Our Lady of Pompeii (Our Lady of the Rosary/Our Lady of Victory)

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Saint Dominic,

Thank you to Mary Reinhardt (ALB) and Hazel May T. Jordan (MPL) who sent two beautiful reflections on their experience at the Dominican family gathering on August 11 with the Master of the Order! I wasn’t able to go myself, so I appreciated reading the impact the celebration had on them. 

This past weekend, I had the joy of attending my first provincial council meeting at the National Shrine of Saint Maximilian Kolbe at Marytown, in the Chicago area. The days we had together of conversation, prayer, and fraternity were intense and revitalizing, and I’m excited to share more with you in the coming months. Brother John Steilberg, our Provincial Promoter, has some important announcements for the province, so please make sure you read those. 

In your charity, pray for me as I prepare for my final profession on November 19 at Saint Mary Cathedral in Lansing, Michigan! With each passing day, I become more grateful to the Lord for calling me to this Dominican life.

— Mrs. Rebecca W. Martin, OP

editor@layopcentral.org

Please reach out to me any time with contributions, ideas, questions, comments, or corrections!

Dominican Family Conference

In May 2021, we had a one-day conference in St Louis, hosted at Aquinas Institute of Theology.​ We had about 25 laity present. We had 5 presentations on various OP topics. We did offer these via video conference.​ ​The program was most of the day on the third Friday of May, then some Saturday morning, followed by the friars’ ordination and reception.

By having it in St Louis, we can:​

• Keep costs down (it's free to use Aquinas Institute)​
• Combine our event with the friars’ ordination​
• Use Aquinas Institute's excellent facilities for video conferencing ​

​Do we want to try and get together as a province? ​Is this the best way to do it?​

Presidents — Promotional Materials

A trifold brochure and poster describing the Lay Dominican vocation, and holy cards of Saint Dominic and Saint Catherine are available on Sharepoint for you to print for your community’s vocational efforts. Presidents only, please follow this link. If you cannot sign in, please contact Joey Odell, 3opadmin@layopcentral.org.

Death Notices

When one of your community members passes away, please notify the Editor via the “Submit a death notice” form on our provincial website.

Following notification, an email will be sent out to everyone with the deceased’s information and a call to pray for the repose of his or her soul.

Committee Chairs

Please submit your updates to the Editor by November 1.

December Veritas

The winter issue of Veritas will focus on personal and group study recommendations. Please send short book reviews, no more than 250 words. Articles may now be submitted via the provincial website at this link.

Help Needed

Promoter of Preaching, Vocations Director, and Archivist are all needed for the province. Please read and pray with the descriptions at this link, and be open to the possibility that the Holy Spirit might need you to answer the call. To apply, fill out this application and email to president@layopcentral.org, vicepresident@layopcentral.org, and secretary@layopcentral.org.

Webmaster — The Webmaster will be a position on the Communications Committee reporting to the Editor, with the job of updating, maintaining, and improving the provincial website. The Webmaster will interface with the tech admin and other committees as needed. Wordpress or similar experience required. (Currently, there isn’t too much to do, but we need someone to run point on managing the website because Yours Truly can’t manage that too. — R.W.M.) If you are interested in this position, please email editor@layopcentral.org.

Here members of the Dominican Laity from around our province gathered around the Master of the Order, Father Gerard Timoner III, OP, and our provincial, Father Jimmy Marchionda, OP, at Saint Vincent Ferrer Parish in River Forest, IL. The gathering was to celebrate the solemn vows of our brother Matthew Paul Grote, OP, in the center of the picture. The Master was in our province visiting the friars during their assembly for the entire province of friars, held August 8-11 in Chicago. Many thanks to so many of the laity who came out to support the friars and to meet the Master. As you can see, we had a great turnout with many of our fraternities represented. 

Our Master of the Order, Father Gerard Timoner III, OP, gathered with some of our Dominican Laity on August 11. They are joined by Father Samuel Hakeem, OP, Vocations Director for our province of Saint Albert the Great.

Ms. Hazel May T. Jordan, OP (MPL)

As one who was about to be received into candidacy at the time of the Solemn Profession (and now having been received!), I was in absolute awe of the unity of Dominicans — laity, sisters, and friars — in one place. It was such a gift to reunite with the friars I got to know and love through my college's campus ministry, and to let them know that I had joined my local fraternity.  

Everything about the Mass was directly speaking to me: the hymns, the readings, and especially Father Gerard’s homily. He had such a beautiful and powerful reflection on chastity, and everything he said had been recurring themes in my own prayer and reflections this year. His words truly gave me hope and encouragement, and I believe God was comforting me then.  

I was also able to meet and speak with Father Gerard afterwards at the reception. I am from the Philippines like him, and he and I immediately bonded over our shared culture! He was so interested in getting to know me and kept asking me questions; he truly embodies the joy and love of St. Dominic, and ultimately, Christ.  

I couldn’t stop smiling after I left the reception that afternoon. My heart was overflowing. The trip all the way from Minnesota was so worth it, and it confirmed for me that the Dominicans are truly the spiritual family for me. I never felt so loved and at home.

Preaching through the Arts

Ms. Mary Reinhardt, OP (ALB)

As Fra Angelico revealed, Dominican art is important for preaching. Consequently, seeking ways to preserve our art so future researchers can view it and seek answers to their questions is significant. Chris Allison, the director of the Sister Mary Nona McGreal Center for Dominican Historical Studies in Chicago, is passionately committed to preserving the art of American Dominicans. On August 2, 2022, Chris and Aaron Riesberg — the archivist at the McGreal Center — spoke about preservation efforts to members of the Dominican Institute for the Arts (DIA) gathered at the Siena Retreat Center in Racine, Wisconsin. 

They are developing a digital repository for U.S. Dominican art that future researchers will be able to use to find Dominican art sources on a copyright-controlled website at the McGreal Center. The digital preservation of three-dimensional art was explored at the meeting. Chris asked DIA members to capture good photographic images, audio, or video of artistic works and send those files to the McGreal Center. For more information on the DIA and preserving one’s art as a Dominican, contact Pat Daly, OPA.

The Dominican Institute of the Arts is a collaboration of Dominicans (including laity and friars) who preach God through the arts. DIA artists are painters, potters, poets, actors, authors, architects, filmmakers, photographers, florists, musicians, magicians, and more. The DIA gives the Fra Angelico Award annually to distinguished artists. Two friars from the Central Province have received the award: Brother Joseph Kilikevice, OP, in 2022 and Father James Marchionda, OP, in 2000.

Blessed Sacrament

Farmington Hills, MI (FAR)

Blessed Sacrament Fraternity held their annual summer picnic, and a fraternity pilgrimage to the Solanus Casey Center in Detroit.

Ed. Note — we are missing some names, so if you attended the picnic please let me know and I will include a correction in the next issue! R.W.M.

First row, left to right: Zachary McAllister, Ellen Licavoli, Patricia Shea, ?

2nd row, left to right: ?, Cheryl Beckman, Maria Dyer, Gwen Weinberger, David McDonald, Ed Shea, Jay Flaherty

Back row: Bill Loeber, Norma Housey, Ed Kolodziej, Tom Weber

Front row: Rocio Hopkins, Patricia Shea, Belen Guzman, Maria Dyer, Gregory Petzer, Bill Loeber

Back row: Vyvian Gorbea-Oppliger, Mary Kay McClory, Fr. David Preuss, OFM Cap, Ed Shea, Elizabeth Petzer

Mr. Timothy Patrick O’Neill, O.P.

7/11/1952 – 1/11/2022

MPL — Our brother Tim passed away after many years of suffering from long-standing health issues.

Tim grew up a few blocks from Holy Rosary Church, and attended the grade school staffed by the Sinsinawa Dominican sisters. During the Vietnam War years, he served in the U.S. Navy.

Feeling called to be a part of the Dominican Family that was a major part of his formative years, Tim was received in 2009, completed his formation and made final promises on August 4, 2013.

His funeral Mass was held at Holy Rosary Church, Minneapolis, Minnesota, on Saturday, Feb. 26, 2022, with a number of Lay Dominicans in attendance.