| Study: A Part of Dominican Spirituality |
|
Mary Catherine Hilkert, OP Dominican Sisters of Peace |
|
A love of study is one of the things that attracted me to the Dominican way of life. For Dominicans, study is part of our spirituality. Because our mission is to proclaim the Word of God in diverse ways, Dominicans place a central importance on praying, studying and reflecting together on the Scriptures. We are also committed to ongoing theological study as a way of drawing us into the mystery of God. At the same time, we share the conviction of St. Thomas Aquinas that theological reflection extends to "all of reality in relation to God." Like St. Thomas and St. Catherine of Siena, Dominicans believe that all of creation is a gift from God and that contemplating the mysteries of creation in every branch of human study can draw us closer to God. But study is not an end in itself for Dominicans. We commit ourselves to individual and communal study "for the sake of preaching." Thus, one of our mottos is "to contemplate and to share with others the fruits of our contemplation." Another distinctive aspect of Dominican study is our commitment to reflect together on "the signs of the times" and our concrete social situation in light of the Gospel. That shared reflection impels us to preach the Gospel on behalf of those who are poor and marginalized as Antonio de Montesinos and the first Dominicans who came to the Americas did. We live at a time when scientific discoveries and ecological interdependence call us to reflect on the mysteries of the cosmos and the mystery of God in new ways. As a Dominican Sister of Peace who is a preacher, college professor and theologian, I am challenged and energized by our shared commitment to "study, contemplate, and preach God's revelation discovered in the mystery of creation and in Sacred Scripture." Contact Dominican Sisters of Peace Vocation Directors: Sr. Cathy Arnold, OP or Sr. Amy McFrederick, OP carnold@oppeace.org or amcfrederick@oppeace.org |
List of Vocation Directors you can contact.
Learn more about the activities, news and projects of Dominicans in the USA at
Dominican Life | USA
Learn more about the activities, news and projects of Dominicans in the USA at
Dominican Life | USA
| Home | About
us | Contact
Us | DLC Dominican Life | USA is sponsored by the Dominican Leadership Conference, the networking organization for elected leaders in the USA. Dominican Life | USA © 2002-2008 All Rights Reserved Web Editor: Anne Lythgoe, OP |
|---|