PRIORITIES FOR MISSION
PREACHING
"Be who God
As members of the Order of
Preachers, Lay Dominicans make a
meant you to
commitment to create and nurture a
lifestyle that allows us to preach the be, and you will
Good News to the world. We do this in
many and varied ways: as speakers at
retreats, through the arts and music,
set the whole
social media, and our interactions at
school and in the workplace. In every world on fire."
aspect of our lives, Lay Dominicans
"proclaim the Good News to all - St. Catherine of Siena
creation" (Mk 15:16) and are prepared
"make [our] defence to anyone who patroness of the Lay Fraternities of St. Dominic
demands an account of the hope that
is in [us]." (1 Pet 3:15).
FRATERNITY
We often speak of the Dominican
Family, and call our lay communities
"fraternities" to highlight our identity
as brothers and sisters in Christ.
Though many Lay Dominicans live
with family, we also embrace our
community as "family" as a sign of
unity with one another, the Church,
and God. Our world today desperately READY TO IGNITE YOUR TORCH?
needs to be reminded that we are all
called to be united to God as a family,
FIND A FRATERNITY
to find friendship and love in
community. Is God calling you to be a
ENCOUNTER LAY DOMINICAN?
Dominicans seek genuine encounter:
with God, and with other people. We
follow the example of Dominic who
knew that the most effective form of
preaching is to help another person
encounter God through bringing them
www.laydominicans.org
to the Truth. > Who We Are > Fraternity Locator
Who We Are
“The Laity of St. Dominic are those
faithful who, baptised in the Catholic
Church or received into her, confirmed
and in full communion of faith,
sacraments and ecclesiastical
governance, are called by a special
vocation to progress in the Christian
way of life and to animate temporal
things through the charism of St.
Dominic.”
--General Declarations
of the Lay Fraternities of St. Dominic, 2019
Members of the Lay Dominicans
PRAYER COMMUNITY
are fully incorporated into the The foundation of a Dominican's Lay Dominicans come together to
Order of Preachers and live out prayer life is the Eucharistic share their common vocation within a
their vocation in the world. Along celebration of the Mass, daily if local fraternity. Frequent and regular
with the friars, nuns, and sisters, possible. Upon that firm foundation we participation in community life
lay members of the Dominican endeavor to sanctify our day through enables us to grow in love, patience
family have a special charism to the Liturgy of the Hours (Divine and understanding. We are
preach for the salvation of Office), the contemplation of Sacred strengthened and supported by our
souls. Dominican life is distinctly Scripture, and the recitation of the brothers and sisters, as we seek to
flavored by four key areas which Rosary, which holds a privileged place grow in holiness together in the
are essential to our charism and in Dominican tradition. Dominican Family.
our vocation. These areas are STUDY APOSTOLATE
called the Four Pillars, since they
In the Bible, love and knowledge go The apostles were the men "sent out"
work together to “hold up” our lives
hand in hand. For Dominicans, study is by Jesus to share in His mission.
as Dominicans.
a part of our life because through it we Likewise, an apostolate is the work we
seek to know more about God, which are "sent out" to do in the world.
FOUR
means we come to love Him better. Dominicans have individual
Study enriches our prayer, community, apostolates, as well as communal
and apostolate because it helps us apostolates. This work is undertaken
understand and better articulate the for the salvation of souls, and because
PILLARS
Truth. we are Dominicans, it usually contains
an element of preaching.
