October Special Issue

In October, we intend to present a special issue on the theme of Dominican Prayers for the Departed. We ask that each fraternity submit the names and death dates of any deceased fraternity members from the past year.

Information is due by October 1 and may be submitted via the provincial website at this link or to editor@layopcentral.org. Thank you in advance!

Correction

In the June issue of Veritas, the photo of the recent receptions in St. Catherine of the Foothills (Evergreen, CO) was missing the names of those received.

They are, from left to right, Rita Patti, Christine Johansen, Luchie Jones, OP (formation director), Janet Gibson (in back), Patty Stange, Holli Schaub (in back), Kathleen Peterson.

Thank you, Chris, for sending the information!

 Ms. Renee Valenzuela, OP

Provincial Council Vice President

What makes a good delegate? You can think of a delegate’s job like this: You’re the voice of the Province to your Fraternity AND you’re the voice of your Fraternity to the Province. How can you do that effectively? (Note that all of this applies to alternate delegates as well!)

BE INVOLVED: in your Fraternity’s apostolate, study, preaching and prayer life. You should have your finger on the pulse of your fraternity, while also actively participating in your Provincial Committees as well as attending all of the 5th Saturday PC Zoom meetings. If you’re not on a committee, you should be. Let us know and we’ll get you assigned to one.

BE IN THE KNOW: make sure your contact information is up-to-date with the Province. We can’t send you documents or notify you of meetings if we’re using out-dated contact information.

KNOW YOUR SKILLS: What can you do? You probably have skills that the Province needs. Let us know what you know how to do. God brings us together to help each other and gives each of us different skills. He wants us to cooperate! Many hands make light work.

BE WILLING: Where there is a will there is a way. Be generous with your time and talents. God is calling you to serve. Give Him your best.

When you’re doing all of these things, there’s no doubt you’re doing a great job as Delegate. If not, these are ways that you can make a difference!

 Fr. Brent Bowen, OP

Greetings from St. Dominic Priory and Novitiate in Denver. Our new novices received the Holy Habit of St. Dominic Sunday evening and began their novitiate year. Their entire class (eight novices!) took religious names. We decided to take a Purdue photo. Br. Isaac (Fernando) Chamorro is on the left. Br. Jeremiah (Benjamin) Washer is on the right.

Also pictured are Fr. Luke Barder (center), and Fr. Vincent Davila (right), both of them Boilermakers.

Please pray for these men this year as they continue to discern the Dominican way of life.

Mary Reinhardt (ABQ)

The Dominican Institute for the Arts (DIA) celebrated its 25^th anniversary at the Pallotine Renewal Center near St. Louis, Missouri from July 25-28, 2023. The gathering commemorated over five hundred members from throughout the years who have blessed the DIA with their creativity.

MarySue Veerkamp-Schwab (BLO) displayed seven pieces of art in the virtual gallery. Attending the gathering from the Central Province this year were this writer and 2022 Fra Angelico Award recipient Br. Joseph Kilikevice, OP. On the way to Italy for his sabbatical, Fr. James Marchionda, OP (past Prior Provincial of the Central Province), also attended the gathering. He concelebrated the DIA Mass with Fr. Rudoph Lowenstein, OP, from the English province. At the closing gala and social, Fr. Jimmy enchanted attendees with the musical stylings of jazz clarinet.

The keynote speaker for the gathering was Sr. Sheila Flynn, OP of the Dominican Sisters of Eastern Australia and Solomon Islands. Sr. Sheila spoke about art as the manifestation of Dominican preaching. She noted, “For Dominicans, story and beauty are always in the air.” It is there that God makes meaning and “breaks us wide open to the pain of the world” where we can be “agents of hope to the most vulnerable.”

The DIA brings together Dominican friars, sisters, nuns, Laity, and associates who preach the Gospel through art. The art forms generated from contemplation by the membership include the written word, music, media, theatrical performance, crafts, jewelry, and fine arts. For more information, go to https://www.diartsop.org/ .

Below: Celebrating 25 years of the Dominican Institute for the Arts on July 27, 2023, near St. Louis, MO are Sr. Irene Mary Diones OP, a founding member of DIA, and Fr. James Marchionda, OP, former Prior Provincial for the Central Province.

Renee Valenzuela (CED)

On Saturday July, 8, 2023, the Blessed Mary Fraternity from Cedaredge, CO hosted a Mass Workshop at St. Joseph Parish in Grand Junction, CO from 9am to 3pm. We showed the videos from the Ascension Press study, A Biblical Walk Through the Mass, by Dr. Edward Sri, and held a short question and answer session between the videos. The parish graciously provided lunch for everyone, and our local members presented. There were approximately 50 attendees and everyone eagerly participated. We were very well received and were asked to do a similar presentation on the Eucharist. About a week afterward, we were contacted by the Immaculate Heart of Mary Parish in Grand Junction, another large parish, to make the same presentation there in Advent. We are very blessed to have these opportunities to preach in our Deanery. 

This all kicked off by simply asking our Dean how our fraternity can serve in the Deanery. He responded with open arms and was relieved to have our help. Last fall, our Diocese sent out a survey to all the parishioners throughout the diocese soliciting opinions for what can be done to help them in their faith journey. The number one response was learning more about the Mass. Fr. Henry Wertin asked us to preach about that subject and so we presented the videos from the Ascension Press study and answered all of the questions that came up. It worked out beautifully for everyone involved. We can’t wait to do the next!

Robert Ddamulira (ANN)

"For where two or three are gathered together in my name, I am there with them," said Jesus to His disciples in Matthew 18:20. One can extend that logic in concluding that where dozens are gathered, Jesus shows up in an even greater measure. That is how it felt this past weekend, Aug 18-20, 2023. Participants representing all Michigan Chapters of lay Dominicans gathered for joint learning, meditation, and contemplative series of conferences and group activities facilitated by the Holy Spirit-filled Brother John Steilberg, OP, from the St Pius V Priory, Chicago, IL. The weekend retreat was hosted at the serene St. Francis Retreat Center in DeWitt which was a perfect location. The center has a communal layout complete with prayer rooms, conference facilities, a chapel, and several other meditative spaces, which are spread out on 90 acres of forests, flowers, sculpture, well-manicured lawns and even a frisbee course.

The prayers, rosary, personal meditation time, and other side events of the three-day retreat were organized around 6 mini-conferences which were facilitated by Brother John. The interactive conferences full of lively examples were delivered in ways that catered to both senior lay Dominicans who have been on this journey for decades and initiates who are a year or less on this journey. Conference 1 covered the topic of a “Blended life,” trying to guide what it means to be a contemplative Dominican and fully present and active in your day-to-day responsibilities. Conference 2, titled “The End” discussed what it takes to live life in such a way that the eternal end is sainthood, being with God. Conference 3 was focused on the progression from vocal prayer to meditation and ultimately, contemplative prayer. Conference 4 addressed the topic of hiddenness – what it means to be detached and hidden in whatever we do. Conference 5 addressed the tough challenge of discernment including how to identify and deploy our individual Charisms for the benefit of building the Universal Church. True to the call for every Dominican to “contemplate and share with others the fruits of their contemplation,” the final conference was focused on preaching with a specific emphasis on the role of the laity. To say that this was a very rewarding retreat from a personal and spiritual standpoint would be an understatement, it was truly transformational at many levels. The good news is that there was early consensus this retreat will be an annual feature on the calendars of all Michigan Chapters of lay Dominicans. If you missed this year’s retreat, we look forward to seeing you in 2024 and beyond.

Ms. Renee Valenzuela, OP

Committee Chair

Hello everyone! This quarter, we submitted 4 documents to the delegates to bring to their fraternities for review and commentary. We have incorporated many of the suggestions into the final drafts, which were once again received by the delegates at the 5th Saturday PC meeting on July 29th. These documents will be up for a vote for ratification at the September PC meeting. Be sure to review these 3 final drafts: Leadership in the Province, Leadership in the Fraternities, and Dispensations and let your delegate know how you support those documents. The 4th document is an open letter to the friars describing what we expect from a Spiritual or Religious Assistant. This isn’t an official document, but communication from us to the friars to put their minds at ease when considering these assignments.

When the committee submits documents to the delegates for review, we hope that they are bringing those documents back to their fraternities for each member to review and give commentary. The type of commentary we’re looking for regards clarity, understandability, and if we missed anything. Of course, not every situation can be specifically addressed in governing documents, but does it give the guidance necessary to lead effectively? That’s the question that ought to be considered when we solicit for commentary. We are on schedule to have the first draft of our Particular Directory ready by Summer 2024. It will be comprised of the ratified documents, with a table of contents, and a glossary.

Mr. Joey Odell, OP

Committee Chair

The formation committee is continuing our work on the Formation Director Handbook. As we wrap up the handbook, we will begin looking for optional materials to supplement formation and begin the process of reviewing our existing formation materials to identify any gaps in formation that might need to be addressed.

Mr. Tom Smith, OP

Committee Chair

The Liturgy Committee has been meeting monthly via Zoom, most recently on the second Wednesday. Our next meetings will be on August 9 and September 13, which will be the day before the fall Provincial Council meeting in Chicago.

These are our projects, and the committee members in charge of them. These should be in final form for the fall PC meeting:

1. Ceremonial for Professions (Sue Wick)

2. Liturgy Portions of the Provincial Directory (Nathan Thompson)

3. Necrology (Pat Kloppenburg)

4. Simple Book of Prayer (Helen Hawkins)

Mrs. Rebecca W. Martin, OP

Over the last couple of months, the communications committe and I have been taking time to discern the scope of our duties and where our efforts are most needed. As part of that process, I reflected on the impact I hope we have both as a province and as individual Lay Dominicans. Sometimes a visual helps, so I created this graphic, which illustrates the broadening circles of our collective preaching apostolate. As a committee, my team's first focus has to be our existing Lay Dominicans and the good of the province. From there, we can turn our attention to the Dominican family, ensuring that we are in good relationship and supporting our whole family. Then, we begin to turn outward, equipped to invite individuals to discern with the Dominican family, particularly in the lay vocation. And together in the heart of the Church, we support her evangelizing mission into the world.

As the communications committee proceeds with some essential planning, this is the model we will have in front of us, and I hope is helpful to you in your fraternity or committee as you discern the work of your apostolate.

Advice on Preaching from the Friars

Fr. Brent Bowen, OP, graciously shared the September edition of the friars' monthly newsletter, Preachers of Grace. With the caveat that this is primarily written for the friars, it contains excellent advice that can be applied to lay preaching.

In your charity, please pray for the repose of the souls of Mrs. Anna Bao Nguyễn, OP, and Fr. Stanley Drongowski, OP.

Mrs. Anna Bao Nguyễn, OP, of the Queen of the Vietnamese Martyrs Fraternity in Wheatridge, Colorado, passed away on June 22, 2023. She made her temporary profession as a Lay Dominican in August of 2014. Mrs. Nguyễn was seventy-four years old, and she is survived by her husband and sons and their families, all of Denver. A funeral Mass was held at the Queen of Vietnamese Martyrs on Saturday, July 1, beginning with Office for the Dead at 10:30 am.

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Father Stanley Drongowski, OP, passed away suddenly on Sunday, July 9, 2023. A friar of the Central Province, he served as Aquinas College chaplain (Grand Rapids, MI) for about ten years.

Obituary of Fr. Stanley

Statement from the Diocese of Grand Rapids

Statement from Aquinas College