A Message from Sr. Megan McElroy, OP
“When I think of St. Dominic, I imagine he had a huge capacity for being a friend to anyone he met,” says Megan McElroy, OP. “As he modeled for his followers, we Dominicans of today are called to befriend one another and the world widely. In my section of the Dominican Charism Initiative: The Formation of the Preacher, I discuss a number of ways that we can do just that. Here is an excerpt of the third way that I hope will inspire curiosity about the rest of this exciting initiative:
Whether vowed members of the Order, Associates, partners in ministry, Dominican youth, or volunteers, we are daughters and sons of Dominic, sisters and brothers to one another. As such, our formation as preachers invites us to do a whole lot of befriending. One of the ways is that we are called to befriend the Word of God. We are preachers of God’s saving Word. The Scriptures form the core of our lives as Dominicans in that we pray them in our celebration of the Liturgy of the Hours and in our celebration of the Eucharist. We are also called to spend time with the Word, the Scriptures, to await a word that God has for us every day. In his encyclical, The Joy of the Gospel, Pope Francis has said, “The best incentive for sharing the Gospel comes from contemplating it with love, lingering over its pages and reading it with the heart. If we approach it in this way, its beauty will amaze and constantly excite us.” (EG, 264.)
“I look forward to the Spring launch of the Dominican Charism Initiative and the countless opportunities it will provide for ongoing formation for the Dominican Family. It’s been wonderful being a part of this international endeavor with other Dominicans like Timothy Radcliffe, OP, Toni Harris, OP, Angela Mwaba, OP, and Sara Fairbanks, OP.”
About the Dominican Charism Initiative
by Gloria Marie Jones, OP for Dominican Life USA
How do we pass on the Dominican charism at this crucial moment in our history?
How do we create new, relevant expressions of the Dominican charism to ensure its ongoing vitality through the formation of present and future generations of sisters and lay partners?
These questions have driven the work of the Dominican Charism Initiative this past year. Dominican sisters, friars, nuns, laity, associates and members of the Dominican Youth Movement from around the globe have contributed to making this initiative come to life.
This initiative will provide an online web-based learning platform for the Dominican Charism. It will offer the opportunity for all members of the Dominican family and lay partners to learn the foundational elements of Dominican life and mission. Through a variety of presentations and reflection questions, each of the eight different modules will offer instruction that will deepen your understanding of and excitement for being Dominican.
Early in 2020 we will conclude the development of the first four modules, which will then be beta-tested over the next four months. Following the testing, the modules will be available as a resource for members of the Dominican Family to begin to learn, or engage more deeply in, the charism.
We are working to create learning experiences that capture the breadth of our Dominican family as well as its global reality. At this point the presentations are in English or have English translations.