Pope Leo XIV encouraged the provincial priors of the Order of Preachers (Dominicans) to “listen carefully to the Holy Spirit, who continues to guide the Church in the fullness of the truth.”
This was expressed in a carta Aimed at Fr. Gerard Francisco Timoner III, OP, teacher of the Order of Preachers (Dominicans), on the occasion of the General Provincial Priores Chapter that takes place in Krakow (Poland), from July 17 to August 8.
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“The most important assembly” of the Dominicans
This meeting, held at the Convent of the Blessed Trinity, highlights the Dominicans on your website It is “the most important assembly of the Order of Preachers.”
“The deliberations will be very intense” these days, the Dominicans stand out. “The brothers will work in plenary commissions and sessions, considering hundreds of proposals sent from all over the world, of individual brothers, convents and provinces. Each of these voices expresses the desire to build unity, fidelity to the charism of Santo Domingo and an even deeper listening to what the spirit says today to the Church.”
In addition, they pointed out, in the meetings that will be held within the framework of the General Chapter “they will collide different perspectives – cultural, linguistic and spiritual – of brothers of Africa, both Americas, Asia, Australia and Europe.”
“Therefore, prayer is even more necessary to open the hearts of the capitular to the Holy Spirit and help them discover the will of God for the order in these times. We want every decision, every word and every record in the minutes of the chapter born of prayer, of the listening of the Word and a deep concern for the Church and the world,” they add.
“An opportunity for renewal”
In his letter, the Pope said that “when gathering during this jubilee year, I trust that these days of grace are an opportunity for renewal, rooted in the hope that never disappoints and in the knowledge that the Lord has called you as preachers to proclaim the good news in the midst of today’s unique challenges.”
“The theme that you have chosen, namely, more specifically address your various forms of preaching to ‘four audiences’ – those who still do not know Jesus, the faithful Christians, those who have moved away from the Church and the young people who are in these situations – is particularly timely,” he added.
“I pray that your deliberations allow you to listen carefully to the Holy Spirit, who continues to guide the Church in the fullness of the truth,” the Pope continued.
Leo XIV also expressed to the Dominicans his desire for “that this time together strengthens your commitment to serve the body of Christ in the evangelical way of life chosen by Santo Domingo. That your shared experience of fraternity and prayer strengthens the ties of communion that unite you as Dominicans and inspires you to live more and more fully your vocation of contemplative preachers”.
“In this way, faithful to the charism and the spirituality of your founder, you will undoubtedly carry out your mission in the heart of the Church,” he said.
The Holy Father concluded his letter entrusting the General Chapter to the Virgen del Rosario, who, who, who, who, who According to traditionhe appeared to Santo Domingo de Guzmán – a founder of the Order of Preachers -, the Holy Rosary gave him, he taught him to pray and encouraged him to promote this Marian prayer.
The “indispensable foundation” of the Dominicans
In March this year, in his Relation – Report on the current situation of the Order of Preachers, with a view to this General Chapter, “Fr. Gerard Francisco Timoner III stressed that” the evangelical way of life chosen by Domingo is an indispensable foundation, not a complement to our apostolic mission. “
The report shows a tendency to decrease the Dominican Professor Brothers, currently adding 5,145. A graph shows that after a significant increase between the 1920s and 1960s, when almost 10,000 professors were reached around the world, a constant decrease in subsequent years has been observed.
El P. Gerard Francisco Timoner III Destacó en on Relation that “Dominican life has several constituent elements or aspects: religious consecration, common fraternal life, intellectual life, apostolic life, etc.”, he said, warning his strangeness that “sometimes we feel the need to ‘balance’ or ‘harmonize’ life and mission, as if there could be a ‘Dominican mission’ that was not rooted and fed by the ‘Dominican life’ integral ”.
They ask spiritually accompanying the general chapter
The Dominicans They have made an invitation To the faithful from all over the world to “spiritually accompany the chapter”, praying “for the brothers who participate in the chapter, so that they are instruments of peace and the light of God.”
They also encourage to offer for this intention “an fast or the difficulty of daily tasks”, and to ask for “the light of the Holy Spirit for all who will discern and make decisions.”
“That the common prayer makes the fruits of the chapter a blessing for the entire order and the Church,” the Dominicans express.
David Ramos
Graduate in Communication Sciences by the Private University of the North in Trujillo, Peru. With more than 12 years of experience in Catholic journalism working in ACI Press, I am based in Mexico since 2018. I have covered the trips of Pope Francis to Ecuador, Paraguay, Mexico, Colombia, Chile, Peru and Panama.