Mass with Pope Francis at the conclusion of the 800th Jubilee

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Pope Francis celebrated Mass at the Cathedral Archbasilica of St John Lateran for the conclusion of the Jubilee for the 800th anniversary of the papal confirmation of the Order of Preachers – the Dominicans. Some brothers of the Irish Province participated in the Mass, most notably bro. Philip Mulryne OP who assisted pope Francis as deacon and bro. Jesse Maingot OP who helped serving. Please find below some photo’s of the event with thanks to Fr. Ciaran Dougherty OP for providing them:

Holy Hour in St. Saviour’s

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On Thursday 22nd, to mark the actual 800th anniversary of the day when Pope Honorius III confirmed the Order to St. Dominic as an Order of the universal Church, we have a Holy Hour in St. Saviour’s from 8.00 to 9.00, including Rosary, Benediction, and silent adoration of the Blessed Sacrament, followed by Compline with procession to the altar of St. Dominic and blessing with the relic of St. Dominic.

5th Jubilee Mystery: Revelation in Word and Sacrament at Emmaus

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Luke 24:13-35

“They said to each other, “Did not our hearts burn within us while he talked to us on the road, while he opened to us the scriptures?” 

And they rose that same hour and returned to Jerusalem; and they found the eleven gathered together and those who were with them, who said, “The Lord has risen indeed, and has appeared to Simon!” Then they told what had happened on the road, and how he was known to them in the breaking of the bread.”

Discussing the things which had happened, all seemed lost and the hope that once attracted them to be disciples appeared to have been dashed. But, we are reminded that elsewhere in the Scriptures Jesus said, “When two or three are gathered in my name there I Am in their midst.”  As they walked away from Jerusalem, Jesus “drew near and went with them.” Faith is a fragile gift – suffering from discouragement, the disciples listen as Jesus opened the scriptures to them. The flame of faith begins to be kindled once again, yet they are kept from recognising him.  “Stay with us,” they ask Him, as he motioned to go on: this is the prayer of the Christian. We no longer see Him in the flesh, yet He is no less present. They recognised him in the breaking of the bread, we too, in faith, see Him before us truly present in the Sacrament of the altar.

“They returned to Jerusalem.” Our Lord shows us that the Eucharist is the place and the moment where we now encounter him most fully. His Word and his Body feed us and nourish us for the journey. It is when we are united around Christ, as His Body the Church, celebrating the Liturgy, that we truly know him and he reveals himself to us.

One Our Father, Ten Hail Mary’s, Gloria.

Queen of Preachers: Pray for us.

Hail Holy Queen.

Prayer to Our Lady of the Rosary

O Virgin Mary, grant that the recitation of thy Rosary for me each day, in the midst of my manifold duties a link of unity in all my actions, a tribute of filial piety, a sweet recreation and a help to walk joyously in the path of duty. Grant, especially, O Virgin Mary, that the study of thy mysteries may gradually form in my soul a pure, bright, fortifying, sweet-scented atmosphere which will penetrate my will, my memory, my understanding, my imagination and my entire being. Thus will I acquire the habit of prayer while working, without the help of formulas, by interior movements of admiration and supplication, or by aspirations of love. I ask this, O Queen of the Holy Rosary, through Dominic, Thy son of predilection, the illustrious preacher of thy mysteries, and faithful imitator of thy virtues. Amen. (Bl. Hyacinth Cormier, OP)

Prayer in honour of St. Dominic

Father, through the intercession of St. Dominic, Doctor of Truth and Light of the Church, make your love glow in our hearts. After the example of so great a saint, make us heralds of your Gospel in a world that hungers for you but often does not know its needs. Give us St. Dominic’s unswerving loyalty to the Holy Church and may we, like him, be founts of true wisdom for our weary world. We ask this through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

4th Jubilee Mystery: ‘Go tell my brothers,’ Mary Magdalen, Patroness of Preachers.

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John 20:11-18

“Go to my brethren and say to them, I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.” Mary Magdalene went and said to the disciples, “I have seen the Lord”; and she told them that he had said these things to her.”

Mary Magdalen received the grace of being the first to see Our Lord after His Resurrection. At first she did not know Him, then He called her by name. She heard His voice before witnessing the glory of His resurrected countenance. Christ then commissioned her to bring the message of the Resurrection to the Apostles, His brethren. She is the apostle to the Apostles. I am a Christian. I am united with Christ by Baptism and already participate in the life of His Resurrection. By my Confirmation I am called to be an apostle. Christ invites me to imitate Mary Magdalen and tell the world that I have seen the Lord.

Jesus wants me to share in Mary’s profound joy, a joy which stems from being close to Him and communicating His Gospel in a cheerful, generous and authentic manner.

May I follow Mary Magdalen’s example and proclaim Christ as my living Lord – by courageously defending the teachings of His Church. May I persevere in this task until the day He calls me by my name and permits me to see the glory of His resurrected body in Heaven.

Holy Mary, my Mother, you are the Queen of the Apostles. Help me to proclaim your Son’s resurrection to my family and friends – by my thoughts, words and deeds.

One Our Father, Ten Hail Mary’s, Gloria.

Queen of Preachers: Pray for us.

3rd Jubilee Mystery: The Commissioning and Sending Forth of the Seventy-Two Disciples.

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Luke. 10:1-9

“Say to them, the kingdom of God has come near to you.”

While travelling toward Jerusalem, Jesus appoints, and sends out in pairs, seventy-two disciples. He sends them ahead to visit all the places he himself will visit. The disciples were sent out with very particular instructions about how they were to travel, what they were to bring with them and how they were to behave when they found a place that welcomed them.

To those who welcome them, Jesus tells his disciples to announce that the Kingdom of God is very near to them. To those who do not make them welcome, Jesus tells them again to say that the Kingdom is God is very near. Jesus makes it clear that the presence of the disciples and the kingdom that they bring with them, will be seen by some as a blessing and seen by others as something less positive.

In either case, Jesus insists that the response of the disciples should ultimately be the same. His disciples are to draw attention to the proximity of the Kingdom of God, both as something to be welcomed and something to give pause for thought. For those who welcome the representatives of the Kingdom a great peace will be imparted, whilst those who do not welcome them, will miss out on this peace.

The peace that the disciples carry with them comes from the place they start their journey from, in the presence of Jesus. They go before him to announce his coming, bringing the gifts he wishes to give. It is the job of the disciples to prepare the way for the coming of Jesus, so let us pray that we may be true disciples of the Lord, realising that as he sent them, so he sends us now.

One Our Father, Ten Hail Mary’s, Gloria.

Queen of Preachers: Pray for us.

2nd Jubilee Mystery: The Epiphany of the Lord.

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Matthew 2:1-12

“When they saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy; and going into the house they saw the child with Mary his mother, and they fell down and worshipped him.”

The grace of God came to the Magi in the form of a star. Having observed this star they began their long and arduous journey in search of the Lord. The Magi followed the guiding light of the star and were rewarded by finding the divine Christ-Child.

The star which has risen in my life is the gift of faith given me at my Baptism. Faith is the kindly light and compass which leads me along the path of life. The Christian life is a pilgrimage which can encounter many dangers and obstacles. If I but follow the beaming star of faith which God has placed in my sky, I am sure to reach my destination. If I remain strong in faith, no obstacle, no Herod, can throw me off course.

The Lord Jesus bids me to journey towards him. He is my guide, my path and my destination. He has chosen me and called me to the faith. If I follow Him, I will come to behold Him in glory.

O Mary pray for me, hold my hand and help me always to follow the light of grace which will bring me to your Divine Son.

One Our Father, Ten Hail Mary’s, Gloria.

Queen of Preachers: Pray for us.

1st Jubilee Mystery: Announcement to the Shepherds of the birth of the Messiah.

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Luke 2:8-20

“Be not afraid; for behold, I bring you good news of a great joy which will come to all the people; for to you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, who is Christ the Lord. And this will be a sign for you: you will find a babe wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger.”

The Shepherds upon finding themselves in the presence of the angel with the glory of the Lord shining around them were filled with fear. This fear is dispelled by the words of the angel when he says, “Do not be afraid; for behold I bring you news of a great joy.” This joy comes from the knowledge that the Saviour which all Israel had been longing for had finally come to his people. Overcome by what they had witnessed and filled with expectation the shepherds “went with haste” to see the Christ child. As with the annunciation to Mary, the angelic visitation fills them with a joy that cannot be contained, and moves them to action.  The darkness of the night in which they laboured in the fields gives way to the light which they now see before their eyes, the true light of the world; the King of the Universe, in a manger.  Changed forever by this experience the shepherds become messengers of joy, making known to others what they have seen and heard.

Let us pray that we may experience anew the joy that comes with knowing Christ our Lord. Like Mary, who pondered the mystery of her Son in her heart may we by meditating on this mystery be changed by grace and become messengers of joy to all we meet.

One Our Father, Ten Hail Mary’s, Gloria.

Queen of Preachers: Pray for us.

Celebrate the Jubilee of the Order in the Monastery of St. Catherine of Siena

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On Sunday 6th November the community of the Monastery of St. Catherine of Siena invited the members of the Province to join them to celebrate the Jubilee of the Order.

Over 30 of the brethren attended vespers and night prayer which was followed by a festive supper together in the common room of the monastery. After the supper some of the community and the brethren provided entertainment. It was a joyful and prayerful celebration of our common calling in the Order and a fitting way to celebrate the Jubilee.

The brethren thank the sisters for their generous hospitality.

National Pilgrimage to Knock

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On Sunday the 9th of October the National Dominican Pilgrimage to Knock took place.

Knock is the National Marian Shrine of Ireland. On the 21st August, 1879, fifteen people from the village of Knock witnessed an Apparition of Our Lady, St. Joseph, St. John the Evangelist, a Lamb and cross on an altar at the gable wall of the Parish Church. The witnesses while reciting the Rosary, watched the Apparition in the pouring rain for two hours. Although they themselves were saturated not a single drop of rain fell on the gable or the apparition.

Each year on the second Sunday of October all branches of the Dominican Family travel to the Shrine and lead the liturgical celebrations. This year was the 62nd National Dominican Pilgrimage to Knock Shrine. As always pilgrims travelled from all the various Dominicans foundations throughout the island of Ireland. This is always a great occasion to meet Dominican friends from all over the country. The official program began at 14:30 with the Anointing of the Sick, followed by Mass at 15:00. After the Mass there was Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament and the blessing of the sick followed by the Rosary procession around the grounds of the Shrine.

It was a tremendous day and it was great to see so many people gather together celebrating this special year of jubilee, the 800th anniversary of the Dominican Order.

Please find below a few pictures.

To Praise, to Bless, to Preach

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800 years ago this year St. Dominic received the Pope’s permission to found an Order of Preachers in the Church whose mission is summed up in the motto of the Dominican Order, to praise, to bless, to preach.

Each time I come to the shrine of Knock I am reminded of the motto for in the figures of Knock we have a living presentation of the motto. St. Joseph in prayer reminds us that all our lives must begin in praise before God, but particularly if we are to be preachers our lives must be rooted in prayer as we see St. Joseph bowed in prayer. Joseph the silent one of the Gospels bows his head in prayer. Our Blessed Lady stands there calling down a blessing upon all who come to Knock. By accepting the invitation of the angel The Blessed Ever-Virgin brought into the world the greatest of all blessings, Jesus the Lord, the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world. When we Dominicans preach we preach the Good News of Jesus Christ which is pure blessing to all who hear it. Our preaching of the Word of God brings the Lord into the world in this way we share in Mary’s mission as Mother of the Word of God. Our preaching must be always of the Lamb of God, who loved us and gave himself for us. And finally St. John stands preaching with the Book of the Gospels in his hand. He is dressed as a bishop reminding us that when St. Dominic founded the Order it was to help the bishops in the preaching of the truth of the Gospel.

The apparition of Knock is silent and from the silence it speaks to us. St. Dominic was a quiet man of prayer and study but when he came face to face with people preaching a false gospel, he could no longer remain silent. One of the earliest stories we have of him is staying up all night with an inn-keeper explaining to him the truth of the Gospel and finally winning the man back to the catholic faith. Dominic the quiet man stayed up all night talking, giving the inn-keeper his time and his silence for the salvation of his soul.  St. Dominic’s preaching comes out of love, love of God and love of his neighbour, praise and blessing. Dominic didn’t want to win an argument he wanted to win a soul.

As we Dominicans come to Knock this special year of our Jubilee 800 we remember also St. Dominic’s great love of Our Blessed Lady.  All his life he showed a great devotion and trust in Mary, in times of trouble he turned to her, when the brethren or nuns were in need he confided in her maternal aid and protection. St. Dominic preacher of the Most Holy Rosary knew that by keeping Mary to the fore-front of his preaching the mission of his Order would succeed and flourish.

On this Jubilee 800 pilgrimage to Knock we come inspired by Our Holy Father St. Dominic to remain faithful to our motto, to praised, to bless and to preach and there is no more sure way of remaining faithful than by placing Mary at the centre of our lives and our preaching.

Fr. John Harris, O.P.