Nativity on Siena Cathedral, Courtesy of Fr. Lawrence Lew, OP (Flickr) | |
Necrology
A necrology is a list or register that records the names of deceased within an organization or community. It serves as a reminder for us to pray for and remember those Lay Dominicans of the Central Province who have "gone before us with the sign of faith and rest in the sleep of peace." Additionally, the necrology is part of our historical record, preserving the institutional memory of our Province.
The current version of our Necrology, prepared by Pat Kloppenberg, is attached below. Please print it out, and use it to pray for our deceased brothers and sisters in St. Dominic. If any names and dates are missing, please send the information to Pat at pkloppen@casscomm.com.
Download the Necrology at this link.
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Important Dates
March 1 — Deadline to contribute to spring Veritas
March 23 — Provincial Council Meeting (Zoom)
June 1 — Deadline to contribute to summer Veritas
July 17–21 — National Eucharistic Congress, Indianapolis, IN
August 16-18 — Michigan Lay Dominican Retreat, DeWitt, MI
September 1 — Deadline to contribute to fall Veritas
September 19-22 — in-person Provincial Council meeting, Chicago, IL
September 28 — Dominican Rosary Pilgrimage
December 1 — Deadline to contribute to winter Veritas
Please notify the editor of any events that should be added to this calendar.
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From the Provincial Promoter
Br. John Steilberg, OP
Hello, or maybe I should say hello again. As many of you know now, our provincial, Fr. Louie Morrone, OP, has reassigned me to be the promoter. I am excited as I enjoy this work.
A quick note to let you know what is on my mind as far as vision and goals for the next few years. I have two things as far as vision goes, and one concrete goal.
An important place for us to go next is to look at how we build communities. What does communal life look like in our fraternities? How are we to live that out? With that, I think it's essential that we answer some very difficult questions about how we build community. How we answer those questions, however they may turn out specifically, will be a preaching moment for us. I feel the Church can learn a lot from us if we do a great job of enhancing our communal life.
Next, is to consider how to create more opportunities for the laity to work with the friars —the whole Dominican family working together more and more. This is what Saint Dominic meant; this is his vision. This is key to what makes the Dominican order such a powerful witness in our Church. The closer that we work together, the more partnerships we form, the more impact our preaching will have.
Lastly, a concrete goal. I want to throw this out there and let you think about it because this is a big goal that will take a lot of effort from a lot of us. I dream of a day where we can gather not just as a province, but even as all the North American provinces. Where all the laity from around our country and beyond could get together in fellowship. I'd like to propose that in 2025, we organize a national gathering of the Dominican laity. I think we're the province to do this. I believe we've got the energy and the talent to be able to do a great job with this. It will provide tremendous fruit for all of us. Think about this idea and let me know what comes to mind in your prayers.
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Rosary Confraternity begins email newsletter
The first issue of The Rosarian, a monthly publication of the Central Province Rosary Confraternity, released on December 9, the feast of St. Juan Diego.
If you have joined the Rosary Confraternity in this or another province, you may wish to "re-enroll" using TheRosarian.org in order to make sure you begin receiving the newsletter. Archived issues of The Rosarian can be found at this link.
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A Call to Eucharistic Apostolates | |
Image: St. Thomas Aquinas, doctor eucharistiae, detail from an embroidered banner in St Dominic's, Newcastle. Courtesy of Fr. Lawrence Lew, OP (Flickr) | |
Renee Valenzuela, Vice President
At this link, you’ll find the results of a survey done recently by the Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate (CARA), regarding Catholics’ belief in the real presence of Christ in the Eucharist. It varies dramatically from the survey done by Sherry Weddell around 2010, I think because the questions were phrased differently and the new survey had redundancy built into it. That’s not what is important, though.
What I have gleaned from reading the results is that this is topic is ripe for Lay Dominican apostolates, plus it coincides with the USCCB’s Eucharistic Revival. I think that’s a huge hint from above that we need to be involved in this mission.
I would like to recommend to fraternities looking for an apostolate that you read this document and talk to your local pastors about how they can help with the Eucharistic Revival efforts. This is important work that is well suited for our vocations. And, because the laity can be everywhere the friars cannot be, it’s well suited for the laity to answer this call and advance the mission of the Order.
What is more important to a Dominican than bringing souls to Christ? Nothing.
This is a great opportunity for fraternities to understand the meaning of Dominican Spirituality through a fraternity apostolate. We will also come to understand the meaning of community as a pillar of the Order of Preachers.
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Central Province Needs Promoter of Vocations | |
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Nancy Rowland, Formation Committee
Are you passionate about your Dominican vocation? Do you want to help curious Catholics explore the possibility of a call to the Dominican life? Do you want to help spread awareness of Lay Dominicans in parishes across the province? If you answer yes, please consider whether you are being called to serve the province as its Promoter of Vocations.
The position has several important aspects, starting with promoting awareness of the lay Dominicans in the Catholic population at large, then interacting with persons who express possible interest, and on to promoting effective discernment during the various phases of formation.
First, you would coordinate with the Communications Committee, Promoter of Preaching, and Executive Council to develop appealing educational materials and website content that will attract and encourage Catholics to pursue an inquiry into lay Dominican life.
Secondly, you would interact with people who express an interest in the Lay Dominicans, talk with them to gauge their interest, and then work with them and our fraternities to find a compatible fraternity where they can further explore Dominican life.
Thirdly, you would work with the Formation Committee to incorporate ideas and methods into formation materials to ensure that those in formation discern and develop their vocation during each phase of formation.
If these tasks seem to fit your abilities and if they appeal to your Dominican heart, please contact Provincial President Gwendolin Weinberger at president@layopcentral.org to discuss the position further.
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Member Update & Transfer Forms
Renee Valenzuela, Vice President/Governance Committee Chair
Hey everyone, your Governance Committee update this time around is on a couple of our forms. We are a very mobile society and therefore we can all expect to move at some point. The first form I’d like to talk about today is the Member Update Web Form found on our Provincial website at this link. This form is intended to be used by all members to let the Province know when you have a change in contact information or when you advance in your formation. It’s easy to use and comes straight to my inbox. I make the changes manually in the database.
Recently, I have asked that all members take a moment to fill out this easy little form so I can do the annual database update, even if your information has not changed since last year. This gives me a chance to verify what’s in the database and make any necessary changes. Sometimes, when we get bulk updates from the Secretaries, there has been a number left off of a phone number on the list or a misspelling in an email or even information that is not the most up-to-date. This is why it’s important that the members take a moment to send in this form. Yes, my email gets blown up, but I set a rule for it to go into a special folder when I receive one, so when I have 30 minutes or so, I can get a bunch done. So please, take minute, and fill it out if you haven’t already. I really do appreciate it!
Sometimes we move for a better job or to be closer to family, which might take us a little further out. So, the next form I’d like to talk a bit about is the Lay Dominican Transfer Form. This is a multi-part fillable PDF form that needs to be downloaded from SharePoint. It’s available to Fraternity Presidents and PC Delegates. When a member asks to transfer from one fraternity to another, regardless of where they’re transferring to, this is the form that needs to be completed and these are the steps you take when you need to transfer:
- Talk to your fraternity president and let him/her know that you are moving, and you would like to transfer to a new fraternity. Your president can help you find a new fraternity if you don’t already know of one in the area you’re moving to.
- Your president lets your fraternity council know, as well as the rest of your fraternity, that you’re moving and will be transferring to a new fraternity. The president downloads the form from SharePoint and sends it to you via email. Save the form to your computer in a place where you can easily find it again.
- You fill out the top portion of the form with all of the information required. You will need the contact information for the new fraternity president and the provincial president, if you’re moving to another province. This information is normally found on the Provincial Website. If it’s not, contact me at vicepresident@layopcentral.org and I’ll help you.
- After you’ve completed the top portion of the form, you send it to your fraternity president via email. He/she fills out the bottom portion of the form, saves it for the fraternity archives, and sends it to you, the new fraternity president, our provincial president, and the provincial president where the new fraternity is. This ensures that both fraternity presidents are aware of the transfer as well as both provincial presidents, plus you have a copy for your records as well.
Please remember that if anyone in this process has any questions, please don't hesitate to contact me at vicepresident@layopcentral.org. The information in the form really helps the new fraternity get you situated wherever you are in formation, and you can hit the ground running in your new fraternity. Remember, communication is key here. It’s part of our pillar of community.
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Invitation from the Promoter of Preaching | |
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Cathy Lins, Promoter of Preaching
I’d like to talk to your fraternity about preaching. In particular, what your community already does well and what more we would like to collectively achieve as we share the gospel. As the Promoter of Preaching, the goal of my work is to help fraternities develop and strengthen their preaching skills. My appointment is for one year, so time is of the essence.
During the Provincial Council Meeting, we discussed the Road Map for 2023–2024. My goal before the end of this year is to talk with all the fraternities in our province. Watch for an email from me so we can schedule Zoom meetings by groupings of about 3 states each, plus one in Spanish with Puerto Rico.
I’d like to take an hour to take stock of our current preaching efforts. The focus will be on questions 1-3.
- Where are we?
- What do we have to work with?
- What do we want to achieve?
In addition to comments from the fraternities, I will be speaking with the Provincial Council leadership to gather their vision and ideas for preaching.
With your input, I will be creating an Action Plan that will focus on
- Some simple steps to start with
- A project we can achieve within the year
The response at the Council meeting was very positive, and I look forward to working with you on this effort. If you’d like to set up some training or retreat for your area, please let me know and I’ll do my best to schedule it.
To reach Cathy Lins, email Preacher@layopcentral.org or text 608-469-7730.
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Preaching from the Pulpit of Life
Luchie Jones (CO-EVG)
Do you know that all of us are born to be preachers? We have always been preachers of good or bad, in the pulpit of life. Everything we do in our life is an example to others and we are doing it through our thoughts, words, deeds, prayers, sacrifices and decisions that we make throughout our lives, in every minute and second.
The first part of my life was very, very good. I am a cradle Catholic and lived a sheltered life, was brought up in the fear of God, schooling with Belgian nuns and the Daughters of Charity (where my aunt was the principal and mediatrix of the Order.) The members of our family were my father and mother, my paternal grandmother, three brothers, and three sisters. We had two maids that helped with chores and the care of the children, but they were treated like family and I treated them like friends. Life was lots of fun for me with my brothers and sisters, school, etc. I loved climbing trees, playing Cowboys and Indians, playing with tops or rubber bands. At 7, after my first holy communion, I felt I wanted to be a saint! After many years, after my father died, there was a part of my life when I needed help. Our two maids, who had helped me growing up, helped me with their services to get on my own two feet without paying them a salary for a year. They were faithful and felt they were part of the family and my good friends. They knew that I would pay them when I advanced in my job. I appreciated their help — one of them already died, but I still pray for them and their families as my own, each day of my life!
When I married my husband of 43 years, he was Methodist by faith. I told him that I was not going to cook for him as an obligation but if I need to do it I will do so because I loved him. Everything is voluntary because we love each other. Also, in the start of our married life, I already told him that, "I am going to bring the children to church with me every Sunday because it is my obligation as a Catholic and if you want to go to church with us you are welcome but if you want to play basketball with your friends, that is fine too. Because God wants us to love Him voluntarily, that is why we have free will.” Ever since that, he came with us to Mass and even when I was not there (visiting my mother in the USA) he would bring the children to Mass. He became a Catholic on our 25th wedding anniversary through the workings of the Holy Spirit.
Another example of preaching from the pulpit of life was when my brother, Philip, came to visit us in 2017. At that time, he was in disability and was dependent on pain medicine (opioids). He asked me what I was taking for my back after my surgery, and I told him that I only took pain medicine for a day after surgery and after that nothing. If I can’t stand the pain I just use a warming gel. He then told me he was taking 11 pills every day and that he had minimized it already by half. By the time he left he was done taking those opioids. He said to me that if I, his sister, could do without painkillers he can too. At the present time he has not taken a painkiller again.
There are many more fruits from preaching from the “Pulpit of Life.” So as Dominicans we can live life for the glory of God and bring souls to Him, so that we may enjoy eternal life with Him forever!
Image: 14th-century pulpit in the Dominican church in Dubrovnik, adorned with figures of Dominican saints: St Margaret of Hungary, St Vincent Ferrer, St Dominic & St Peter Martyr. Courtesy of Fr. Lawrence Lew, OP (Flickr)
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Promoter of Preaching featured in Catholic Herald | |
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The following article was featured in the Archdiocese of Milwaukee's newspaper, the Catholic Herald. A few corrections: "40 states" should be "13 states and Puerto Rico", and the role of Promoter of Preaching was conflated with Br. John's role as Provincial Promoter. Republished with permission.
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New Promoter of Preaching selected for the Central Province of Lay Dominicans
By Molly Schoepp
For the Catholic Herald
MADISON — In 2019 Cathy Lins, OP, made a solemn profession to live as a member of the Lay Dominicans according to the Rule of the Lay Fraternities of St. Dominic.
Earlier this year, Lins was selected as the Promoter of Preaching for the Central Province of Lay Dominicans, a leadership role in which she will be working with 30 Lay Dominican fraternities across 40 states.
A deeper devotion
But what is a Lay Dominican? Lins explained that Lay Dominicans consist of lay men and women who seek to deepen their devotion to Christ by pursuing their vocation as Dominicans in everyday life.
Lay Dominicans are fully incorporated into the Order of Preachers and have been in existence since 1285.
Lins began to learn more about the Dominican fraternity in 2012.
It was then that she began to discern her commitment before making her solemn profession, a lifelong promise to live as a member of the Order, according to the Rule of the Lay Fraternities of St. Dominic.
Lay Dominicans are shaped in their spirituality by the “Four Pillars” of the Dominican Order.
Prayer: By attending daily Mass, praying the Rosary, and encouragement to have a devotion to St. Catherine of Siena, the patroness of Lay Fraternities.
Study: Lay Dominicans strive to study the faith and truth through formation.
Common Life: By participating in nearby chapter meetings and apostolic work.
Preaching: By sharing their faith with others in everyday work and life circumstances.
The journey
Before Lins began her inquiry with the Lay Dominicans, Religious Life hadn’t been on her mind.
“I had a lot of people in my life asking me about Religious Life and if I had ever thought of it, but honestly it never was on my radar. But then I was on an Ignatian retreat, and I decided to ask a priest about it. He said ‘Honestly, you’re too old. But have you ever thought about a lay fraternity?’
“At the time I had no idea what that was, so I began to learn more. I then learned about the charism of the Lay Dominican fraternities and for some reason, it really related to me. I then began to attend meetings at Blessed Sacrament Parish [in Madison] for the fraternity there and began to discern if this was something the Lord was calling me to.” And the rest is history.
For the past year, Lins has been serving as the delegate to the Provincial Council for the Province of St. Albert the Great for the Blessed Sacrament Fraternity in the Diocese of Madison.
As part of its mission, the Blessed Sacrament Fraternity shares its relic of St. Dominic with parishes and Catholic organizations across the diocese.
Her new leadership role entails sending information to the fraternities to form fraternity officers, being aware of initiatives locally and nationally and bringing these to the attention of the province, communicating with Preaching and Justice Promoters of each fraternity, and many other tasks.
Her predecessor, Brother John, shared with the fraternity that the Master of the Order often told them they needed to do more to encourage the laity within their order.
The Master pointed out that the laity has the greatest potential to go out to evangelize the world; to get into areas and with groups of people that the friars never would be able to reach. It’s Lins’s goal to encourage her fellow Lay Dominicans in that same truth.
Though excited about her new role, Lins is also trying to, in her words, “get a lay of the landscape.”
“As I look through listings, I am learning what conferences are coming up, that there are partner positions among the friars and religious sisters, so lots of folks to connect with, and resources to support this work. It is all to proclaim the glory of God and the good news of the Gospel.”
Those interested in learning more about the Blessed Sacrament Fraternity can visit blsacrament.org/lay-dominicans-madison-wi
To learn more about the Central Province of Lay Dominicans, go to laity.opcentral.org
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New Mexico Holds Joint Retreat | |
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Lorrie Hegelson (NM-ABQ)
The fraternities Nuestra Señora de las Montañas and St. Albert the Great joined together to celebrate our annual Lay Dominican spiritual retreat. It was held at Santa Marie de la vid Abbey in Albuquerque on August 4th and 5th, 2023. Father Rich Litzau, OP, from the Province of St. Albert the Great was our spiritual guide.
The culmination of the retreat was a mass of celebration at the Abbey, whereby Roz Deasy became Life Professed, Cristiano Nisoli was received and Virginia Lovato was temporary professed. Virginia is the first person from Kewa (formerly Santo Domingo) Pueblo to ever make any kind of profession with the Order of Preachers.
Our theme for the retreat was “Communication” as delivered through the four pillars when living our Dominican Charism within our community.
We explored the following:
1. Vow of obedience emphasizing responsibility to one another,
2. Journey practicing Dominican charism,
3. Knowledge of the Holy Spirit guiding our church through sacraments and scripture, and
4. Four Pillars (prayer, study, service, community) weaving ways throughout our lives.
Father Rich offered us reconciliation, anointing of the sick, and the Eucharist. We were eternally grateful to celebrate these gifts in community. This strengthened our faith and fervor for our Lord.
We grew in camaraderie not only by living in community—sharing domestic chores and food—but also by praying in formal and informal ways through the Liturgy of the Hours, chanting the Litany of the Dominican Saints and Blesseds, grace at meals, prayer partners, Taize, Adoration and the rosary.
We’re learning to live in veritas and virtue.
Pictured are Virginia Lovato (L) and Fr. Rich Litzau, OP (R)
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Grand Rapids Receives New Member | |
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Jamie Gustin (MI-GRP)
The Grand Rapids Rosary Fraternity welcomed our newest member, Brenda VanWeezel, on Sunday, October 8, 2023. Brenda chose the name Rose Hyacinth. We celebrated with a ceremony of reception for Brenda. The ceremony began with the Dominican Rosary meditating on the Glorious Mysteries. This was followed by the Evening Prayer with Fr. Doug preaching. Our ceremony conclude with the Dominican Litany and Family of Dominic song. We celebrated with a delicious cake and fellowship with our newest member.
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Sisters Visit West Lafayette, Indiana | |
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Julie Krogmeier (IN-WLF)
Dominican Sisters of Mary Mother of the Eucharist (Ann Arbor, MI) Sister Joseph Andrew, OP, and Sister Irenaeus, OP, visited St. Thomas Aquinas Catholic Center at Purdue University to offer an evening of Advent reflections.
Also pictured are Dominican fathers: (L-R) Fr. Brent Bowen, OP; Fr. Peter Lewitzke, OP; Fr. Steve Kuhlmann, OP; Fr. Ben Keller, OP; and pastor Fr. Tom McDermott OP
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Lay Dominicans Release New Books | |
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The Hound of the Lord
Ignatius Press, $8.99
Early reader
The Hound of the Lord is the story of Saint Dominic as told by the legendary dog Torch. This faithful, ever-watchful canine companion vividly describes the founder of the Dominican Order and the many challenges he faced while preaching the Gospel throughout medieval Europe.
Beginning in the village of Caleruga, Spain, Torch tells the story of his beloved master Dominic from his youth to his remarkable life as the founder of the Dominicans and becoming a great saint.
Eleanor Bourg Nicholson is a Lay Dominican of the Eastern Province. Learn more about her and her writing at eleanorbourgnicholson.com
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Meet Sister Mary Margaret
OSV Kids, $16.95
Picture book
Meet Sister Mary Margaret answers the questions that children (but really, everyone!) have when first encountering a religious sister: "Why do you wear that?"; "What do you do all day?"; and more. This engaging, informative book with playful illustrations will bring children and families to an awareness of the beautiful role of women religious in the Church and the world.
Rebecca W. Martin is...look, at this point you know who I am. :D rebeccawmartin.com
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Adrift
Chrism Press, $19.99
Novel
Boston, 1793—Now engaged, Molly Chase and new federal intelligencer Josiah Robb want nothing more than to settle into quiet married life—or as quiet as life can be when one is hunting down a ring of traitors among Boston’s elite. But the plan has one glaring flaw: Molly herself, and the madness that has plagued her since her father’s death. Until Molly proves herself an asset rather than a liability, Josiah’s investigation cannot move forward.
Intelligencer Eliza Hall thought she had left her troubles behind in Philadelphia long ago. When she is sent back to follow a suspect, she’s ready to acknowledge the truth and make her peace—except that the man she loves, who doesn’t know about her past, is assigned to come with her. Now she must outwit her fellow spy and closest friend, lest he hate her for what she had been, while they maneuver to prevent Revolutionary France from dragging the fledgling United States into a war it cannot afford.
Both women are in search of a safe harbor. Little do they expect the winds to blow them into the most tumultuous waters of all—back home.
Rhonda Ortiz is a Lay Dominican in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Learn more about Rhonda and the first book of the Molly Chase series, In Pieces, at rhondaortiz.com
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Veritas Editorial Team
Mrs. Rebecca Martin, OP — Editor
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Ms. Cathy Lins, OP – Promoter of Preaching
Ms. Mary Reinhardt, OP
Ms. Cheryl Riley – Provincial Secretary
Ms. Renee Valenzuela, OP
Mrs. Katie Willen, OP – Archivist
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