St Thomas Aquinas
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- Category: Dominican
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- Written by Matthew Martinez OP
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St Thomas Aquinas OP
Feast Day: 28 January
Saint Thomas Aquinas is one of the greatest saints of the Dominican Order, whose works have left an indelible mark on Catholic Theology to this day. Saint Thomas was born toward the end of the year 1226 between Naples and Rome, close to the little town of Aquino, of which his father was Count. Going against the wishes of his parents, who had high hopes that he would join the Benedictine Order and live a very comfortable life, Thomas decided to join the Order of Preachers in 1224. The Dominican Order was at this time relatively young and the Order's involvement with the great European universities allowed Thomas to avail himself of the intellectual renaissance taking place in Europe at the time. Having studied under another hugely influential Dominican saint, Albert the Great, Thomas was given the opportunity to think deeply about the world in which he lived and especially about the religious issues of the time. He arrived on the scene at a time when the great works of Aristotle were being re-discovered in Europe and there was much debate over the place of the Aristotelian corpus within the framework of Christian thought. In critically assessing the works of Aristotle available to him, Thomas showed how the insights which Aristotle exposed could be used within a Christian context.
St Margaret of Hungary
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- Category: Dominican
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- Written by David McGovern OP
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St Margaret of Hungary OP
Feast Day: 18 January
Today we celebrate the Feast of St Margaret of Hungary. A saint I must confess I knew very little of before I entered the Order. However 
she has much to say to us and we can learn a lot from her.
Our Preaching Story
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- Category: Dominican
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- Written by Luuk Jansen OP
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This excellent paper was presented by one of the Dominican Contemplative Nuns from the Siena Convent in Drogheda, Ireland.
The occasion was the Domincain Family day, a yealy event where the different branches of the Dominican Order (Friars, Nuns, Sisters and Lay Dominicans) come together. This paper is called "Our Preaching Story", and is a reflection on the role of the contemplative sisters in the life of the Order of Preachers. The focus of the paper is on private prayer.
Saint Raymond of Penafort OP
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- Category: Dominican
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- Written by Damian Polly OP
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Feast Day: 7th October
Born at Penafort castle, near Barcelona in Spain, in 1175, Raymond was the gifted son of the count of Penafort. Due to his status and wealth, he was well educated and at the age of 20, was already a professor of philosophy at Barcelona university. He left Spain in 1210 to attend the university in Bologna, Italy, and complete his studies in canon law. By the age of 41 he had earned doctorates in both canon and civil law. He taught canon law in Bologna university for three years. It was here that he first met the Dominicans. He was attracted to the Order by the preaching of Blessed Reginald of Bologna and received the habit in 1222 in the Dominican Convent of Barcelona at the age of 47. Raymond had a strong devotion to Our Blessed Mother, and it was this devotion that led him to forgo worldly fame and become a Dominican.
Father Paul Murray on the Dominican Priesthood
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- Category: Dominican
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- Written by Luuk Jansen OP
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The Irish Province of the Dominicans celebrated a day on the Dominican Priesthood to mark the close the year of the priests.
On the occasion Bishop Anthony Fisher OP and Father Paul Murray OP presented a paper on "the Priesthood in the Dominican Order".
For the recording of the talk of Bishop Fisher OP, please click here.