Why did Jesus die?
Why did Jesus die? The question of why Jesus had to die is one that has puzzled Christians for centuries. It is easy to point fingers and assign…
Blog
The 2023 Cloisters Gala
A private evening benefiting the Dominican Friars
Arc of the Triduum
How to better experience the three Holy Days before Easter.
Food of Pilgrimage, Pledge of Glory
Feeling hopeless? There’s medicine for that … the medicine of immortality!
Dr. Scott Hahn is Coming to San Francisco!
April 22 | 9:00AM | St. Dominic’s Catholic Church
The Annunciation: Mary’s Fiat As Our Model of Humility
Of course you kvetch, you've overstretched! Let Mary show you a better way.
A Holy and Gentle Hatred of Sin
Want to be holy? Choose hatred!
Thinking Again about Repentance
Are you sure you have repented? Think again!
A Perfect Time to Sort Our Priorities
My younger sister is a fantastic skier. We have both skied since a very young age. However, once upon a time, she fell down and hurt her knee…
Cultivating a Healthy Sense of Shame
Can shame be healthy?
Religious Life: A Total Gift to God
How does a whole burnt offering point people to the meaning of human life?
Religious Life and the Life to Come
There is nothing unfortunate about the vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience!
The Word Abides
The Presentation of Jesus in the Temple was a monumental moment in the history of salvation. How do Simeon's words in the Gospel of Luke show us the Word's fulfillment of the entire Old Testament?
Pilgrimage to Italy in the Footsteps of Aquinas
Join the Dominicans on pilgrimage in honor of Aquinas' 700th Jubilee! Click to learn details, which friars are attending, and more!
Provincial Chapter 2023: More Elections
Read on for news from Chapter, including more elections and commission work!
St. Thomas Aquinas: Spiritual Guide and Follower of Christ
We often find the life of the mind placed in opposition to the spiritual life. However, is this a fair opposition? Aquinas can be our guide in resolving this tension.
Western Dominican Province Announces Interim President of the Dominican School of Philosophy & Theology
Sr. Marianne Farina, CSC, to Lead DSPT Effective Immediately.
The Holy Name of Jesus: The Power of His Name
What should the name of Jesus evoke within me?
Statement on the Election of Fr. Allen Moran, O.P., as Prior Provincial of the Eastern Dominican Province
Announcing news regarding the President of the Dominican School of Philosophy & Theology, Fr. Allen Moran, O.P. Read the full statement here or…
Provincial Chapter 2023: Prior Provincial Elected!
An exciting update from Chapter - we have a Prior Provincial!
Provincial Chapter 2023: Chapter Business Begins
Read our second update from Chapter!
The Holy Name of Jesus: Rescued by a Name
What is so special about a name?
Provincial Chapter 2023: Spiritual Retreat
Read our first update about the beginning of Provincial Chapter
What Does Epiphany Have to Do With the Cross?
During this Christmas season of joy, how can Christ manifest in our struggles and sorrows?
Christmas, the Strategy of Christ, and the Mystery of the Holy Family
The nativity of Jesus: a mystery of a personal victory that mobilized his friends and agitated his enemies.
Mission West - Winter 2022 Newsletter Now Available!
We're excited to announce that the newest edition of Mission West, our quarterly newsletter for friends of the Western Dominican Province, is…
The Incarnation: God's Story about God
An effusion of the Ineffable!
St. Albert's Priory Chapel Christmas Schedule
Celebrate the Christmas season at our House of Studies!
Advent Reflections: 4th Sunday of Advent
Do not be afraid to take Mary into your home (which always brings Christ) as we come to the end of Advent and prepare for His coming at Christmas.
The Incarnation: O Come, Divine Messiah!
How can we joyfully prepare for God Incarnate amidst a dark and sinful world?
Advent Reflections: 3rd Sunday of Advent
It's Gaudete Sunday and we are entering the third week of Advent with joyful anticipation for the commemoration of Christ's birth.
Immaculate Against the Idols
Mary the Immaculate Conception: Forbidding Myth or Grace-filled Maiden?
What you didn't know about St. Nicholas...
St. Nicholas is not only a giver of gifts but a giver of Truth!
Advent Reflections: 2nd Sunday of Advent
How can we better prepare for the coming of our Savior this Advent season?
Our Brothers Thank You
We're so grateful for your support of this year's Rosary Sunday: Dominican Student Appeal!
Friars in Print 2022
Browse the newest publications by Western Dominicans
The Incarnation: God's Face
To see God's face once meant death, but now we see true life in the face of God Incarnate.
The Afterlife: Hell
Can thinking on Hell increase our faith? Learn why hellish meditations should be included in our spiritual exercises.
Advent Reflections: 1st Sunday of Advent
How can we grow in the virtues of hope, patience, and joy?
Angelic Warfare Confraternity Enrollment Ceremony
Join us for an enrollment ceremony into the Angelic Warfare Confraternity at the Priory of St. Albert the Great in Oakland, CA this Saturday, November 19, 2022.
The Afterlife: Heaven
Will we grow bored of worshipping God in heaven for "forever?" How will our heavenly unity with God affect our desires?
The Afterlife: Purgatory
What is the value of suffering - for us and for "holy souls" in Purgatory?
St. Martin de Porres - A Humble Saint
What is true humility? The foundation of humility lies not in ourselves, but in God.
St. Jude, Intercession, and Sharing in God's Goodness
St. Jude and the Birthday Cake - is the oft-forgotten apostle a baker?
The Rosary as a School of Prayer
Climb the mountain - a pilgrimage of our mind and heart!
Mary, Queen and Mother
Worthy of love or worthy of honor: how do we properly approach Our Lady?
Rosary Sunday: The world needs good, faithful priests!
One great preacher can change the world. How can you help?
The Perfect Prayer
How do I pray well, even perfectly? Br. Anthony Maria Akerman, O.P. offers a reply to this perennial question.
Mission West - Fall 2022 Newsletter Now Available!
We're excited to announce that the newest edition of Mission West, our quarterly newsletter for friends of the Western Dominican Province, is available…
Why Should We Pray Daily to St. Michael the Archangel?
How is St. Michael the Archangel a powerful defender in all battles? Learn from Fr. Michael Hurley, O.P., on how this powerful saint helps us flex our spiritual muscles!
St. Michael the Archangel vs. The 6th Century Plague
If St. Michael the Archangel can save Rome from the plague, how can he help us in modern times? Br. Scott Norgaard, O.P., helps us understand how angels are instrumental in executing God's mercy.
Was the Big Bang the Moment of Creation?
The Big Bang was the moment of creation...or was it? Br. Pascal Strader, O.P. helps unfold the cosmological and theological considerations in this claim.
Incomprehensible Mercy
How should we treat those who have seriously hurt or wronged us? Br. Anselm shares the difficult, but life-giving answer in honor of the Feast of the Exaltation of the Cross.
Death of Fr. Thomas Hayes, O.P.
Please pray for the repose of the soul of our beloved brother, Fr. Thomas James Hayes, O.P., who died on Saturday, September 10, 2022. Ordained…
Summer Reflection: Studying German in Berlin
This past July, I was in Berlin taking an intensive course in German. Over the past five years studying at the Dominican School of Philosophy…
Summer Reflection: Studying Spanish in Mexico
This summer, I spent several weeks learning Spanish in Mexico along with four other Dominican student brothers -- Br. Nathaniel Maria Mayne,…
Summer Reflection: Fraternity with Polish Brothers
The Dominican Friars of the Western Province have had a special relationship of mutual support and collaboration with the Polish Province for…
Summer Reflection: Studying Arabic in Cairo
When I disclose the fact that I am learning Arabic to family, friends, and acquaintances here in the Western United States, I receive similar…
Celebrating our Jubilarians
Dominicans offer their lives to preach the Gospel and dedicate their lives in service to God and the Church. The vast majority of Dominican friars…
Novice Class of 2022-2023
On September 1st, four more men received the habit of the Order of Preachers and began their first year of formation as novices. Blessed with…
Novice Prayer Pledge 2022
On August 16th, a new class of postulants arrived, eager to start their journey in the footsteps of St. Dominic. These men are preparing for…
Fr. Denis Reilly, O.P., Funeral
Please pray for the repose of the soul of our beloved brother, Fr. Denis Daniel Reilly, O.P., who died on Tuesday, July 19, 2022. Ordained in…
Statement in Response to U.S. Supreme Court Ruling on Roe v. Wade
Since the Supreme Court's ruling on Dobbs v. Jackson last Friday, the friars have observed heated debate surrounding the Court's decision. As…
Totus Tuus
Totus tuus ego sum et omnia mea tua sunt. Accipio te in mea omnia. I am all yours, and everything that I have is yours. I take you for my all.…
The Beauty of Our Mother
The Church dedicates this month of May to Our Lady. Therefore, this is a very convenient time for us, her children, to contemplate the beauty…
Book Release: For the Beauty of the Earth
Fr. Bartholomew Hutcherson, O.P., is an itinerant preacher and member of the Western Dominican Province Preaching Team. His book, For the Beauty…
Mary, Mother of God and Mother of All Believers
The history of salvation is not the history of the One Creator God acting alone in human history. Rather, it involves an intimate dialogue between…
Out of His Fullness, We Have All Received
For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God not by works, so that no one can…
Jesus, Our Companion and Our Hope
“Christ is Risen! - Truly, He is Risen!” This Paschal greeting that we are so accustomed to hearing on Easter morning represents the overwhelming…
Spy Wednesday
Have you ever been betrayed by a friend? If so, you know how terrible it feels when a friend turns against you. Our attention is drawn to the…
The Highest Conceivable Gift
Few words are so ubiquitous in Christian circles (and even outside them), as the word “grace.” Just from the amount we talk about it, grace seems…
Affixing your Lenten Practices to Love
“If I speak in human and angelic tongues but do not have love, I am a resounding gong or a clashing cymbal. And if I have the gift of prophecy…
Behold Man!
“You who have been raised with Christ, set your heart on higher things where Christ reigns at the right hand of God the Father.” (Col. 3:1)...
Mary – Mother and Model of Disciples
Jesus, the material incarnation of the Second Person of the Trinity, asks of us what God demanded of His Chosen People in the Shema prayed each morning and evening by the pious Jew...
A Painter and a Sinner
I am always deeply moved by Caravaggio’s “The Calling of St Matthew.” If there was anything Caravaggio was good at, it was painting and being…
St. Joseph Patron of the Universal Church
To learn more about St. Joseph, his life, and patronage over the Church, read Fr. Mullady's article on our Rosary Center website here: St. Joseph,…
Mary, Undoer of Knots
If you look around you might get the impression that the world is upside down and we with it. We are confronted with conflicts which are far…
We Miserable Sinners, God’s Wonderful Mercy
I recently went on my annual retreat at Holy Transfiguration Monastery, a community of monks in Redwood Valley, CA who are affiliated with the…
2022 DSPT Annual Aquinas Lecture
DSPT’s Annual Aquinas Lecture will be held virtually on March 12th, 2022 at 10:30am. This year, Dr. Linda Zagzebski, Emerita Professor from the…
What is the Purpose of your Lenten Penance?
Ash Wednesday marks the beginning of the Lenten practices of prayer, fasting, and almsgiving for many Christians around the world. Why do we…
2022 Lenten Mission Schedule
Join our friars who are preaching around the country! Fr. Bartholomew Hutcherson, O.P. | Moments of Mercy Information on Fr. Bart's 2022 Lenten…
How Does Marriage Differ from Buying a Car?
Is marriage at all different from buying a car? In this day and age, it would seem that it isn’t necessarily... Looking at the way we live…
Return to Nazareth
One of the results of our individualistic society is that families have become increasingly isolated. This isolation is sometimes justified by…
The Two Trinities
“…Sitting on the shore, and his eyes were never dry of tears, and his sweet life was ebbing away, as he longed mournfully for his return.” Such…
Getting to Know Simeon
Happy feast of the Presentation of the Lord! St. Thomas once said that the whole of theology is contained in the psalms and when I look at the…
Christ, the High Priest
What is a priest? He is more than just a man that dresses strangely and performs some arcane religious ritual. No, a priest is a man set apart…
Why did Jesus call Himself the Son of Man?
Throughout the Gospel tradition, Jesus referred to Himself as the Son of Man; 81 times, to be precise. When Jesus healed and forgave the paralytic…
Reports from the Dominican Alaska Christmas Mission
Reports from the Dominican Christmas Mission Thank you for your prayers for our traveling friars who brought the Sacraments to remote communities…
The Mystery of the Incarnation
Christology, the study of Christ and the Incarnation, gets very little serious attention these days among mainstream Christians. I suspect one…
The Incarnation: Who is Jesus?
I believe in one Lord Jesus Christ, the Only Begotten Son of God, born of the Father before all ages. God from God, Light from Light, true God…
Glory Revealed
Walk into many if not most Catholic churches, and in the center of the sanctuary you’ll see a tabernacle. This locked box, often covered in gold…
Alaska Christmas Mission
Dominicans to Travel 5,250+ Miles to Bring the Eucharist at Christmas “Now there were shepherds in that region living in the fields and keeping…
Carrying Christ to Others through Art
“And how does this happen to me, that the Mother of my Lord should come to me?” (Luke 1:43). This past Sunday, we heard these magnificent words…
Mission West Newsletter | Winter 2021 - Now Available
We're excited to announce that the next edition of Mission West, the quarterly newsletter for friends of the Western Dominican Province, is available…
Advent and Sacred Art
Our Dominican Order is noted for its intellectual tradition, especially luminaries such as St. Thomas Aquinas and St. Albert the Great. These…
Why the Immaculate Conception is Necessary
What we believe about Mary can make a huge difference in what we believe about Jesus and about our own salvation. That’s why certain truths about…
Western Dominican Province Announces New President of the Dominican School of Philosophy & Theology
Fr. Allen Moran, O.P., to Lead DSPT Beginning July 2022
Drifting Towards Hell
“Before a man are life and death, and whichever he chooses will be given to him.” -Sir 15:17 We find ourselves on a river in a strange land.…
Heaven: Homesick for Jerusalem
We can think of Psalm 137 as a “homesickness” psalm. After being conquered by the Babylonians, the Israelites are brought into a foreign land.…
Judgement and Gregory the Great
According to Gregory the Great, final judgment is the pinnacle manifestation of Christ’s victory over his enemies and the fiery purification…