Christian Observances
We celebrate with our Christian sisters and brothers.
Dominic is the founder of our Dominican Order (Order of Preachers). Dominic was described as joyful and prayerful; whose preaching challenged the heresies of his day. The Dominican motto is Truth and it is as powerful and relevant today – perhaps more relevant today, than in the time of Dominic....
July 31 is the feast of Saint Ignatius of Loyola. Saint Ignatius was a priest, theologian, and spiritual director who is best remembered and celebrated for two primary gifts to the world – the Society of Jesus (Jesuits) and the Spiritual Exercises. We join our Jesuit brothers in celebration....
The Ecological Spirituality focus of this Retreat Day is current, prayerful, and stretching. The focus is new, but necessary for this time. It is inspired by Pope Francis’ Pastoral Letter Laudato Si. The day will inspire and enrich your prayer life. Please join us....
July 14th is the feast of Saint Kateri Tekakwitha, an Algonquin-Mohawk woman. She is colloquially known as the Lily of the Mohawks. Saint Kateri can remind us about her peoples' mystic relationship with nature as sacred and help us care for earth, our common home....
We celebrate the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe on December 12th. On October 12, 1945, Pope Pius XII, decreed that "Santa Maria, de Guadalupe"(Our Lady of Guadalupe) was the "Patroness of all the Americas." ...
On Pentecost, Seven Gifts of the Holy Spirit are given to us. We pray Come Holy Spirit! We ponder and pray over each gift; wisdom, understanding, knowledge, counsel, fortitude, piety, and fear of the Lord. This poem helps us remember the blessings we are given....
This Pentecost, it’s time for us all to rediscover the true Holy Spirit, the Wild Fire of God's Love, Who doesn’t honor the limited “cages” in which we unconsciously enclose Her? Dare we pray passionately that She will uncage our imaginations and move us into the action so urgently needed....
The feast of Saint Mary the Magdalene is July 22nd. Mary is one of the renowned and celebrated women who followed Jesus. The memory of Mary has been maligned by the church, by Christian artists, and by the popular assumption that she was a prostitute and a repentant sinner....
Saint Catherine of Siena was a great Dominican saint. She dedicated herself to prayer, she contributed to the study of theology, and she was involved in her world. She worked for peace and the transformation of Church and society. ...
The Dominican Center wishes all people of faith a Happy Feast of All Saints – November 1st. We honor all of the holy women and men who lived before us and on whose shoulders, we stand. We live in their presence and we rejoice in their legacy and continued blessing....
To celebrate Reformation Sunday, I am repeating the words of Annette Griffin, Lutheran Minister from 2017, the 500th Anniversary of the Reformation. The full text of last year's post can be found through a link at the end of this text. As Christians we celebrate our common heritage.
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Provincial Leaders of the Franciscan Friars wrote the attached “Franciscan Plea for the Soul of America,” to continue their eight-hundred-year tradition of proclaiming the Gospel. They asked that we reflect upon it and share it widely as a means of marking the Feast of St. Francis this year. ...
Saint Martin’s feast is celebrated on November 3rd. St. Martin De Porres, OP, a mulatto abandoned with his mother and younger sister by his Spanish father in 16th century Peru, grew up poor and marginalized. He gave himself as a volunteer [donado] to the Dominican community in Lima and was...
On Sunday, October 29, 2017, we commemorate and celebrate the 500th anniversary of the Reformation. The Reformation created a schism in the Catholic Church; Martin Luther is credited with initiating it with the posting of his ninety-five theses in 1517. Luther wanted reform and criticized real abuses in the Church...
September 17th marks the anniversary of the death of Hildegard of Bingen, named a Doctor of the Catholic Church by Pope Benedict XVI on October 7, 2012. We celebrate the anniversary of her death by sharing this poetic vision of her faith....