Lay Dominicans

Discernment

Who we are as Lay Dominicans

Many people from different walks of life have come to us seeking a home within the church by means of serving as Lay Dominicans.  Some look to deepen their spirituality and faith or to fully participate in contemplation and apostolic works.  To help with your discernment process this brief reflection on who we are is offered in this page.  It is hoped, with these considerations, that we dispel misconceptions about who we are.  Choosing to embark upon the path of Discipleship as a Lay Dominican is no easy task and certainly not one to be undertaken lightly.  And while there are many things we cannot predict, there are a few affirmations we can make. This path of discernment will affect you in profound ways not yet realized:

  • Challenge your faith
  • Challenge your ego and mindset
  • Challenge your expectations
  • Invite you to a deeper relationship with God and Others
  • Invite you to personal transformation WITHIN the world
  • Participate in the process of transformation
  • Love what Christ loves: humanity and creation

The path of discipleship is a journey of the heart, and the adventure of a lifetime.  It will never look the way you think it should.  But with community, companionship, and Mary’s unfailing help, you will always be where you are supposed to be, even if it’s not where you thought you would end up.

To help you discern if the charism of the Lay Dominicans is a fit for you, you may want to consider the following points:

  • We are members of the largest branch of the Order of Preachers with over 200,000 lay members globally.
  • We are distinguished from living a “Religious” life.  “Religious” refers to those living a consecrated life (vowed) based in canonical law and is distinguished from other consecrated life by its liturgical character, public profession of the evangelical counsels, fraternal life in community (living in convents, monasteries, and priories) and witness given to the union of Christ to the Church.  In distinction with “Secular” as is the Lay Dominicans and other entities, it refers to a consecrated life (promised) in which the Christian faithful living in the world strive for the perfection of charity and work for the sanctification of the world and the salvation of souls.
  • We are an equal and commensurate branch of the Dominican Family sharing in the same vocation.  Through the organizational tree of the entire Order, the different branches are connected with each other, just like a family, with Master of the Order at the top. Thus each branch adopts and adapts the Rules and Guide, to best suit it’s unique character and create an autonomous governing structure in alignment with the aims, and charism of the Dominicans. The Master of the Order, in turn, answers directly to the Pope, but also oversees the Mission and governance of the Order with autonomy.
  • We are Lay Catholics called to an active apostolic charism within the Dominican Family, as members of the Denver chapter within the Province of St. Albert The Great.
  • We are Lay Catholics called to make God intelligible to the world, and the world intelligible to God (Congress on Mission 2017).
  • Lay members of the Dominican Family sent into the world to strengthen the links with those sectors of humanity most at risk of breaking (Congress on Mission 2017).
  • We are called to seek and not to abandon humanity in the world.
  • We are called to companionship with all of God’s children without judgement or the imposition of ideology (Congress on Mission).
  • We are called to love with Christ’s love, as a patent witness to faith.
  • We are inclusive and we live an active apostolate within the world.
  • We are called to prayer, both communally and personally.
  • We are called to apostolic works with prayer as the foundation of our works.
  • We are called to listen to and learn from others and the natural world.
  • We are called to protect and care for the Earth (“Laudato Si”, Pope Francis).
  • We are called to stand up for social justice and to labor for peace (Salamanca Process 2016).

 

Non-Discrimination Clause

Gender, race, sexual orientation, civil status or national origin, does not preclude qualification for membership.

There is, therefore, in Christ and in the Church no inequality on the basis of race or nationality, social condition or sex, because ‘there is neither Jew nor Greek: there is neither bond nor free: there is neither male nor female. For you are all “one” in Christ Jesus'”.

Lumen Gentium, Chapter 4, Section 32, Reference 193.