laudare, benedicere, praedicare TO PRAISE, TO BLESS, TO PREACH
May 2020
Our Lady, Queen of Preachers, Pray for Us INSIDE THIS ISSUE: Reflection on Saint Dominic, Preacher of Grace Recommended Reading: Jesus and the Jewish Roots of Mary: Unveiling the Mother of the Messiah by Brant Pitre Pope Francis' Recomendation to Pray the Rosary
Mary, Patroness of the Dominican Order Saint Spotlight: Blessed Emily Bicchieri Online Retreat for the Mothers of Our Sisters Teaching about Our Lady in May Allegory of the Virgin Patroness of the Dominicans by Miguel Cabrera. d.1768.
To Teach and Heal by Preaching the Truth of the Gospel Reflection on Our Lady, Queen of Preachers and St. Dominic, Preacher of Grace
What is the difference between teaching and preaching? To preach is to proclaim God’s Word with the aim of opening people’s minds and hearts to the healing grace of saving truth; to draw them closer to God and move them to change their lives. In an age when the Catholic faith was perishing in people’s hearts for lack of preaching, St. Dominic heeded God’s call to found an Order of Preachers to teach and to heal by preaching the truth of the Gospel. He placed his spiritual sons and daughters under the patronage of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Queen of Preachers. Our Lady’s contemplation of the Word of God was so fruitful that she was wholly receptive to God’s grace and to all that He wanted to do in and through her. Thus by the power of the Holy Spirit she conceived Him in her womb. She carried Him to the home of her cousin Elizabeth, and humbly proclaimed God’s power at work in the world. She thus models for us the Dominican ideal of contemplare et contemplata alliis tradere, to contemplate and to share the fruits of our contemplation through graced preaching. (continued on the next page)
Reflection on Our Lady, Queen of Preachers and St. Dominic, Preacher of Grace continued
As the word was made flesh in the womb of Mary by the overshadowing of the Holy Spirit, the words of St. Peter were anointed by that same Spirit at Pentecost. By the graces of our baptismal consecration and the gifts of the Holy Spirit, we, too, can speak words of healing to a world in desperate need of hope and healing.
Our Lady, Queen of Preachers, and St. Dominic, Preacher of Grace, pray for us.
During this month of May dedicated to Mary, we can contemplate many beautiful mysteries in the life of her son, including her Visitation to Elizabeth and the descent of the Holy Spirit upon her and the apostles at Pentecost. This year, these two feasts coincide on the last day of the month. Fittingly, the Church's celebration of the Descent of the Holy Spirit will "overshadow" the liturgical celebration of the Visitation this year. This Pentecost, may the Holy Spirit overshadow each of us with the grace of fruitful contemplation and enflame in us a desire to preach the very One we have contemplated!
Photo Credit: Detail of The Fifteen Mysteries and the Virgin of the Rosary by a Netherlandish Painter (possibly Goswijn van der Weyden), ca. 1515–20.
Fostering a Devotion to Our Lady Teaching about Mary During the Month of May As many of our sisters wrap up the school year teaching online, they are also finding creative ways to help their students and their families foster a greater devotion to Our Lady. One of our schools in Nashville, Overbrook School, mailed small statues of Our Lady to the second and eight grade students who would normally participate in the school's annual May Crowning. The students then submitted photos that were placed in a May Crowning video which was sent to the entire school. Another sister mailed a rosary and holy card to each of the students she works with in campus ministry so that they could pray the rosary together online during one of their meetings. Alternatively, Saint Cecilia Academy provided resources for their students to have a retreat day during their online May Crowning celebrations. This included talks by Father Gregory Pine, O.P. and Claire Swinarski about Our Lady, which you can access by clicking HERE. Aware of Our Lady’s special love for the Order of Preachers, we entrust to her motherly protection all those we serve in the apostolate during this month of May. Left: Chloe and John Crosslin, students at Overbrook School, enjoy a special moment together as their family celebrates the school's online May Crowning with small statues of Our Lady of Fatima which were mailed to them for the occasion.
Above: Sister Margaret Mary, religion teacher at Saint Cecilia Academy, prepares a lesson for an optional opportunity for her students to participate in a 33-Day Total Consecration to Mary which will conclude on the Feast of the Visitation.
Right: Sister Grace Mary, second grade religion teacher of John (above) and Mmesoma (right) prepares an online lessons for her students.
Left: Mmesoma Umeukeje, second grader at Overbrook School, prays with the small statue of Our Lady of Fatima which was mailed to her as a commemoration of the school's May Crowning.
"REDISCOVER THE BEAUTY OF PRAYING THE ROSARY AT HOME IN THE MONTH OF MAY" His Holiness Pope Francis encouraged the faithful with these words in a letter written in late April. "It is traditional in this month to pray the Rosary at home within the family. The restrictions of the pandemic have made us come to appreciate all the more this 'family' aspect, also from a spiritual point of view." He also provided two additional prayers to Our Lady which could be recited at the end of the Rosary. He concluded by stating that "contemplating the face of Christ with the heart of Mary our Mother will make us even more united as a spiritual family and will help us overcome this time of trial."
Prayer to Our Lady by Pope Francis O Mary, You shine continuously on our journey as a sign of salvation and hope. We entrust ourselves to you, Health of the Sick, who, at the foot of the cross, were united with Jesus’ suffering, and persevered in your faith. “Protectress of the Roman people,” you know our needs, and we know that you will provide, so that, as at Cana in Galilee, joy and celebration may return after this time of trial. Help us, Mother of Divine Love, to conform ourselves to the will of the Father and to do what Jesus tells us. For he took upon himself our suffering, and burdened himself with our sorrows to bring us, through the cross, to the joy of the Resurrection. Amen. We fly to your protection, O Holy Mother of God; Do not despise our petitions in our necessities, but deliver us always from every danger, O Glorious and Blessed Virgin. To pray the other prayer which Pope Francis wrote, please click HERE.
Feast of Our Lady, Patroness of the Dominican Order
From its foundation the Order has not hesitated to acknowledge the Patronage of the Blessed Virgin, to continuously experience it and to commend it to the hearts of the brothers and sisters, so that encouraged by this maternal help they might adhere more closely to their Mediator and Redeemer as they labor to carry out their mission of salvation in the world (See Lumen Gentium, 62). This feast day is celebrated on May 8 during the month which is especially dedicated to the Blessed Virgin Mary. -Adapted from the Supplement to the Liturgy of the Hours by the Order of Preachers
Prayer of Dedication of the Order of Preachers to the Blessed Virgin Mary Virgin Mother Mary, with trust we approach you. We, your preachers, fly to you who believed in the words sent from heaven and pondered them in your heart. We stand close around you, who are always present to the gathering of apostles. In you the Word was made flesh, that same Word which we receive, contemplate, praise together and preach. Therefore, under your guidance we today devote ourselves anew to the ministry of the Word. Furthermore, we declare to you that, hearing with you the Word within ourselves and anointed by the Spirit whose sacred vessel you pre-eminently are, we are consecrated in the name of Jesus Christ to the evangelization of the world. With the eyes of your heart enlightened, you understood the mystery of the Word. Through you we, too, are able to perceive the presence of that same Word in the history of our time, so that we may finally contemplate him face to face. Through you the Father sent his Son into the world that he might save it. Through you we will be powerful in the sight of your people, becoming witnesses of that truth which frees and of that love which unites. To this place we have brought our needs and here we ponder them. Do you, Mother, give us strength and preserve the harmony of our family, so that what was begun by our profession may be brought to completion by our love for one another, for the salvation of the world and to the praise and glory of God. - Prayed before Compline on this feast day
Online Retreat for Our Moms Every other year, our community offers retreats for the mothers and fathers of our sisters. As we were not able to have the retreats in person this year, we decided to have an online retreat for our mothers from April 24-26. We will also have one for our fathers during the month of May. Over 100 moms were able to join us from across the United States, Canada and Australia. We live-streamed talks on a Dominican Saint as well as additional songs sung by our sisters twice a day to accommodate various time zones and responsibilities. These were followed by a time of small group discussion led by one of the sisters. The mothers could join us for Vespers and Rosary each day as well. The retreat was abundantly blessed and a great gift for both the mothers and the sisters who participated.
Above: Mother Anna Grace speaks to our mothers about Saint Dominic's compassion and zeal. Right: Sister John Thomas gives a talk about Saint Thomas Aquinas and prayer.
Sister Delia Grace (above) and Sister Anne Elise (left) participate in a small discussion group with our mothers.
Saint Spotlight Blessed Emily Bicchieri | Feast Day: May 4 Born in Vercelli, Italy in the early thirteenth century to devout and noble parents, Blessed Emily Bicchieri was the fourth of seven daughters. Losing her mother at an early age, she entrusted herself to the Mother of God and entreated her to protect her always. At the age of sixteen, she greatly desired to become a Dominican sister, but at the time, the Order of Preachers consisted only of male preaching friars and cloistered nuns. With the support of the Dominican friars who served in Vercelli, Blessed Emily’s father had a convent built for her outside their town, and other young women of noble birth joined her. They were clothed in the habit of the Order and a Dominican nun taught them the traditions of the Order. The convent was placed under the special patronage of Saint Margaret and is believed to be the first convent for the Third Order of Dominican Sisters. How life in this convent differed from the Dominican nun’s life is not completely known; however, we do know that the sisters occupied themselves with charitable works in addition to having an intense life of prayer and penance. Four years after the founding of the convent, Blessed Emily was elected prioress and served the community for many years with prudence and charity. She taught the sisters many things, but she is probably best known for encouraging the sisters to have pure intentions in all their actions which she modeled herself by willingly doing the humblest of tasks. She also had an ardent love for Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament. One day she was detained from attending Mass while caring for a sick sister. As soon as she finished, she went into the church and spoke to God with loving ardor about the sadness she felt at not being able to receive Holy Communion. Immediately, an angel appeared and brought her Holy Communion. She departed this life on her seventy-sixth birthday, May 3, 1314, to live forever with her Spouse whom she served with a pure heart her entire life. Blessed Emily died with the names of "Jesus, Mary, and Dominic" on her lips. Information accessed from: Sister Mary Jean Dorcy’s book St. Dominic's Family: Over 300 Famous Dominicans and the Very Rev. Father John Procter O.P.’s book Short Lives of the Dominican Saints.
Recommended Reading
Jesus and the Jewish Roots of Mary Unveiling the Mother of the Messiah
By Brant Pitre The bestselling author of Jesus and the Jewish Roots of the Eucharist casts a new light on the Virgin Mary, illuminating her role in the Old and New Testaments in this book. In Jesus and the Jewish Roots of Mary, Dr. Pitre takes readers step-by-step from the Garden of Eden to the Book of Revelation to reveal the biblical roots of Catholic beliefs about Mary. Dr. Pitre uses the Old Testament and Ancient Judaism to unlock how the Bible itself teaches that Mary is in fact the new Eve, the Mother of God, the Queen of Heaven and Earth, and the new Ark of the Covenant. -Adapted from the inside jacket of the book
"When you behold Mary as the new Eve, it does not take anything away from Jesus. Instead, it helps you to see more clearly that he is the new Adam... when you begin to behold Mary and take to be your own mother, you will discover something amazing and precious. You will discover that she is already there, waiting for you." Click HERE or on the image of the book to purchase this book.
- From pages 191-192