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December 1, 2010
Advent Message from Bruno Cadore, OP, Master of the Order
Rome, 25 November, 2010

Dear sisters, dear brothers,

A great many of you in these last few weeks have shown your solidarity for the sisters and brothers of Iraq, who are struggling, together with their fellow citizens, with the recent resurgence of violence that has once more struck the Christian communities of this country. These displays of fraternity that unite us are a strong and precious support for Iraq’s communities. And through them, we also express our solidarity with the whole population of the country that is oppressed by this violence. READ MORE

Advent
Thoughts on peace and violence

Richard Woods, OP, professor of theology at Dominican University in River Forest, Illinois, offers a homily for the first Sunday in Advent. “The members of the Iraq Coordinating Committee, a team of Dominican sisters and friars committed to working and praying for peace and justice for the people of Iraq, selected the First Sunday of Advent as a special day of prayer to remember the 70 Christians and Muslims killed and 75 injured in the brutal assault by an Al-Qaeda group on Our Lady of Salvation Church during Mass on Sunday, Oct. 31. The following notes from a previous sermon still sum up my thinking about peace and violence at this time of year.” READ MORE

Dominican Sisters of Blauvelt
Archbishop Dolan joins sisters for anniversary celebration

On Nov. 5, 1878, Sister Mary Ann Sammon, with six other Dominican nuns and nine young homeless immigrant girls arrived at their new home, St. Joseph Convent, in what was then known as Blauveltville, New York. One hundred and thirty two years later, Archbishop Timothy Dolan arrived, taking much of the same route as that first group of nuns and children, to celebrate the anniversary of the first mission of the Dominican Sisters of Blauvelt. READ MORE

Adrian Dominicans
Sister Attracta Kelly honored for immigrant advocacy

Sister Attracta Kelly, OP, prioress of the Adrian Dominican Sisters, received the Nancy Susan Reynolds Award for Advocacy during a special luncheon Nov. 20 in Raleigh, North Carolina. She was recognized for 11 years of service as director and staff attorney of the Immigrants Legal Assistance Project of the North Carolina Center for Justice. READ MORE

Lay Dominicans
Austin, Texas community celebrates commitments

The Dominican community of Austin, Texas joyfully came together Nov. 8 to celebrate a bilingual Liturgy of the Eucharist, with nine chapter members making commitments as members of Dominican laity. Those making commitments expressed their appreciation of the four pillars of Dominican life in living their lay vocation, and how these pillars “interrelate beautifully, through the work of the Holy Spirit, to bring us and others closer to the love of Christ.” READ MORE

Kaleidoscope
Spirituality of Dominican Leadership webcast is Dec. 11

The webcast with Sister Margaret Ormond, OP, speaking on “The Spirit of Dominican Leadership: Responding to the Call of Shared Responsibility” is coming up in a couple of weeks. This presentation will invite participants to explore and release our God-given gifts through the network of relationships that we know as the common good. READ MORE

Aquinas Institute of Theology
Loretto Academy building to house priest students

The 101-year old former Loretto Academy in St. Louis, Missouri, is being renovated as a residence for Dominican student brothers from the Central and Southern provinces who are studying at the Aquinas Institute of Theology. The new priory will be ready for occupancy in December 2011. READ STORY in St. Louis Post-Dispatch.

Faith and Film
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part I

If you have followed the adventures of the Boy Wizard at all, you know by now that Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, the final book of J.K. Rowling’s extraordinarily successful series, has been made into two films. The bad news is that you will have to wait until next summer to see the final episode. The good news is that there is more of Harry and his friends, and more of the story, to enjoy. Review by Tom Condon, OP. READ MORE

Photo of the Week

Dominican Sister of Sparkill, New York, Sr. Elizabeth Hasselt, Executive Director of Encore Community Services, with her staff who were guests at NASDAQ MarketSite in Times Square and presided over the NASDAQ Closing Bell.

The next Dominican Life | USA update will be published on Wednesday, December 15. Deadline for submission of articles/photos is Friday, December 10.

IN BRIEF

Reflections on the Mystery of Advent by priests and brothers at the Dominican House of Studies, Dominican Province of St. Joseph

The Forgotten Ones: Palestinian Refugees in Lebanon Webinar presented by Sr. Patricia Chaffee, OP
5 p.m. EST Dec. 10