Student Brothers at St. Vincent Ferrer
Posted by Fr. Aquinas on 26 Jul 2009 at 10:48 am | Tagged as: Dominicans
This summer, the Priory of St. Vincent Ferrer has had the privilege of hosting three of the province’s student brothers. Perhaps you’ve seen them at Mass or around the neighborhood. Below you’ll find their biographies and brief descriptions of their summer apostolates.
Please keep them and all of the province’s student brothers in your prayers.
Br. Paul Martin Kennedy, O.P.
Br. Paul is originally from Cincinnati, Ohio where he was a member of the province’s parish, St. Gertrude. Br. Paul is currently in simple vows and is the Province of Saint Joseph’s first student studying for the Cooperator Brotherhood in more than 30 years. This summer Br. Paul has been living at St. Vincent Ferrer Priory while working with the friars at St. Catherine of Siena Priory and the pastoral care office at the Hospital for Special Surgery, where he has worked as a Catholic chaplan visiting the patients and their families during their time of need. His responsibilities include not only offering a friendly and sympathetic ear, but also administering Holy Communion. In the fall Br. Paul will return to Washington, DC for his second year of studies at the Dominican House of Studies.
Br. Albert Duggan, O.P.
Br. Albert Duggan entered the Dominican province of St. Joseph in 2007 and will be starting his second year at the Dominican House of Studies in the fall. He has a particular interest in moral theology, bioethics, and the relationship between theology and the natural sciences.
During his stay at St. Vincent Ferrer, he has been volunteering with the Missionaries of Charity in the Bronx (the first mission established in North America by Blessed Mother Teresa of Calcutta, in 1971). In June, he worked at the Queen of Peace Home, where the sisters operate a soup kitchen and an emergency shelter for homeless men. Throughout the month of July, he’ll be working as a counselor for a summer camp run out of St. Rita’s Church, a nearby parish in the South Bronx. This camp provides a valuable opportunity for local children to grow in the Catholic faith while enjoying many other activities and outings, like trips to the Bronx Zoo and local sporting events.
Br. Peter Martyr Yungwirth, O.P.
Br. Peter Martyr Joseph Yungwirth, O.P. was raised in Hagerstown, MD and attended the University of Maryland, where he graduated with a Bachelor’s in Reformation History. It was at the university where he first met Dominican priests, who would celebrate Mass and hear confessions, and also Dominican student brothers, who would help out with RCIA classes, lead Bible studies, and preach during Eucharistic Adoration. Br. Peter Martyr made Simple Profession on August 15, 2008 and finished his first year of philosophy at the Dominican House of Studies in Washington, DC this past spring.
This summer, Br. Peter Martyr is working with the Missionaries of Charity in the South Bronx, currently helping out with their annual summer camp. This daily ministry includes leading a group of eight and nine year old boys closer to Christ through various activities throughout the day. Whether it is catechesis, carpentry, or even manners class, Br. Peter Martyr assists the children in their development, both on a spiritual and a human level. “Since these kids come from broken families and are influenced far more by the culture than the Gospel, getting them to apologize to one another and quote the Scriptures from memory,” he says, “is quite an accomplishment.”