July 31st, 2022
eighteenth Sunday in ordinary time
by Fr. Clement Dickie, O.P.
Dear Brothers and Sisters,
Our fearless leader, Fr. Boniface, returns today, but alas the bulletin letter has to be written midweek.
Fr. Bartholomew departs today leaving Br. Brendan as the last summer friar standing. Even though our summer guests are leaving, August does not represent a return to normal. We will still have a number of friars from around the province stopping by for short visits.
While Fr. Boniface was away, our chapel project advanced another step. The space is now officially asbestos-free, so it is cleared for the remaining construction. Things have not been moving as fast as we had hoped, but there is light at the end of the tunnel. In the fall, we’ll start signing up adorers. Hopefully, there will be participation from throughout the island of Manhattan.
The beginning of August is full of celebrations for the Dominican Order and the Church as a whole. On Tuesday, we mark the feast of St. Dominic’s mother, Blessed Jane of Asa. Blessed Jane consecrated her son to the Lord while he was in the womb. Dominic’s name reflects the consecration because it means “belonging to the Lord” and because Bl. Jane made this dedication at an abbey dedicated to St. Dominic of Silos.
On Saturday, we celebrate the Transfiguration of the Lord, an important feast day because of its role in the revelation of Christ’s divinity. It is also the day that St. Dominic died in 1221. Because of the importance of that feast day, the celebration for St. Dominic’s own feast day has always been on another day. Currently, we celebrate him August 8th.
This fortnight of celebrations concludes with the Assumption of Mary on August 15th. In normal years, this is a holy day of obligation, but the U.S. bishops give us a break when it falls on Monday. Because the Dominican Order has a special dedication to Mary, August 15th is the traditional day for friars to make the first profession of vows. All of the friars at St. Joseph made first vows in Cincinnati, Ohio on August 15th from 7 (Fr. Isaiah and Br. Martin) to 14 (Br. Paul) years ago.
In Christ,
Fr. Clement Dickie, O.P.
Parochial Vicar—
