Saint Dominic, Fresco by Fra Angelico, S Marco, Florence
Welcome to the Lay Dominicans website!
Our website aims to provide basic information for anyone enquiring about our branch of the Order of Preachers. We plan to update the details constantly, especially the Events page and the Fraternity Address Book.
Recently there have been an encouraging number of enquiries, and new Dominican Groups have been established in Bristol and Cornwall, both some distance from any Priory or Convent. There is also an Aquinas Study Group being formed in York, and a Discussion Group in Hull. These are signs of a growing interest in the Lay Dominican movement.
Lay Dominicans are called to ‘preach’ in a variety of ways in our increasingly secular society. This was the theme of the 2009 Lay Dominican Congress, which built on previous ones devoted to Interfaith Relations, Secularisation, and Environmental Stewardship. As laity within the Order of Preachers, we are well placed to engage in collaborative ministry, especially on such issues as those raised by Pope Benedict XVI in his encyclical Caritas in veritate. Indeed, the encyclical is an ideal subject for discussion within a Fraternity, as well as for open public discussion. Lay Dominicans come from a variety of backgrounds and occupations, thus bringing diverse insights and varied experience to issues.
A word of encouragement if you live some distance from a community or fraternity: some of us travel many miles to our monthly fraternity meeting; e.g. Oxford has a member in North Wales, and Leicester one from North Yorkshire. Alternatively, we might be able to link you to others in your area, and like Cornwall, embark on building up a new association.
Finally, thanks to Luke Frith-Powell of Oxford for setting up our website in 2009, and to Paul McKeown, Chimney Rock Web Design, for taking it over in 2010; a website is of course an essential tool in evangelisation today. Thanks also to our photographers at the Congresses: Deborah Metters in 2009; Sr Valery Walker OP and Gigi Horsfield in 2010; Sr Valery and Anna Baidoun in 2011, their photographs can be found on the Gallery page. Brief reports on the 2010 and 2011 Congresses can be found on the News page.
If you have any queries we have not covered, then please contact me on 01482 802020, or janandpatdoyle@yahoo.co.uk. The Editor/Webmaster is Anna Baidoun, Oxford (anna@baidoun.free-online.co.uk), to whom any queries, comments, corrections or submissions should be sent.
Patrick DoyleNovember 2011
Lay Dominican Provincial President