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Lay Dominicans Deepen Leadership Skills


DETROIT, MI --On November 1-4 Lay Dominicans of Saint Albert the Great Province in the Midwestern area of the United States sponsored a Leadership Workshop for moderators, formation directors and spiritual assistants of each of the 20 chapters and groups in the Province. 

The theme of the gathering was “Preaching as Being.”  The conference focused on helping leaders understand and carry out their respective roles in accord with newly revised documents that guide Lay Dominican Leadership functions.  Mrs. Ruth Kummer, the Provincial President, walked participants through the responsibilities of the leaders of local communities of Lay Dominicans.

Dr. Normand Laurendeau, Ph.D., of the West Lafayette Group helped those attending appreciate the preaching role of Lay Dominicans by presenting and demonstrating and leading a discussion of what lay preaching might look like.  Dr. Thomas Ryba, S.T.D., the Formation Director of the Province presented a new formation program to guide individual groups and chapters in preparing Lay Dominican candidates to become fully informed and active members of the contemporary Church as lay members of the Order of Preacher.  Michael Porterfield and Cynthia Ricard of the St. Louis chapter showed how the materials related to the program can be obtained from an Internet webpage sponsored by Aquinas Institute.  Information about the new formation program can be obtained by contacting the Provincial Promoter, Fr. James R. Motl (motljr@slu.edu).

Those who attended the workshop went away with a new enthusiasm for their roles as leaders, formators, and spiritual guides for Lay Dominicans throughout the Midwest.  They talked about the growing interest in Lay Dominican life throughout the area and discussed how their groups could become better known through evangelizing efforts and by living as a fully committed lay Catholic in the Dominican Order.  They expressed their gratitude to James Irvine, a former Lay Dominican, whose generous bequest to our Province’s lay branch made this meeting possible.

Jim Motl, OP
Promoter for Lay Dominicans
Province of St. Albert the Great, USA