Dominican Third Order?

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Todd (aka Captain America) asked me to post my reading list of books that I am working through on Dominican Spirituality for others to see. So, here it is in no particular order. In order to make sure that everything on the list was a good representation of what it entails, I asked Fr. Carmen Mele, OP to take a look at it and he was kind enough to do so. He did mention that because people are coming at things from multiple viewpoints that it could get confusing, particularly for beginners. However, everything on the list should be faithful to the Church and Dominican tradition. Father Carmen has been very good to me and I trust his judgement.

Enjoy!

To Heaven With Diana!: A Study of Jordan of Saxony and Diana d’Andalò with a Translation of the Letters of Jordan
Gerald Vann

New Wine of Dominican Spirituality: A Drink Called Happiness
Paul Murray

Sing a New Song: The Christian Vocation
Timothy Radcliffe

Dominican Spirituality
Anselm M. Townsend

The Aquinas Prescription: St. Thomas’s Path to a Discerning Heart, a Sane Society, and a Holy Church
Gerald Vann

Seven Last Words
Timothy Radcliffe

Dominican Saints
Novices of The Dominican House of Studies

Aquinas 101: A Basic Introduction to the Thought of Saint Thomas Aquinas
Francis Selman

Spiritual Direction in the Dominican Tradition
Benedict M. Ashley

Saint Dominic: The Grace of the Word
Guy Bedouelle

Praying with the Dominicans: To Praise, to Bless, to Preach
John Vidmar

The Life of St. Dominic
Augusta T Drane

Early Dominicans: Selected Writings
Simon Tugwell

Aquinas: A Beginner’s Guide
Edward Feser

Catherine of Siena: Spiritual Development in Her Life and Teaching
Thomas McDermott

The Hail Mary: On the Threshold of Grace
Paul Murray

Praying with Confidence: Aquinas on the Lord’s Prayer
Paul Murray

The Trinitarian Theology of St Thomas Aquinas
Gilles Emery

St. Dominic
Mary Jean Dorcy

St. Martin De Porres
Giuliana Cavallini

The Dominicans
Benedict M. Ashley

Mysticism and Prophecy: The Dominican Tradition
Richard Woods

Praying with Dominic
Michael Monshau

St. Albert the Great, Champion of Faith & Reason
Kevin Vost

The Dominican Tradition
Phyllis Zagano

Thomas Aquinas: Spiritual Master
Robert Barron
 
If you don’t know Aquinas, pick up Edward Feser’s little introduction: it’s the best I’ve seen. Fun read, even!
 
Hello everyone,

In case you are interested, I started a Facebook page for the Dominican Laity of the Southern Province in the United States. I will attach a link below and anyone who desires to do so is welcome to send me a request to join. Hope to see some of you there! 👍

Peace,

facebook.com/groups/295243653843803/
 
jwinch2 said:
Hello everyone,

In case you are interested, I started a Facebook page for the Dominican Laity of the Southern Province in the United States. I will attach a link below and anyone who desires to do so is welcome to send me a request to join. Hope to see some of you there! 👍

Peace,

facebook.com/groups/295243653843803/
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Request sent, hopefully my Canadian stylings are not too “North” for you Southerners.
 
Two new texts added to the list of readings:

The Way of the Preacher
  • Simon Tugwell, OP
St. Albert the Great, Champion of Faith & Reason
  • Dr. Kevin Vost
 
jwinch2 said:
Two new texts added to the list of readings:

The Way of the Preacher
  • Simon Tugwell, OP
St. Albert the Great, Champion of Faith & Reason
  • Dr. Kevin Vost
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Have you added St. Catherine’s Dialogues to your list yet? If you haven’t then you list is not yet complete.
 
Melchior said:
Have you added St. Catherine’s Dialogues to your list yet? If you haven’t then you list is not yet complete.
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I don’t have the whole thing as of yet. I do have an book on her writings and their application to today and spiritual development. Just as I have not started in on the complete Summa, I am going to look at some interpretations before diving into those. It is definitely on my list though.

Have you read it?
 
I’ve got my own little bookshelf building up. . . but some of these titles are expensive and hard to locate. I’ll have to jog on the librarians to see if they can access some of these.

Right now, I’m on Mysticism and Prophecy by Woods. Also Catholicism by Barron.
 
December 17th, meeting at the Priory. Looks like things will be kicking up before Advent closes!!
 
Melchior said:
December 17th, meeting at the Priory. Looks like things will be kicking up before Advent closes!!
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Great news! I will be curious to hear how it goes. In particular, since you will be undergoing formation at a priory as compared to mine within a chapter without regular presence from a friar or sister.

Peace
 
jwinch2 said:
Great news! I will be curious to hear how it goes. In particular, since you will be undergoing formation at a priory as compared to mine within a chapter without regular presence from a friar or sister.

Peace
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The English Canadian chapter is a bit disorganized at the moment (if I was in Quebec this would be a slam dunk). So while going through formation at the Priory (consisting of going there once or twice a month) I might be able to help get things started with the chapter.

Still, very very excited. My wife is very intrigued. She’s 100% in with me doing this, but she wants more information before she goes through with it herself.
 
Jwinch and Melchior,

I’m interested in finding more about Dominican spirituality.
  • How do Dominicans pray/meditate? Their relationship with Jesus. Stuff like that.
Are there any books you would recommend? Is there a good book about St Catheine of Siena?

Thanks.
 
TrueLight said:
Jwinch and Melchior,

I’m interested in finding more about Dominican spirituality.
  • How do Dominicans pray/meditate? Their relationship with Jesus. Stuff like that.
Are there any books you would recommend? Is there a good book about St Catheine of Siena?

Thanks.
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jwinch has amassed a medium sized library of books on the topic of Dominican Spirituality, so I’ll differ to him on that.

But regarding St. Catherine, I suggest going straight to the source; I’m reading through the Dialogues right now, and it’s fantastic. She was a Third Order Dominican, so by reading her work you not only get to read what caused her to become the only Layman who is a Doctor of the Church, but also gain some insight into Dominican Spirituality.

As for prayer/meditation, I’ve been greatly enjoying Lectio Divina lately.
  1. Sit down and read some Scripture. Read it once, then read it again more slowly. Read it a third time to make sure that nothing got missed.
  2. Think about the passage. Analyze the Scripture in several different directions. Think about all the different theological and mystical applications the passage could have. Write it down if you need to. Then systematically look at the implications of all of them, see how they branch off.
  3. Stop and pray a bit. Specifically, pray for guidance regarding Step #2, and pray for how you can apply the passage in your life and the life of others. If you’re a Dominican, you can also add pray about how the passage can help you carry out the charism of the Order.
  4. Contemplate all of the above. Although this is supposed to be contemplative prayer, I find that there are times I jump back up and go through the steps again if God is giving me some good ideas. This especially happens when I’m scheduled to give a talk at the Church.
Marian devotion is of course encouraged, as a Dominican (but not Dominic himself) came up with the Rosary. St. de Monfort also had a hand in this, and he too was a Third Order Dominican.

You’ve heard me talk about austerity before, that’s a big one in an internal sense. That isn’t to say you can’t have fancy stuff or go to huge Masses of splendor, but it can’t distract you from the goal. Dominicans gain detachment through austerity, whereas Carmelites get austerity through detachment.

And reading. Lots and lots of reading. If you want to follow Dominican spirituality, get ready for a life time of learning.
 
Catherine of Siena: Spiritual Development in Her Life and Teaching
fr. Thomas McDermott, OP

I’d probably get this if you are looking for a good analysis of St. Catherine’s spirituality and how it can be used by others to improve their own prayer. St. Catherine is a fascinating saint though she can also be confusing. My personal suggestion would be to read the book I linked to and then read the Dialogues rather than the other way around but that is just me.

I’d also read the attached article. It gives a wonderful overview of Dominican spirituality.

Also, keep in mind that all of my advice is probably worth exactly what you payed for it… 😉
 
Melchior said:
But regarding St. Catherine, I suggest going straight to the source; I’m reading through the Dialogues right now, and it’s fantastic.
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Cool. I have been reading a lot of St Teresa of Avila and I need a shift.
And reading. Lots and lots of reading. If you want to follow Dominican spirituality, get ready for a life time of learning.
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Now you know I do a lot of reading.

Plus, I’m already a lifelong learner and my student loans can attest to that. 😦

I tried Lectio Divina once. It was awesome.
 
jwinch2 said:
Catherine of Siena: Spiritual Development in Her Life and Teaching
fr. Thomas McDermott, OP

I’d probably get this if you are looking for a good analysis of St. Catherine’s spirituality and how it can be used by others to improve their own prayer. St. Catherine is a fascinating saint though she can also be confusing. My personal suggestion would be to read the book I linked to and then read the Dialogues rather than the other way around but that is just me.
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Okay. Spiritual Development it is. 😃

Thanks.
 
jwinch2 said:
I’d also read the attached article. It gives a wonderful overview of Dominican spirituality.
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This is a great article. I’m still reading it, but two passages that resonated so far are:
The primary intention is to elevate the friar to the heights of contemplation, but going
beyond this, Dominican contemplation itself is intended to fructify in the apostolate
for souls, especially through preaching, teaching, and writing. Contemplation is the
generic element, the one the Friars Preachers share with other contemplative Orders;
the salvation of souls through preaching is the specific note distinguishing
Dominicans from all other Orders.
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The spiritual life of the Friars Preachers is delicately balanced and, for those who are
less than saints, hard to live. If thrown off center its constituents destroy themselves –
the sacerdotal element becomes “parochial”, mired in local interests; the monastic
element becomes “monkish”, considering the apostolate a distraction; the doctrinal
element becomes “bookish”, having little to do with the salvation of souls; the
apostolic element becomes “activistic”, spending itself in feverish activity. To escape
these extremes, the Dominican must nourish his zeal with a burning desire for Christ,
must make contemplation primary in his life.
Click to expand...
Good stuff.
 
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