Dominican Spirituality
“Many Dominicans would say that Dominican spirituality is hard to define, because we are always seeking new ways to express God's touch in our lives.” Dominican Life, USA
Also known as the Order of Preachers, the Dominican Order was founded by St. Dominic de Guzman in the 13th century in France. As with all religious communities, many things have changed over the span of its 800 years, but its core principles and goals remain true to Dominic’s vision.
Dominicans seek to bring gospel-revealed Truth and their passion for God to others. They do this in a variety of ways that perhaps are best understood through the four pillars. The four pillars give us insight into Dominican spirituality and its flexibility in response to God and the challenges of the day:
- Study: -- “Seeking truth within an unfolding and living tradition flourishes when minds and hearts are free to dialogue, willing to risk certainty and give questions a full explanation.” (Ruth Poochigian, ed., Meeting the Charism Again /For the First Time, Dominican Values, “Building Community”)
- Prayer: -- “Stirred by the Wisdom of God and rooted in our contemplative prayer, communal study and life in community, we challenge heresies of local and global domination, exploitation, and greed, that privilege some, dehumanize others, and ravage Earth.” (Adrian Dominican Vision Statement, General Chapter, 2004)
- Community: “Our human pilgrimage to wholeness is not a solitary adventure, but an invitation to communion. It awakens us to our solidarity with all human companions on the pilgrimage to wholeness.” (Paul Philibert, OP, quoted in Meeting the Charism Again /For the First Time, Dominican Values, “Building Community”)
- Preaching / Ministry: --“The preached word does not merely communicate an abstract truth but can refashion lives and society.” (The International Website of the Dominican Family)
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