this week’s edition of “Word to Life,” broadcast earlier today on Sirius 159, The Catholic Channel.  

This week’s guest is Fr. John Martin Ruiz-Mayorga, OP, a newly ordained priest of the Province of St. Joseph. Commenting on this weekend’s parable of the weeds and the wheat (Matthew 13:24-43), Fr. John Martin explains how Christ’s words can help us to understand the spiritual and theological significance of evil’s presence in the world.  He also makes clear that a correct understanding of the last judgment, which is described by Christ in the parable, can become for the troubled heart a source of hope.

At the end of the show, Fr. James Cuddy, OP, joins us from the Church of St. Louis Bertrand in Louisville, KY.  Fr. James also discusses his thought’s on this weekend’s readings, but first he shares with us news regarding an upcoming youth conference in Louisville.  Organized by a community of lay Dominicans, “Ignite Your Torch” will take place July 24-27.  Please pray for its success!

Word to Life - July 18, 2008 Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

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Today the Dominican Order celebrates the feast of Blessed Ceslaus of Poland, who knew St. Dominic and entered the Order of Preachers under his direction. Together with his brother, St. Hyacinth, Ceslaus helped to found the Order in Eastern Europe.

From the 1913 Catholic Encyclopedia:

Born at Kamien in Silesia, Poland (now Prussia), about 1184; died at Breslau about 1242. He was of the noble family of Odrowatz and a relative, probably a brother, of St. Hyacinth. Having studied philosophy at Prague, he pursued his theological and juridical studies at the University of Bologna, after which he returned to Cracow, where he held the office of canon and custodian of the church of Sandomir. About 1218 he accompanied his uncle Ivo, Bishop of Cracow, to Rome. Hearing of the great sanctity of St. Dominic, who had recently raised to life the nephew of Cardinal Orsini, Ceslaus, together with St Hyacinth, sought admission into the Order of Friars Preachers. They received the religious habit from the hands of St. Dominic in the convent of Sabina. Their novitiate completed, St. Dominic sent the two young religious back as missionaries to their own country. Establishing a monastery at Friesach in Austria, they proceeded to Cracow whence Ceslaus was sent by St. Hyacinth to Prague, the metropolis of Bohemia.

Labouring with much fruit throughout the Diocese of Prague, Ceslaus went to Breslau, where he founded a large monastery, and then extended his apostolic labours over a vast territory, embracing Bohemia, Poland, Pomerania, and Saxony. Sometime after the death of St. Hyacinth he was chosen provincial of Poland. Whilst he was superior of the convent of Breslau all Poland was threatened by the Tatars. The city of Breslau being besieged, the people sought the aid of St. Ceslaus, who by his prayers miraculously averted the impending calamity. Four persons are said to have been raised to life by him. Having always been venerated as a saint, his cult was finally confirmed by Clement XI in 1713. His feast is celebrated throughout the Dominican order on 16 July.

Loving God, you gave Blessed Ceslaus a burning zeal for the salvation of souls, and filled him with wondrous grace to preach the gospel.  May we be true to his example, and so be able to spread the faith by our preaching and by the way we live.

We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, forever and ever.  Amen.

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Earlier this week, ESPN and USA Today carried the story of a Major League Soccer player who is retiring from the game to enter the seminary.  His name is Chase Hilgenbrinck, and he played for the New England Revolution.  In the articles, Chase describes his Catholic upbringing and the movement he made from childhood belief to adult faith.  For Chase, playing soccer in Chile caused him to make the faith his own.

“I fell back on what I knew, and that was the Catholic Church,” he said. “I grew up as a Catholic. I was always involved in the church, went to Catholic schools. It was when I got out on my own that my faith really became mine. I really embraced it. I didn’t have to go to church any more, I was free to really believe what I wanted to believe.

“I looked to strengthen my personal relationship with Christ. And when my personal life started to flourish, I couldn’t turn my back on that relationship.”

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Don’t forget today to say a prayer for our Carmelite brothers and sisters as they celebrate the feast of their patroness, Our Lady of Mount Carmel.  As you know, the Carmelite tradition has produced some of the Church’s greatest saints.  St. Teresa of Avila, St. John of the Cross, St. Therese of Lisieux, Bl. Elizabeth of the Trinity, pray for us!

Click here for the history and tradition of the Carmelite Order, and here for helpful information on the brown scapular.

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One of the Province’s new postulants, Jack Devaney, who entered the Order through St. Vincent’s, was interviewed recently on Sirius Radio’s The Catholic Channel.  Jack discusses with Fr. Dave Dwyer his gradual movement to the Order, including all of the sights and sounds (and silences) he enjoyed along the way.  Jack’s vocation story gives all of us a glimpse into the wonderful workings of divine providence.

Click below to listen to Jack’s interview, and remember to keep him and the other ten postulants in your prayers.  They will begin their yearlong novitiate next month.

Jack Devaney on The Catholic Channel Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

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We join our Franciscan brothers and sisters today in celebrating the feast of one of their greats, St. Bonaventure.  Tradition calls Bonaventure the Seraphic Doctor, a title that recalls the unusually mystical form of his theological writing. 

Born in Viterbo, just north of Rome, Bonaventure entered the Franciscan Order in his late teens.  Though a member of the Roman Province, he was sent to study at the University of Paris, which at the time was Europe’s premier center for theology.  Bonaventure excelled at his studies, eventually becoming a prominent member of the Paris faculty. 

At the age of 36, Bonaventure was elected minister general of the Franciscans, and for the rest of his life he worked to settle the ongoing disputes that plagued the Friars Minor after their founder’s death.  Bonaventure refused the Archbishopric of York when it was offered to him, but later he was obliged to take the See of Albano, for which he was made a cardinal.  Bonaventure died in 1274 while attending the Council of Lyons.

St. Bonaventure and St. Thomas Aquinas were contemporaries at the University of Paris.  As teachers, they shared opinions on many topics, but they disagreed on one crucial and fundamental point.  Whereas St. Thomas spent himself organizing a system and method of theology built on the metaphysics of Aristotle, St. Bonaventure remained leery of giving so much credence to unaided reason. Following the greater Augustinian tradition, the Franciscan doctor insisted on the necessity of grace to discover truth, even truths of the natural world, at least in discerning their connection to God, from whose eternal truth they flow and become known.  Hence, Bonaventure chastised the ancient Greeks, including Aristotle, for their folly and pride, mocking their confidence in the half-truths they cobbled together without the light of faith.  St. Thomas, on the other hand, confident in the power of unaided reason to glean real truth from the natural world, trusted philosophy to serve as a greater aid to the science of theology than Bonaventure would allow. 

This disagreement, among others, led to no small rivalry among their students and disciples. Legends arose as to which saint was the true master of the other. Even artists entered the fray.  Take, for example, the following image.  In it, St. Bonaventure reveals to an astonished Aquinas the true secret of Christian wisdom.

I’m not sure that St. Thomas needed reminding that Christ Crucified is the true revelation of God’s wisdom and love, but you get the point, at least from the Franciscan point of view.  

The Dominicans, however, were not to be outdone.  While studying in Italy, I saw hanging in a Dominican priory an immense tapestry that depicts St. Thomas sitting at his desk writing the texts for the Corpus Christi liturgy.  In the doorway of Aquinas’s room, Bonaventure is seen peering over Thomas’s shoulder and tearing up his own texts, having realized their inadequacy.   Again, you get the point, this time from the Dominican point of view.

I rather like the following image, which depicts a scene from Dante’s Paradiso.  In it, St. Bonaventure is introducing Dante and Beatrice to St. Thomas and other saints enthroned in glory.  Those familiar with the scene in Canto XII will know that this isn’t exactly what happens in the text.  Nevertheless, the image gives us a clear indication as to which of the two doctors plays second fiddle in the communion of saints.  (Again, from the Dominican point of view.) 

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Today’s Metro Section of The New York Times carried an article on The Catholic Channel, one of just three religious stations broadcast on the Sirius Satellite Radio network. The article details how the communications office of the Archdiocese of New York teamed up with Sirius to expand the Church’s presence in the media. Still in its early stages of development, The Catholic Channel offers a wide range of Catholic content in a form resembling more your edgy drive home show than, say, “Life is Worth Living” by Bishop Sheen.  And that’s exactly the point.  The article quotes Joseph Zwilling, communications director for the Archdiocese, as he explains the concept behind The Catholic Channel:

“If someone who listens to Howard Stern happens to turn to the Catholic Channel one day and doesn’t realize for a couple of minutes that what he’s listening to is the Catholic Channel, well, I’m not going to be upset about that,” Mr. Zwilling said. “We recognize that Catholics are listening to Howard Stern. What we want people to know is that they can talk about all the same things he does, but in a Catholic context.”

At the channel’s inception, the Archdiocese of New York approached the Province of St. Joseph to produce and host a weekly show.  It’s called “Word to Life,” and its purpose is to prepare listeners for Sunday Mass by examining the weekend’s Scripture readings.  After being hosted initially by Fr. Peter John Cameron, OP, and other friars of the Province, I was asked last May to become the show’s producer and host.

“Word to Life” airs live every Friday at 1:00 PM Eastern on The Catholic Channel, Sirius 159.  If you don’t have Sirius radio and are interested in listening to the show, check back here each week for a posting of the show’s audio.

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Fr. Aquinas Guilbeau, OP, discusses the readings for the Fifteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time with Fr. Thomas Joseph White, OP, and Fr. Bryce Sibley.

Tune in to “Word to Life” every Friday at 1:00 PM on Sirius 159, The Catholic Channel.

Word to Life - July 11, 2008 Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

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This week the parish says goodbye to Br. Anthony Giambrone, O.P., a deacon of the Province who has been with us since the beginning of June.  On Friday, he will return to the House of Studies in Washington, where he is pursing advanced degrees in Sacred Scripture.  Please remember Br. Anthony and his studies in your prayers.

During his few short weeks here at St. Vincent’s, Br. Anthony delivered a number of excellent homilies.  Indeed, his weekday and weekend preaching fortified many souls.  Below you’ll find the audio of his Sunday homilies.  As you can hear, Br. Anthony is a skillful preacher who readily shares in the pulpit his deep love for the Word of God.

Tenth Sunday in Ordinary Time- June 8 Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Eleventh Sunday in Ordinary Time - June 15 Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Twelfth Sunday in Ordinary Time - June 22 Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Fourteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time - July 6 Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

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On June 18, the Church of St. Vincent Ferrer hosted a public forum entitled “What Did Pope Benedict Say to America?”  Over 100 people gathered to hear three presenters reflect on the speeches and homilies delivered by the Holy Father during his recent visit to the United States.

First, Fr. John Farren, OP, the Advancement Director for the Province of St. Joseph, focused on Pope Benedict’s words to American Catholics.  Then, Fr. Richard John Neuhaus, editor of First Things, covered his exchanges with American non-Catholics.  Finally, Angelo Matera, editor of Godspy.com, highlighted the Pope’s counsel for American culture.  

Click below for video of the forum.

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Today is the feast of St. John of Cologne, a Dominican martyr of the sixteenth century.  His story is a remarkable one.

By 1572, the Netherlands had fallen culturally and politically into Protestant hands, and Catholics of the country became objects of persecution for Lutherans and Calvinists alike.  As town after town fell to Protestant control, the Catholic clergy of the area were arrested and often tortured.  The goal of this mistreatment was not death, but apostasy.  

In June of 1572, the town of Gorcum (modern Gorinchem, 20 miles west of Rotterdam) fell into the hands of Calvinist pirates, and immediately they arrested nine Franciscan priests.  Later, two Franciscan lay brothers, three secular priests, and an Augustinian canon were also arrested.  Eventually four more priests were added to their number.  These included two Norbertines, another secular priest, and John of Cologne, a Dominican friar working outside of Gorcum.  After hearing of the arrests of the Franciscans, John disguised himself and traveled to Gorcum to console his brother priests with the sacraments.  He was eventually caught and imprisoned with them.

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Yes, it’s unsightly.  No one likes it.  But on a beautiful building like ours, it’s sometimes necessary.

I’m talking about scaffolding, that intricate web of wood and steel that’s covering most of the church.  For half a year now–and to the chagrin of many–the tremendous exterior of St. Vincent Ferrer has been hidden from view.  Behind the protective netting, however, construction crews are working non-stop to clean and repoint the church’s masonry and to replace its copper roof.  Recently, we’ve been able to see the first fruits of their labor.  As you can see in the pictures below, new sheets of copper are now visible where the old sheets had long ago been covered by a lime-green sealant.

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The First and Second Readings at Mass this Sunday reveal two distinct gifts that God deigns to bestow upon the earth. The first, explains Zechariah (9:9-10), involves the political order, in which messianic peace and tranquility will eventually vanquish war and oppression. The second gift, described by St. Paul in Romans 8:9-13, is more profound. It involves the gift of the Holy Spirit himself, who will perform in us the same wonder he performed in Christ–the raising of life from death.

Thus, the Scriptures today reveal to us two gifts–two freedoms. The first is an exterior freedom enjoyed in the political realm, a freedom from oppression and slavery, while the second is more interior, a spiritual freedom, whereby one gains liberation from sin and death. The challenge for Catholics, especially American Catholics, is to relate these two freedoms properly in everyday life.

The trick is to realize that one can enjoy the second gift without the first, but not the first without the second. In other words, spiritual freedom can be enjoyed without political freedom, but not political freedom without spiritual freedom.

The events surrounding this week’s remarkable rescue of the Columbian-French politician Ingrid Betancourt from her guerilla captors can help us to see this principle in action. After returning to France, Betancourt made these comments, which were printed by the New York Times.

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Eleven candidates for the Province of St. Joseph will arrive today at Providence College to begin their postulancy, a three-week initiation into the essential features of Dominican religious life. At the end of the month, they will travel together to Cincinnati, where at St. Gertrude’s Priory they will spend one year in the novitiate preparing for simple vows. The novitiate year will officially begin on August 8, the Feast of St. Dominic, when the prior of the community will clothe the postulants in the habit, give them a copy of the Order’s constitutions, and bestow upon them a new religious name.

One of the new postulants, Jack Devaney, met the Order and began discerning his Dominican vocation here at St. Vincent’s.

Please pray fervently for these eleven men, asking God to preserve and prosper them in religious life.

William “Bill” M. Garrett

John “Jack” J. Devaney

Thomas “Tom” J. Yergeau

Robert “Bob” Endorf

Joseph “Joe” Fussner

Erik Freeman

Adam R. White

Zane P. Toretta

Frederick “Fred” D. Erdman

Paul Marich

Philip C. Smith

For pictures and short biographies of our new postulants, please visit our Vocations Blog.

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Besides being Independence Day, July 4 is also the feast of Blessed Pier Giorgio Frassati, one of the newest blesseds of the Dominican Order. In his short 24 years, Blessed Pier Giorgio served others as a model of charity and piety. As a young boy, Pier Giorgio gave himself over to long hours of prayer at home and in church. As a lay Dominican, he spent himself in exercising charity to the poor and encouraging his friends to virtue and holiness. Blessed Pier Giorgio contracted polio while working with the poor, and he died on July 4, 1925.

Blessed Pier Giorgio’s relics are kept in the cathedral of Turin, Italy, though this summer they’ll be making a special trip to Sydney, Australia, for World Youth Day.

For more information on Blessed Pier Giorgio Frassati, click here, here, and here.

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A safe and happy Fourth of July to all!

As our nation celebrates the 232nd anniversary of its independence, we are reminded of the place patriotism holds in the Christian life.  In his Summa Theologiae, St. Thomas Aquinas observes that patriotism is the just piety we owe to our country.  Piety here is taken in its widest sense, meaning the honor and gratitude we owe to those who provide for our well-being.  Hence, Aquinas sees patriotism as a third form of piety following that which we owe first to God and then to our parents. Continue Reading »

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Today, July 3, is the Feast of St. Thomas the Apostle, infamously venerated through the ages as the “doubter.” Tradition has it that this “twin,” called by the Lord to be an apostle, carried the Gospel to India, where he suffered martyrdom.

Early in the third century, the Apostle’s relics were carried to Edessa (in modern day Turkey), which at the time was an important center of Christian evangelization and martyrdom. Over the next millennium, the relics traveled to several other cities before landing permanently in the cathedral of Ortona, Italy, where they are venerated today.

On September 27, 2006, Pope Benedict XVI dedicated his General Audience address to studying the life and witness of St. Thomas. Click here to read the Holy Father’s text. Of particular note is Pope Benedict’s use of another holy Thomas, surnamed Aquinas, to highlight the meritorious faith of those who, after the Apostle’s doubt, believe without seeing.

It is interesting to note that another Thomas, the great Medieval theologian of Aquino, juxtaposed this formula of blessedness with the apparently opposite one recorded by Luke: “Blessed are the eyes which see what you see!” (Lk 10:23). However, Aquinas comments: “Those who believe without seeing are more meritorious than those who, seeing, believe” (In Johann. XX lectio VI 2566).

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Beginning in October, the Church of St. Vincent Ferrer will begin its 2008-2009 music season. As you can see, Dr. Mark Bani, the parish organist and music director, has put together another fantastic program. Look over this year’s concerts and mark your calendars!

Dr. Mark Bani, Organist
Season-Opening Organ Recital
Tuesday, October 14, 2008 at 7:00 P.M.

Music by Bach, Gigout, and Reubke

Dr. Mark Bani, in his 16th year as Director of Music and Organist at The Church of St. Vincent Ferrer, opens the new season with a recital on the church’s acclaimed 86-rank Schantz pipe organ. His program will include Reubke’s monumental Sonata on the 94th Psalm. (free will offering)

Third Annual All Souls Commemoration Concert
Missa pro defunctis (1625) by Manuel Cardoso
Sunday, November 2, 2008 at 7:00 P.M.

The St. Vincent Ferrer Chorale and Soloists present a late renaissance choral masterpiece by Portuguese composer Manuel Cardoso. The program will also include anthems for All Souls Day. (free will offering)

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A recent Fox News story on the physical effects of prayer on the brain features the Sisters of Life. The footage of the sisters at prayer was shot in their East 66th Street convent, which is just two blocks away from St. Vincent’s. A couple of the friars here offer Mass for the sisters periodically.

Click below to view the story.

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In his June 22 homily delivered via satellite to the 49th International Eucharistic Congress in Quebec, Pope Benedict XVI made special mention of two Dominican Doctors of the Church and their particular contributions to the Church’s understanding of the Eucharist.

We must never forget that the Church is built around Christ and that, as St Augustine, St Thomas Aquinas and St Albert the Great have all said, following St Paul (cf. 1 Cor 10:17), the Eucharist is the Sacrament of the Church’s unity, because we all form one single body of which the Lord is the head.

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This summer, the Priory of St. Vincent Ferrer is hosting three of the province’s student brothers. One is a deacon serving in the parish, and the other two are living here but working with the Hawthorne Sisters downtown at St. Rose’s Home. Please keep them and all of our student brothers in your prayers.

Br. Anthony Giambrone, O.P.

Br. Anthony is originally from Dayton, OH. He is currently assigned to the Dominican House of Studies in Washington D.C. and is specializing in the study of the Sacred Scriptures. Br. Anthony is a deacon and will be ordained to the priesthood next May.

Br. Jerome Zeiler, O.P.

Br. Jerome is from Dallas, Texas. He has four sisters. He graduated from Thomas Aquinas College in Ojai, California, where his Dominican vocation was greatly fostered. He has felt the call to the priesthood since he was about 5 years old. He is greatly inspired by St. Thomas Aquinas, who described Dominican life as one of contemplating Divine Revelation and then sharing the fruits of that contemplation with others. He has been with the Dominicans for 3 years.

Br. Michael Dominic O’Connor, O.P.

Br. Michael is originally from Illinois. After attending a college seminary, he worked for a few years as a church musician and grade school music teacher. Br. Michael then entered the Dominican Order in the summer of 2006 and professed his simple vows on August 15, 2007. He is currently studying theology in preparation for ordination to the priesthood at the Dominican House of Studies in Washington, DC.

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