"Con Que Derecho?" - Dominicans & Human Rights

Dominicans have a great tradition of working for human rights.  Recently some of our friars presented at a conference at George Mason University to commemorate the 500th anniversary (4th Sunday of Advent 2011) of the historic homily of Fr. Antonio Montesinos outside the cathedral in Santo Domingo.  His famous first words of that homily are engraved at the base of the statue, "Con que derecho?" (With what right?)  This preaching converted Bartolomeo de las Casas, who would later convert and enter the Order of Preachers, thus becoming a great preacher who worked for justice and an end to the slave trade of the New World.

this powerful statue of Fr. Antonio Montesinos OP

overlooks the harbor in Santo Domingo

Dominican Vocation: Br. Raymund, OP

Br. Raymund Snyder, O.P. gives his story on meeting the Dominican friars, relating it to the Rich Young Man's Encounter with Christ.

Relaunching the Dominicana

The Dominican students brothers of the Province of St. Joseph have relaunched Dominicana, a semi-annual print journal that is an avenue for the brothers to carry out the Dominican charism of: contemplari et contemplata aliis tradere – to contemplate and to hand on to others the fruits of contemplation.

The relaunching of the Dominicana this past spring marks the first time that this journal has been published since 1968, after a run of 52 years.  When the brothers originally launched the journal, it coincided with the 700th Anniversary of the Dominican Order.  Here's what the brothers wrote then:

Almost 100 years later, the Dominican students decided to return to this effective mode of preaching by not only restarting the print journal, but also by introducing a new daily blog, where different brothers make a daily contribution to the task of evangelization in our own contemporary era.  The Dominicana blog is overseen by one of the priests at the Dominican House of Studies, and it presents "short articles on matters of timely and timeless relevance, from science to Scripture, literature to liturgy, politics to prayer, or anything in between."

In the words of one brother, "It's an exciting time to be a Dominican."

DHS Community 1916 (81 friars)

DHS Studentate 2011 (50 students, total community of 83)

Outline of Lectures in Dominican History (pdf)

The 175-page outline to these Lectures in Dominican History by Fr. J.F. Hinnebusch, O.P., meant to accompany the audio recordings which are available on this blog and on iTunes, can now be downloaded as pdf files (in four sections) from google docs at the following links:

Part 1a

Part 1b

Part 2

Part 3

The Dominican Order in the 17th-19th Centuries

"The 17^th and 18^th c. were an age of mysticism* (among French Dominicans) and of prospering missions all the way to China* and the Philippines,* as well as the West Indies (presented in John Baptist Labat’s remarkable narratives). The French Revolution was a blow for the Dominican order in France and beyond; while the Spanish provinces partially and temporarily disassociated themselves from the authorities of the order. 

The 19^th c. was a time of reconstruction, led by Edward Dominic Fenwick in the USA (from 1804) and Lacordaire* in France (c. 1840). One of Lacordaire’s first companions, Vincent Jandel, became master general of the order. Congregations of sisters proliferated everywhere, with specialized apostolates in schools and hospitals. Cloistered monasteries were restored and new lay organizations organized."

An excerpt from the entry "Dominican Order" by Guy-Thomas Bedouelle, O.P., in The Cambridge Dictionary of Christianity (2010). Fr. Bedouelle is the author of several entries in this dictionary: Devotio Moderna; Dominic, St; Dominican Order; Elisabeth of Hungary; Lefèvre d'Étaples.

Lectures in Dominican History Part 11

Lecture 11 continues the treatment of the life of St. Dominic, with a focus on the religious situation in southern France, the Cathars, the Albigensian heresy, the Catholic reform, Cistercian preaching missions in southern France, St. Dominic's inspiration to found an order of preachers, his involvement with the episcopal inquisition, the various medieval inquisitions, and the Albigensian crusade.

Lectures in Dominican history given in  1986 to Dominican friars of the Province of St. Joseph by Fr. John  Frederick Hinnebusch, O.P. of the Dominican House of Studies, Washington, D.C. Lecture 11 of 25. Audio, 62 min.

All 25 of Father Hinnebusch's audio lectures are now available in full on this site (and on Blip.tv) and on iTunes.

Mp3 format.

The Nun Smitten in the Thigh

From the Golden Legend:  There was a nun named Mary which was sick at Tripolin, in the monastery of Mary Magdalene, and was smitten in the thigh so grievously that five months during they doubted that she would have died, and then she bethought her and prayed thus in herself: Lord God, I am not worthy to pray to thee ne to be heard of thee, but I pray my lord, St. Dominic, that he be mediator between thee and me, that he may get to me the benefit of health.

And when she had long prayed in tears she slept, and saw St. Dominic with two friars, that opened the curtain that hung afore her bed, and entered and said to her: Wherefore desirest thou so sore to be healed?

And she said: Sir, that I might more devoutly serve God.

And then he drew out his ointment, which was of sweet odour, from under his cope and anointed her thigh, and she was anon all whole and said: This ointment is much precious, sweet and light.

And when she demanded how it was made, he said to her: This ointment is the ointment of love, and is so precious that it may not be bought for no price. For in the gifts of God is none better than love, for there is nothing more precious than charity, but it is soon lost if it be not well kept.

Then he appeared to her sister that night, that slept in the dortour, saying, “I have healed thy sister,” which anon arose and ran thither and found her whole. And when she felt her anointed with sensible unction she wiped it with great reverence with a bundle of silk.

And when she had told all this to the abbess, to her sister, and to her confessor, and had showed the unction and bundle, they were smitten with the novelty of the savour, so sweet-smelling that it might not be compared to none other aromatic, and they kept that unction with great reverence.

How agreeable the place is unto God where the body of St. Dominic resteth, howbeit that many miracles be showed there. Yet one shall I say to you here and that shall suffice.

The Golden Legend or Lives Of The Saints

Compiled by Jacobus de Voragine, Archbishop of Genoa, 1275

Englished by William Caxton, First Edition 1483

From the Temple Classics Edited by F.S. Ellis