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One year ago, eight men received the habit of St. Dominic and entered the Novitiate for the Province of St. Joseph in the Priory of St. Gertrude in Cincinnati, OH. Those same eight men are now preparing to take their first vows as religious, promising obedience to the Master of the Order according to the Constitutions of the Order of Friars Preachers. The men will make their simple profession of vows at the Parish Church of St. Gertrude on the Solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, August 15, 2007 at 11:30am. The men making vows are: Fr. Guy Albert Trudel, Br. Andrew Jordan Joseph Schmidt, Br. Matthew Augustine Marie Reisenauer, Br. Kevin Michael Dominic O’Connor, Br. Edward Bernard Marie Timothy, Br. Joseph Peter Totleben, Br. Matthew Carroll, and Br. Christopher Justin Marie Brophy. After making profession, they will come to the Priory of the Immaculate Conception (Dominican House of Studies) to continue their formation in the Order of Preachers and begin their studies for the priesthood.
Please pray for them as they prepare to make their first vows as Dominican friars.
On Mondays and Thursdays in the month of July, Br. Anthony Giambrone, OP, is offering a series of lectures at St. Dominic’s Summer School of Theology at St. Dominic’s Parish in Youngstown, OH. On Mondays he will speak about first century history as a background for understanding the Gospels; and on Thursdays he will comment on the Gospel of Matthew. Br. Anthony is currently working on his License in Sacred Scripture at Catholic University. St. Dominic’s is located at 77 E Lucius Ave., Youngstown, OH 44507. The parish office can be reached at (330) 783-1900.
“You are ransomed . . . not with perishable things like silver or gold but with the precious blood of Christ” (1 Peter 1:8-9)
Traditionally, the month of July is dedicated to the Precious Blood of Jesus. In the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, Jesus offers himself for the life of the world, so that we may all enjoy a share in the divine life, here, and unto eternity. Sharing in the life of Jesus means that we also share in his mission. In the Holy Eucharist, Jesus feeds us so that we can share his mission. We are called to offer ourselves for the life of the world in union with Him.
St. Catherine’s, New York: God in his providential love has located the parish of St. Catherine’s in proximiy to many hospitals on New York’s Upper East Side. Members of the parish practice daily the corporal work of mercy: care for the sick. We do this in diverse ways: prayer, fidelity to vocation as health care professionsls and support staff, health care ethics, hospital chaplaincy, attentiveness to study as medical students, visits, and bringing of Holy Eucharist to the sick. In this month of the Precious Blood, the parish of St. Catherine’s is highlighting Blood Donation as a way for to share in the mission of Christ, of self-giving for the lives of others. The parish is asking the people in the area to call the New York Blood Center (1-800-933-BLOOD) to schedule a time for donation. Liturgically, St. Catherine’s will celebrate in a special way with votive masses in honor of the Precious Blood of Jesus at the Noon Mass on all the Mondays of July. St. Catherine’s is located at 411 East 68th Street (on 68th Street between 1st Ave. & York) in New York City.
St. Dominic’s, Youngstown, OH: On Wednesdays in the month of July, the student brothers at St. Dominic’s Parish in Youngstown will be preaching in honor of the Precious Blood during Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament. The student brothers in Youngstown, OH this summer are: Brs. Anthony Giambrone, OP, Dominic Bump, OP, and Jerome Zeiler, OP. St. Dominic Church is located at 77 E Lucius Ave., Youngstown, OH 44507.
“The infinite love of the Savior is announced in His Name, is symbolized in His heart, and is made eloquent in His Blood.” –Bl. Pope John XXIII.
Brs. Francis de Sales Johnston, OP, and Ignatius Schweitzer, OP, will be co-hosting a summer lecture series at our parish of St. Patrick in downtown Columbus, OH. The series will be on Thursday nights from June 7 to July 26 at 7:00pm in the parish hall. The title of the Series is “Exploring Catholicism: Rediscovering the Splendor of a Catholic Life” and will include topics on faith & reason, biblical interpretation, and the uniqueness of Christ.
St. Patrick church is located at 280 N. Grant Street, Columbus, OH 43215.
They can be found on the Web at http://home.catholicweb.com/stpatrickcolumbus/index.cfm
Follow the March for life (18 mins. 32 sec.) with the Dominican Friars, it was shot on the ground at the March from inside the moving crowd. It includes the personal testimony of many Dominican Friars, Sisters, CFR’s, Renewal Sisters, pastors, campus ministers, college students, and youth.
For example, hear from Br. Dominic Legge, OP about how the
March affects people who work inside the Supreme Court.
I was born and raised in Totowa, New Jersey. I am 21 years old and the oldest of five children. My undergraduate degree was completed at the University of Notre Dame, my favorite place in the world. I majored in Philosophy and double-minored in Medieval Studies and Philosophy within Catholic Tradition.
I was raised Catholic and was inspired by priests in both New Jersey and Notre Dame to consider discerning a vocation to the priesthood. The call of the Dominicans to preach the Gospel for the salvation of souls was a great attraction for me because of my love of oratory and Truth. The reputation of the Friars Preachers as the “thinkers of the Church” was also very appealing. One other attraction to the Order was her saints. I am especially in admiration of St. Thomas Aquinas, the great Doctor of the Church. I also have special devotions to Pope St. Pius V and St. Catherine of Siena. Right now, I think that I would like to be involved in a parish ministry, but I am excited about all of the ministries that are taken up by Dominicans in the Province of St. Joseph. I enjoy reading, swimming, softball and raquetball. I also enjoy watching sports, especially Notre Dame football. Go Irish!
I have lived my whole life in Manassas, VA along with my parents and my younger brother Chris. I just graduated from the College of William and Mary in Williamsburg, VA, with a BA in Music (and a minor in Computer Science). Being a cradle Catholic, I have thought about becoming a priest off and on since the second grade. During the past two years, with the help and guidance of Fr. Becket Soule, O.P., I began to see that God was calling me not only to the priesthood but specifically to the Dominican priesthood. I hope, God willing, to put my skills to use either as a parish priest, teacher, or campus minister. Although I have focused on playing the trombone and conducting, for my next musical undertaking I hope to work up my feeble piano skills.
I grew up in Erie, PA with my younger brother and sister. After graduating high school in 2000, I attended Penn State University, where I received bachelor’s degrees in math and computer science. After graduating in May 2004, I moved to Farifax, and then Alexandria, VA, where I worked as a software developer for Lockheed Martin. During this time, I also completed coursework towards a master’s degree in math at George Mason University. I was raised a Catholic and attended 12 years of Catholic school, so the idea of a vocation emerged over time. My inspirations were several priests that I had known during high school and college. I was attracted to the Dominicans by the order’s balance of prayer and intellectual work with an orientation towards preaching. As I learned more about the order and met Dominicans, it seemed that their way of life matched the way that I approached the Faith. As a Dominican, I think that I would like to teach or do campus ministry, but I suppose that things could change along the way. Among Dominicans, I particularly admire St. Dominic and St. Thomas, as well as Bl. Pier Giorgio Frassati. My hobbies include reading, playing the piano and saxophone, and doing a little math on the side.
I was born and raised in Jakarta, Indonesia. I’m 24 and the younger of two brothers in my family. I came to the United States in 2000 to pursue my undergraduate and graduate studies in University at Buffalo, NY. My undergraduate major was in Business Administration and my Graduate major was in Geography. Although I was born a Catholic, I never thought about the Priesthood or Religious Life when I was growing up. That was until the last year of my graduate studies, where following a re-conversion moment I started to have a feeling for a vocation to the Priesthood and religious life. I did not know many priests that I could talk to back then, so I resorted to doing my own research and readings in my spare time. I would have to say that reading the lives of the Saints and other spiritual readings definitely inspired me to think more about the religious life. Daily Masses and Rosaries are also a central part of my discernment. During my endless readings of the Saints and their works I found St. Catherine of Siena. Her life and writings are very much startling, especially for someone who is new to the spiritual life like me. Seeing St. Catherine’s love for the Dominican friars is what first made me to take a look at the Order. My first exposure to the Dominicans was in the Monastery of Our Lady of the Rosary in Buffalo, NY. After speaking with the chaplain there and listening to the nuns pray Vespers, I was determined to look into the Dominican Order a bit more and I guess the rest is history. The “semi” monastic life, devotion to Our Lady, liturgy, prayer life, studies, and preaching are all intertwined in my attraction toward the Order; although I have to say that my devotions to the Blessed Mother and St. Catherine are the two major factors that got me here. During my discernment I thought about waiting for a couple of years while I gain working experience, but I decided that the wait is not worth the risk, thus I am entering straight from college. I do not have any preference on what kind of ministries that I will be doing. I stopped planning for my future about year ago when I realized that God always had different plans for me. As I start my vocation as a religious, personal holiness and openness to His will are the two things that I will focus my effort on. Although on the side, I very much like to do outdoor sports (hiking, canoeing, fishing, etc) and play soccer (or football as the rest of the world calls it).
I grew up in a small town called Peru, IL, and most recently have been living in Peoria, IL. I am 24, and the oldest of three boys. I was raised Catholic and started thinking about being a priest when I was a young boy. I grew up in a Benedictine parish and attended the high school that the order ran, after which I decided to enter a college seminary, studying for the Benedictines. I did my undergraduate work at St. Mary’s University in Winona, MN, while living at Immaculate Heart of Mary Seminary. My degree was in Music Performance and Philosophy. After graduating, I entered the monastery, but came to realize that this was not the life I was made for. I worked for three years as an organist and music director at a few parishes and a Newman Center. I also taught music in a grade school for two of those years. During this time, I began to learn about the Dominican way of life and was very attracted to the combination of the contemplative and active lives, as well as to the charism of preaching and teaching Veritas. As I learned more about the order, I was very drawn to the lives of St. Thomas Aquinas, St. Dominic, St. Catherine of Siena and Bl. Fra Angelico. I found in their lives a compelling model of holiness that I felt called to imitate and follow after. As a future friar of the Order of Preachers, I hope to someday serve God’s people through parish ministry, preaching, teaching and perhaps missionary work as well. The greatest single inspiration for my life is the Servant of God Pope John Paul II. It has been the example of his life and the spiritual fatherhood that he offered to the youth of the world that has captured my heart and has continually inspired me to “be not afraid” and to “put out into the deep.” I am very interested in music, particularly sacred music. I enjoy traveling and foreign languages. I also like to read and spend time with family and friends.
My hometown is Wenatchee, Washington, an agricultural community at the foot of the Cascade Mountains and on the banks of the Columbia River. I am the second of three brothers and raised Catholic. I spent six years at the University of Notre Dame for both undergraduate and graduate work, studying pre-medicine and theology towards a Bachelor of Science degree and recently completing the Masters of Theological Studies program this spring. For a year interlude between undergraduate and graduate studies I was employed as a mental health counselor. The people through whose lives God inspired my vocation are those who are deeply in love with Jesus Christ: faithful priests both in the parish and in the dorms on campus, friends pursuing their own priestly and religious vocations, professors of theology and philosophy, religious and lay missionaries. What attracts me most to the Order of Preachers is the Dominican commitment to the pursuit of truth through prayer and study undertaken for the salvation of souls and the benefit of the Church. I appreciate its tradition of handing on to others in a moving and loving way the fruitful truths about God and about the human person grasped in the contemplative life. Thomas Aquinas remains close to my heart as a model and teacher of this kind of preaching. The communal life of prayer fostered at the school of the Blessed Virgin Mary and devotion to the rosary are elements of Dominican spirituality that Louis de Montfort has instructed and formed me in. I would love to teach theology, to preach the Gospel in the missions, and to minister in the parish. I enjoy lifting and working out, hiking in God’s mountains, waterskiing and boat camping, a lively tennis match, country music, reading clever literature, and the company of family and friends.
I am 26 years old. I was born in Fargo, ND and moved to Bismarck, ND at the age of 11 where my parents still live. I am the third of four children; I have an older sister and two brothers. I attended St John’s University in Collegeville, MN from 1998 until 2002 where I graduated with BA in English and a minor in philosophy and East Asian Studies. After graduating from St John’s, I joined the Peace Corps and was sent to China. My main duties were to teach English, but I also volunteered with Habitat for Humanity International during my vacation time. We were evacuated from China in 2003 due to the SARS epidemic, at which time I returned home and became a seminarian for the Diocese of Bismarck. I attended Kenrick-Glennon Seminary in St Louis, MO for three years before discerning a vocation with the St Joseph province of the Order of Preachers. I was raised Catholic and went to the Catholic high school in Bismarck where I met two vibrant young priests, Frs. Tom Richter and Austin Vetter. At the age of 17, these two inspired me to think about the priesthood for the first time in my life. Since joining the seminary, I have also found much affirmation in my vocation from Fr James Shea. I became aware that God was calling me to something other than the diocesan priesthood during this past year, and decided to attend the discernment weekend at the House of Studies in Washington DC. It was this weekend that confirmed for me that God was calling me to join the Order of Preachers. It also showed me that I was being called specifically to the St Joseph province. I am attracted to the Order because of the ideas of itinerancy and the description of a friar’s life as being a mix of the active and contemplative life. I hope that someday I am able to live out these ideas as a Dominican friar. I am interested in teaching, as well as in parochial ministry. I have taken some inspiration from two Dominican figures: St Martin de Porres and Bl. Jordan of Saxony. The former inspires me through his humility and the latter through his leadership, especially at such an important time in the beginning of the Order. My interests include Basketball, Baseball, Rugby, Asian history and culture, and English and Russian literature.
I was born in 1964 in the small Alberta town of Drayton Valley to Rene and Ona Trudel. I am the youngest of my three siblings; I have one brother, Mark, and two sisters, Jody and Shawna. I grew up in the city of Calgary, Alberta, but moved with my father and mother to the town of Lloydminster for high school, and then I went on to the University of Saskatchewan in Saskatoon for an honours BA in English. I then attended the University of Toronto, where I received an MA in English Literature and joined the Congregation of Priests of St. Basil. I taught for a year in a Basilian high school (The Aquinas Institute) in Rochester, New York, and went to the Novitiate in Houston, Texas. I studied at St. Michael’s College Faculty of Theology and received my M.Div. degree from there in 1993. I made final profession in 1994, and then was ordained to the diaconate on Pentecost Sunday of that same year. Bishop Ricardo Ramirez ordained me to the priesthood on 11 August 1994. After a year of pastoral ministry, I did my doctoral studies in English Language and Literature at the University of Oxford from 1995-1999. I received the D.Phil. there in May 2000 for an edition of a fourteenth-century devotional treatise on the Last Things, written in English verse. I came to the Pontifical Institute of Mediaeval Studies (PIMS) in Toronto after Oxford, where I completed a post-doctoral License in Mediaeval Studies in May of 2002. After completing the LMS, I was elected as a Junior Fellow of PIMS, where I worked until I discerned my vocation to the Order of Preachers. The key influence in discerning my vocation was my study of the thought of St. Thomas Aquinas as a BA student, and my subsequent interest in St. Dominic as well: as an academic, I was particularly inspired by the way Dominicans combine academic study and contemplation with preaching and the care of souls. I hope to continue my teaching, research, and pastoral work in the Order. As for non-academic interests and hobbies, I enjoy listening to classical music, singing (for the past four years, I have led a Gregorian Chant schola), calligraphy, drama, hiking, skiing (both downhill and cross-country), skating, and squash.
On August 15 — Feast of the Assumption –five men professed simple vows as Dominican Friars of the Province of St. Joseph. One of those men was Br. Austin Litke, O.P. What follows is a brief interview with Br. Austin. What was it like in the days leading up to your profession of vows?
It was the biggest thing I’ve ever done in my entire life…
