First Day Back to School

Yesterday was my first day back at school. This semester I have classes at both Aquinas Institute and at St. Louis University. So far, I've attended my Philosophical Foundations of Thomas Aquinas and Theology of the Human Person courses. Today, I have Pauline Literature and Ignatian Spirituality.
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I have to run to get to class, now, but before I do, I wanted to recommend a very good article I read for my Theology of the Human Person. It's called "Our Hearts of Darkness: Original Sin Revisited" by Stephen J. Duffy. It's a terrific survey of the Church's teaching on the topic of Original Sin, as well as responses to Augustine's articulation of it, etc.
Until Later,
Paul, OP~

Our Retreat in Dittmer, MO

This past weekend, as I wrote earlier, the student brothers of the Central and Southern provinces, along with their student master, went on retreat. Il Ritiro (sp) is a retreat center run by the OFMs. They have other facilities on the grounds, but the retreat center is to the back of the property. Above is the Our Lady of the Cedars Chapel, which we used for morning and evening prayer and mass. To the right is a picture of the brothers in choir.

A primary goal of the annual student retreat is for the brothers to get to know one another, share news about the summer, and to do a little orientation about life in the studentate. You can tell from the pictures, the brothers got along well, and had a great time getting to know one another.

The picture to the left was taken at the conference center, which we used for our business meetings. It was here that the student master talked to us about the vowed life, life in community, and opened the floor for discussions about the various bellman jobs the brothers were expected to do. It was here, also, that we held elections for our student representative on the formation council, and our representatives (both Central and Southern) for the inter-provincial student conference, to be held in Oakland, CA (where the Western province students live).

Saturday night was game night, and there were plenty of them to chose from. One table played Balderdash, another played Dominoes, and the third played Risk. (Look how excited two of the friars playing Dominoes look! We played 13 rounds.)

Of course, when you get Dominicans together, they're going to be silly, whether playing games or not. Part of the Dominican charism is to be joyful, so silliness goes along with having a playful and joyful spirit. St. Dominic, I think, would be proud.

This last picture of me with this car is just for fun. Someone attending mass at the little chapel drove up in it, so don't think that it's my car.

Orientation and Retreat

Yesterday, I had a blast at the orientation for the new students of Aquinas Institute of Theology--the school where the Dominican student brothers of the Central and Southern provinces go for preparation for ministry. Of course, the majority of the students are lay students, including some who are from other Christian backgrounds. I was a tour guide for the first two thirds of the afternoon, and then I gave a little testimonial about my experience as a student, which people really seemed to appreciate. The Holy Spirit gave me the right words.
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My favorite part of the day was getting to meet the new Dominican novices for the Collaborative Novitiate for Dominican Sisters. There were sisters from four different congregations, including: Tacoma, WA; Houston, TX; Adrian, MI; and Sinsinawa, WI. The youngest was Sr. Ashley, who's in her early twenties from Adrian. She's just so enthusiastic, you can't help but like her. Hopefully, she'll attract other vocations.
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I won't be able to post this weekend, because the student brothers along with the student master, are going on retreat. It's a weekend, not for prayer and reflection in the usual sense, but a weekend for getting to know one another, to pray together, and to talk about where we're at in our vocation discernment. I really enjoyed last year, so I hope this year's retreat will be just as exciting.
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Under "news" to the right, I posted a note about the up and coming "Come and See" discernment weekend. It's Oct. 24-26 here in St. Louis. If you or someone you know has been thinking about becoming a religious priest or brother, it's a great opportunity to check out how Dominican friars live and work. For more info, email me.
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I also put two new pictures up to the right. One is of Venerable Rose Hawthorne, and the other is of Venerable Samuel Mazzuchelli. Just click on the pictures to find out more about these two great Dominicans who served in the United States.
Happy Feast of Queen Mary!
Paul, OP~

The Missouri Wine Country

Yesterday, nine of the friars (including myself) went to visit the Missouri wine country around Augusta, MO. We visited two wineries, Montelle and Mount Pleasant. I've only included pictures of Mount Pleasant, because it had the more scenic venue. I do, however, recommend Montelle. They offer a free wine tasting, and have an extensive and convenient visitor garden, where you can go and drink wine and eat cheese and bread.

One of the great things about the wine country around Augusta is the scenery. Both Brother Nathaniel and I imagined building a monastery for the first group of Dominican cloistered monks in an area like Augusta, as it would be the perfect place to settle in, if you're looking for a life of silence and contemplation. Having a priory there work, as well, because it would be fun to live in a little town where the friars could get to know the people and become an integral part of village life. This is my romanticism coming out. Perhaps I've watched too many Cadfael Mysteries episodes.

Here, Frs. Benny and Jim take a rest, in these two high backed chairs--perfect thrones for these holy priests.

Visiting the Little Sisters of the Poor

Br. Joshua, OP, Br. Cassian, OP, and myself visited the Little Sisters of the Poor, yesterday. All three of us worked with the Little Sisters during our novitiate year in Denver, so we thought it would good to come visit the sisters working here in St. Louis. In the pictures above, we pose in front of a statue of Blessed Jeanne Jugan, the foundress of the congregation. Her canonization could be any day now. Bl. Jeanne is such an inspiration, and model of humility. After she founded the congregation, she was pushed aside by a priest, who claimed leadership. Years went by, and the sister forgot that it had been Jeanne (Marie of the Cross) who had founded the congregation. She was living a humble life of service at the mother house, advising the young novices on how to be a good religious. Eventually, however, the truth came to life, and Bl. Jeanne was restore to proper position.

Here are two pictures. One is of the ice cream parlor the sisters have for their residents, and the other is of the chapel. The charism of the Little Sisters is the care of the poor elderly. The sisters do a fantastic job of providing the necessities and love for those most forgotten by society.

The sisters have a great devotion to St. Joseph. Believe me, if they need anything, St. Joseph is there to petition God on their behalf, and they get what the need.

***

I could write more, but it's time for morning prayer.

Peace,
Br. Paul, OP~

Saturday

Today was another beautiful day here in St. Louis, MO. The sky was a baby blue, with those perfect fluffy clouds floating about here and there. It feels like the end of Summer is approaching. Soon the chilling winds of Autumn will arrive, bringing the "jacket" weather I love so well.
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So, I've been busy this week with one major project: revising my paper on Mansfield Park. I wrote a 4-5,000 word essay for my Church History class last semester, which I wanted to try and get published. Well, the length was too long, so I basically cut the paper in half. I'm currently on edition 12 of the revision. I actually like the shorter version better, so hopefully it'll get accepted. (The newly professed, Br. Augustine has been helping me get all the citations in MLA formatting--God bless him.)
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I also got to get out of the priory, today, and had lunch with a friend from Aquinas Institute. Her name is Jen C., proud graduate of Providence College, which is run by the Dominicans of the Eastern Province. We had lunch at Mangia Italia, a restaurant on South Grand St. here in St. Louis. Both the service and the food were good. I should have tried something a little more experimental than Spaghetti Bolognese, however. I got it, because it's a favorite of mine.
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It's funny, after lunch, Jen and I spent an hour or so looking through the extensive displays at Hobby Lobby, an arts and crafts store. Believe me, if you have an arts and crafts need, Hobby Lobby can help you out. Unfortunately, Jen had a very specific need. She's trying to design two holy water fonts for the chapel at Aquinas Institute. She was looking for a base for the little glass bowl she has, but everything was either too big, or wide, or expensive. In the end, she bought two candle holders, hoping those would work. Liturgical arts and crafts.
***
This next week is going to busy. I hope to finally get around to posting the interview I did with Fr. Scott about his visit to Haiti.
Until then,
Br. Paul, OP~

Rose Hawthorne, Pray for us!

The St. Louis Zoo

Here are some pictures from my visit to the St. Louis Zoo, taken this afternoon. More of the animals were out and about than I expected.

My Anniversary

One year ago, today, I said the following:
"I, Brother Paul, make profession and promise obedience to God, to blessed Mary, and to blessed Dominic, and to you, Brother Michael..., prior provincial of the Province of St. Albert the Great, in place of Brother Carlos..., Master of the Order of Friars preachers and to his successors, according to the rule of blessed Augustine and the institutions of the Friars preachers, that I will be obedient to you and your successors for two years."

***
As you can see, I have one more year of vowed life to go. Part of this year, as much of last year, will be spent discerning whether or not I will want to renew my simple vows for two more years, before professing perpetual vows, or leave the Order. In this way, simple vows resemble an engagement. Engagement implies a true commitment and the probability of marriage. Likewise, simple vows do point toward a likelihood of perpetual vows, but do not guarantee it. At the same time, the community discerns whether the individual brother works well in community. Ultimately, I have to work with the brothers to see if I am ready and able to truly live out the vows I want to profess.

***

Discernment isn't easy. I think what is true for committed relationships is true for religious life. Sometimes, when a person has committed themselves to another person, or to a community, the grass starts to look greener on the other side, and the little faults of others start to seem all the bigger. Sometimes, however, the problem isn't with the other, necessarily, but are with yourself. I've been struggling this summer, especially, mainly because I haven't opened enough to the brothers around me. People can't support you, unless they know you need the support. I'm an introvert that tends to want to work things out for myself. I'm finally learning that I don't have to be so strong. I have to be willing to be, openly, the wounded, imperfect person I am. The stiff-upper-lip routine isn't working anymore. Now that I've realized this, I beginning to feel better.

***

Before I move on, some of you might have questions about the profession formula I quoted above. The Book of Constitutions that we Dominican friars live by explains it pretty well, so I'll quote from chapter nine: "By profession, we dedicate ourselves to God, following Christ to lead an evangelical life in the Order. In this way, our baptismal consecration becomes more fully effective. By the profession of obedience we bind ourselves to live the evangelical counsels [poverty, chastity, and obedience], renouncing certain things of undoubted value without detriment to true human development. We embrace Christ's self-emptying while sharing in his life in the Spirit. So, by being faithful, we give a clearer witness in the Church to the values of the kingdom of heaven. We also promise in filial devotion to obey the Virgin Mary, Mother of God, the immensely caring mother of our Order. By professing obedience to St. Dominic, we also promise to be faithful to his spirit and project." Chastity and poverty are understood to be included under the one vow of obedience.

***

Looking back over the year, I would say that I have grown spiritually, physically, and personally. I'm still in the learning process, and I've currently been in turbulent waters personally, but considering all the good that has come from sticking with it, and persevering, I'm very glad to be where I am at this moment in my life. I do believe that I would love to be a religious for the rest of my life, committed to God in this particular way. That said, I know it's going to be hard work to stay faithful, and to learn what I need to from the community God has brought me to. That's why, after the brother has professed his vows, the provincial says to him, "May God who has begun this good work in you, bring it to completion."

***

To end this entry, I thought I would share a quote from the Koran. I'm 119 pages into the edition I have. This quote is from the seventeenth chapter. "All that is in heaven and earth gives glory to God. He is the Mighty, the Wise One. His is the kingdom of the heavens and the earth. he ordains life and death and has power over all things. He is the first and the last, the visible and the unseen. He has knowledge of all things. He created the heavens and the earth in six days and then mounted His throne. He knows all that goes into the earth and all that emerges from it, all that comes down from the heaven and all that ascends to it. He is with you wherever you are. God is cognizant of all your actions." The Judeo-Christian influence on Muhammad is pretty obvious. Muhammad is concerned with asserting God's sovereignty, omniscience, and mercy. The interesting thing is, because he's talking to an unbelieving audience (the Arab tribes who were still pagan), the tone of the Koran is often harsh. So while it asserts that God is merciful, it is first necessary to get people to believe that God has the power to punish, otherwise the people wouldn't fear God and convert, nor would they seek the mercy they would need to escape eternal damnation.

***

Another interesting thing about the Koran, speaking from a literary background, is how self-conscious it is, and therefore, defensive in tone (in places). For example, in chapter fifty-two it says, "Do they say: 'He (Muhammad) has invented it himself'? Indeed, they have no faith. Let them produce a scripture like it, if what they say is true!" It's clear to me that Muhammad was aware of the fact that he was creating a sacred text for his new religion. After all, he knew that religions like Judaism and Christianity relied on scripture, so he knew his new group would need a text. It makes sense for him to think so. As a result, the Muslim population tends to have a deep love for the Koran. It's their revelation. Of course, they see it as coming directly from God. As a Christian reader of the Koran, however/of course, I don't see it as a revelation from God, so I can pick up on the passages I think are in error, like when the Koran denies the divinity of Christ. [That said, I wouldn't deny that the Koran has religious value. Much of it is standard theology that Jews, Christians, and Muslims share.] My response to the line "Let them produce a scripture like it, if what they say is true!" is that creating a text like the Koran doesn't require any special revelation, considering none of the ideas I've come across so far have been terribly original. In the same way, the Book of Mormon [which gets my vote for being the least readable of all world religion texts] claims to be "another testament of Jesus Christ", but is really just the creation of Joseph Smith. Both authors, Muhammad and Joseph Smith claim that angels revealed these texts. A Christian would do well to remember St. Paul's words to the Galatians: "But even if we, or an angel from heaven, should preach to you a gospel contrary to that which we preached to you, let him be accursed" (1:8). Because on different points both Muhammad and Joseph Smith deny basic Christian theology, mainline Christians have to reject them as false-prophets--just as they have rejected the teachings of the Church as being false. Even so, they are historical figures that Christians would do well to know more about, if only to be able to interact with Muslims and Mormons intelligently.

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Thus, I'm still enjoying my study of the Koran, and look forward to pressing on in my reading.

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That's all for now,

Paul, Op~

Happy Feast of St. Clare of Assisi, Patron Saint of TV

"Consider also his indescribable delights, his unending riches and honors, and sigh for what is beyond your love and heart's content as you cry out: Draw me on! We will run after you in the perfume of your ointment, heavenly spouse. Let me run and not faint until you lead me into your wine cellar; your left hand rests under my head, your right arm joyfully embraces me, and you kiss me with the sweet kiss of your lips." ~St. Clare describing spousal love for Christ to Bl. Agnes of Prague.

Happy Feast of St. Clare of Assisi, an extraordinary woman, and patron saint of television. Perhaps we should ask her to pray for the network producers so we can get shows that don't violate so many moral principles.

Anyway, yesterday the novices made vows and became simply professed Dominicans--so they're official now. They will arrive in St. Louis tonight, so I hope to get some pictures of them and share with my readers their reflections on this big change in their lives. I should also get an interview later this week with Fr. Scott who recently went to Haiti for Food for the Poor. Three of the priests of this community work for Food for the Poor, doing preaching missions on the weekends to raise awareness about the desperate level of poverty in countries like Haiti.

Until then,

Paul, OP~

Yesterday's Festivities in Pictures

After evening prayer on St. Dominic's Feast Day, the friars gather for recreation in the common room. We do this every day, for the half hour between our prayer and our dinner. It's a time to catch up with one another and talk about what's going on in our lives or in the world.

The Feast of St. Dominic is also the birthday of Fr. Rick, president of Aquinas Institute of Theology in St. Louis. The student brother community is very familiar to Fr. Rick, as a little over a year ago, he was still the student master.

We were going to finish the celebration by telling stories about holy and famous (or infamous) Dominicans. Instead, we decided to watch the opening ceremonies of the Olympics. I'm glad we did. They were amazing, and we were all impressed. Fr. Dave (center in black), especially.

The brothers continued watching the Olympics this evening. None were surprised when Michael Phelps took the gold.

Brother Nathaniel: Vowed to the Order for Another Year

Life in Vietnam:
Brother Nathaniel Nguyen, OP, (last name pronounced like "Ng-When") was born in 1975 in Vietnam, the second son of three. When Nathaniel was still young, his father was taken to a concentration camp for having been a lieutenant in the Vietnam War. At the time, his father was still a Buddhist, though his wife was a Catholic. While her husband was in the camp, Mrs. Nguyen had to take care of her sons without her husband's support. One of the memories that Nathaniel has from those days is the family gathering around the crucifix and saying prayers for the release of his father. Not only was Mr. Nguyen eventually released, but while he was in prison he began taking the steps toward converting to the Catholic faith, which he did, once he was free again.
To America:
In 1990, when Nathaniel was turning fifteen years old, the family moved to the United States. He thought that the move was going to be temporary, but it turns out he had to adopt a new country and new language. The seeds of vocation had already been sown, by this time. While still in Vietnam, Nathaniel had served his parish church as an altar boy. There had been a large group of altar boys, so you only got to serve mass once a month. Nathaniel said, "Whenever I served mass, it always made me very happy. I began thinking of being a priest." The idea didn't go away. As a sophomore in college, Nathaniel went to a "Come and See" vocations weekend for his home parish. All the religious groups and seminarians were invited to speak to the attendees of the weekend. When Nathaniel heard one of the seminarians talking about his life, he found the life he described attractive. It was then that he began to seriously contemplate pursuing his vocation. Realizing that he had a calling to the religious priesthood, Nathaniel joined the Benedictines of St. John's Abbey and began studies for the priesthood. After a year and a half, however, he left the community without making vows.
The Call Kept Coming:
Nathaniel then returned to California and began teaching elementary school. He found that he loved to teach and loved interacting with children. (I can personally testify to Nathaniel's skills in working with children.) Even so, Nathaniel felt like he was missing something: "I thought I had a good life. I loved teaching. My typical day would go from 7 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., but then I would return home to my apartment and prepare to do the same thing all over again the next day. I felt that I wanted to do something more than that."
A Dominican Vocation:
Luckily, the technological age does have its advantages. Remembering a Dominican campus minister that he had met in his college days, Nathaniel looked up the Order of Preachers online. He eventually focused on the Central Province of St. Albert the Great, headquartered in Chicago. "They say that God is the one who gives you a vocation, but you also have to cooperate with that invitation," Nathaniel said. So he called the vocation director and chatted with him, thereby beginning the conversation that would lead to his application and acceptance into the Order of Preachers.
Challenges and Joys:
Last night, during first vespers of the Feast of St. Dominic, Nathaniel renewed his vow of obedience for another year and two months. I asked him, with the renewal of vows in mind, what have been his major struggles and major joys as a Dominican friar. The struggle that Nathaniel didn't hesitate to bring up was the challenge of the intellectual life. Dominicans value study, and view study as a part of their identity and charism. It's considered a form of prayer for Dominicans. Due to the language difficulties, Nathaniel often finds the intellectual life of a student brother challenging.
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Fortunately, Nathaniel's struggle with academics is counterbalanced by three central joys. The first source of joy is communal prayer. "I don't have to pray by myself. We come together throughout the day to pray, morning and evening prayer and mass. It helps me during the times when I think 'Oh, I'm so lazy and so tired, I don't want to wake up so early to pray', but then I remember my brothers are waiting for me in the chapel and I get up anyway." The second source of joy is the brotherhood. The amazing thing about the brotherhood is that it brings together men all every different background and personalty, and unites them together in their common journey toward Christian perfection. As Nathaniel said, "The relationship with the brothers has helped not only grow as a religious, but as a human person, as well." The third source of joy is the fact that although we vow obedience as religious, each brother is still free to be an individual, and bring what makes him unique as a gift to the other brothers and the Church. "I am the only Vietnamese in the province. While I would like to see more Vietnamese brothers in the province, I think I am respected by my non-Asian brothers." Nathaniel's Vietnamese heritage has certain brought more flavor to the community, and a different perspective to our discussions of theology.
The Sacred Preaching:
Unlike in the formation of other priests and brothers, perhaps, Dominicans begin preaching in the novitiate, and continue on in the community attached to the house of studies. Nathaniel admits that preaching, for him, isn't easy. After three years of preaching, there are three things that he thinks have helped him as a preacher: 1) "You have to find your own voice in your preaching. There are a lot of great preachers in the community, but you don't have to follow someone else's style or format." 2) "Second, you have to have good preparation. Most of the time, when I'm scheduled to preach on the weekend, I begin my preparation on Monday. I'll do, for example, lectio divina allowing the Holy Spirit to speak to me through the word." 3) "The third one is to just go out and preach. You shouldn't worry so much about what you're going to say, because you're unique." Even with these three insights, Nathaniel admits that he still gets nervous when his turn to preach comes around. The only help for this, he says, is practice, which the student brothers get to do every Saturday and Sunday.
Continuing On:
"Renewal of vows is just another way of saying 'yes' and reminding myself of what I promised to do two years ago," he said. "Of course, before renewal of vows, we are given time to discern and ask ourselves, 'Is this still the way of life that I want to embrace?' 'Is this a challenging life?' 'A hard life?' Yes. Life as a friar is not easy. But I do find a lot of joy in this life, and I do find a lot of love in this life, so I thought, why not renew my vows and give my life to this group of people?"
A System of Support:
Because the life of a religious is difficult, as Nathaniel stated, I asked him who were his major supports. In typical Nathaniel style, he named three sources of support. The first to be named were his parents. Their faith and love for each other was a model for Nathaniel of spousal love. "As religious, we live chastely, but we love the Church as our spouse. I saw my parents love for each other and I wanted to love the Church in the same way." The second to be named was his spiritual director. "He was always open. He encouraged, and yet challenged me, and always pushed me whenever I was getting myself down, reminding me of what religious life is all about." And the third to be named were the brothers of the formation community. "I would say that the brothers in the house are mentors. They are the shoulder for me to lean on, and also the people I can share my joy with."
Closing Remarks:
"I would like to quote John Paul II and say [to those discerning a vocation] 'Don't be afraid.' If you find any community that can bring you happiness and help you fall deeply in love with God, then don't be afraid to give them a try. --It has been a wonderful life."
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My thanks to Br. Nathaniel for sitting down with me for this interview. I hope the readers have enjoyed it. Remember, if you have questions about the life of Dominican friars specifically, or religious in general, email me, and I'll do my best to answer them in my postings.
Peace,
Br. Paul, OP~

Happy Feast of St. Dominic de Guzman, Founder of the Order of Preachers

Happy Feast Day! Today the worldwide Order of Preachers celebrates its most beloved saint--its founder and model, St. Dominic. I will be taking pictures of our festivities, and hope to post them either tonight or tomorrow. I also did an interview with Br. Nathaniel Nguyen, our Vietnamese student brother, and will post that soon, as well. So please stay tuned for more information.
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Also, for fans of the Olympics, enjoy the opening of the games.
Peace,
Br. Paul, OP~

The Koran as Summer Reading?

I didn't post a new entry last night, because yesterday I took a fast from the Internet. Every once and a while, when it seems like I'm glued to the computer, I realize that the Internet is wielding a little too much power over my time. Thus, the new fast, I think, is from things like email, you-tube, television, and driving, rather than from food and drink. Although, I do fast from iced tea every now and again, because I love it so much. All these things are good, but, as we know, fasting allows us to put things in their proper perspective again, and appreciate them anew.
***
With all the free time I gained by not sitting at my computer, I was able to do some extra reading. Surprisingly, one of the books that I've picked up this summer has been the Koran. I've attempted to read it several times before, and have always been put off by it. The translations weren't very good, and it seemed too repetitious. The Bible, for example, is in a chronological order, there are sections that are stories, poetry, sayings, etc. With the Koran, you never know if the chapter is going to be a story or just instruction--and for readers who find books like Leviticus and Sirach tedious, they're unlikely to like the Koran. I found a new translation, however, done by N. J. Dawood for Penguin Classics. I must say, Dawood's translation is quite readable. Interestingly, however, Dawood rearranged the chapters, in an effort to make the Koran still more readable to the non-Muslim reader/English-speakers who crave order and progression in their literature (most of the time). I'm only 70 pages in, and there haven't been too many stories. I can only recall the story about Joseph in Egypt, and the birth of Jesus. Both of these retellings of Biblical stories have twists that the Christian or Jew would not remember or would agree with. Of course, the "twist" of the birth of Jesus, according to Muhammad is that Jesus wasn't actually the son of God. This is an important variation, of course, one that shows Mohammad's break with Christian theology.
***
There are, however, themes that both Jews and Christians can appreciate in the Koran. For example, the chapters I have read have repeatedly emphasized the importance of caring for the poor, the orphan, and the widow, and giving alms. Good works go hand in hand with being a good Muslim. Another theme would be repentance. The sections I have read want to teach the Muslim to do all things in reference to God, the last judgement, and the hope of heaven. In chapter ten it says, "God invites you to the Home of Peace. He guides whom He will to a straight path. Those that do good works shall be rewarded with abundant blessings. Neither blackness nor misery shall cover their faces. They are the heirs of Paradise: in it they shall abide for ever." This must have been music to the ears of the Arabs who were dissatisfied with the pagan pantheon that dominated Arabic society during Mohammad's time.
***
I'm reading the Koran, because I realize that it's one of the most important books in print today. It means a great deal to millions of people around the world, and it might help me to understand the perspective of my Muslim brothers and sisters who insist that they worship the same God that I do. I think that it's in the Dominican tradition to want to study texts like the Koran, as well, because we want to know the truth, to seek it wherever it can be found. St. Thomas Aquinas, for example, studied the works of the great pagan philosophers like Plato and Socrates, but he also knew the works of Muslim commentators like Averroes and Jewish writers like Maimonides. He didn't just read in order to discover errors, either; what he found to be true, in light of the Christian faith, he appreciated and used.
***
So, hopefully, I will persevere and read more of the Koran, and thereby gain a greater understanding of the global situation. Who knows, maybe I'll be sent as a missionary to the Middle East where knowledge of the Koran would make my preaching that much more effective.
***
Peace,
Br. Paul, OP~

Father Dominic Returns from China

One of the exciting things about being a Dominican is that the Order of Preachers is worldwide and 800 years old. Recently, Father Dominic Holtz, OP, a member of the Central Province of St. Albert the Great, and professor at the Aquinas Institute of Theology in St. Louis, got to experience a different taste of Dominican life during a visit to China. He was invited to visit the Holy Rosary Province--a mission province that originated with Spanish missionaries bringing the Gospel to Asia around the year 1587--to give a two week seminar on St. Thomas Aquinas to the students studying for the Holy Rosary Province. Among the countries included in the province are: the Koreas, Vietnam, Singapore, and (yes, really) Venezuela. As a result, some of the students that Fr. Dominic worked with were from Hong Kong, Vietnam, Myanmar, Korea, Singapore, and Venezuela. With such a mix of students, you might wonder how the friars communicate with one another. The answer is, surprisingly, they use English. In all, there are around 12 novice brothers, and 15-17 student brothers. Probably all of these are working toward the priesthood. The novitiate for the entire mission province is currently in Hong Kong (it was once in New Orleans), and the house of studies is in Macau. Hong Kong and Macau, as you may know, are special administrative regions of the People's Republic of China. While both areas are officially parts of China, they have unique levels of autonomy from the mainland and its communist government.

This first photo was taken by Fr. Dominic from Victoria Peak, looking out over Hong Kong and Kowloon. The photo to the right is the Casino Lisboa in Macau. Macau has developed into a major gambling center for China. As a result, the area is busy with construction. They even joined together two islands (Taipa and Coloane) to form a larger area for Macau to expand into. The price of development related to gambling has been some level of organized crime, prostitution, and human trafficking.

***When asked what impressed him about the culture in Hong Kong and Macau, Fr. Dominic replied: "What was most impressive to me was the active religiosity of the Chinese people." He noted that the temples and shrines seemed to be frequented often. While in the minority, there were Catholic churches open to the public, as well. Fr. Dominic noted that in Hong Kong, many Catholics were from the Philippines, and in Macau, the Catholics seemed to have a mixed ancestry of Chinese and Portuguese. To the left is a photo of temple to Kun Iam (Bodhisattva of Mercy)--note the long, spiral incense offerings. Immediately below this to the right are the ruins of St. Paul's Catholic Church.

The Dominicans have a long history in the area, as St. Dominic's church (the yellow facade depicted above) illustrates. To the right is the interior of St. Dominic's, and below is a close up of an image from the old priory next to the church. The Portuguese eventually took control of all the parishes run by religious in the area, so St. Dominic's is not staffed by Dominicans anymore, and the priory now serves as a museum.

When asked about the general atmosphere of the place, Fr. Dominic noted the excitement in the air, related to the Olympics. Hong Kong is hosting the equestrian events for this summer's games. In this way, even Hong Kong and Macau are being drawn into the country's efforts to display is unity and progress. "They (the people of Hong Kong and Macau) do see themselves as Chinese," Fr. Dominic assured me. Further, he said, "I felt very welcome. Hong Kong is an international city." While he did stand out, racially, the people didn't make him feel unwelcome. There was enough English spoken in commercial areas that he was able to get by, and eventually he even picked up a few Chinese words and could recognize some of the written characters. Luckily, "They don't presume that if you're not Chinese that you'll know Chinese."

***

Given the hospitality of the Chinese people, Fr. Dominic said that he would love to go back, especially so that he could visit Mainland China and experience what life is like under the Communist system.

***

As a historian, Fr. Dominic's visit left him with a few questions. Despite the fact that Christianity has been in China for many centuries, it has remained only a minority. What Christians there are, are loyal, which is no easy thing to be in the face of opposition. Ironically, the challenges that face the witnesses to Christ in Communist China are not that different from those faced by believers in the United States. In both countries, Christians have to ask themselves how they can make themselves, as representatives of the Gospel, more public, so that the faith can truly take root and positively impact the greater society. After all, each person who hopes to be a citizen of heaven must be a missionary on earth. The Kingdom of God is within us, making us ambassadors of Christ to the world around us. The question is: are we doing our job as well as we should?

***

Peace,

Br. Paul, OP~