Editor’s note: Our authors have been away enjoying their Christmas break. This respite provides Dominicana an opportunity to highlight the two great Jubilees currently being celebrated: the Extraordinary Jubilee of Mercy and the Dominican Order’s 800th Anniversary. Each day this … Continue reading →

Though Goldilocks might beg to differ, mama bears are excellent mothers. It is clear that every mama bear loves her cubs very dearly (insofar as animals are capable of affections).  More so than most animals, the mother bear cares for … Continue reading →

At the end of the seventh and final book in C. S. Lewis’ The Chronicles of Narnia, the suggestion is made that our life on earth is only the cover and title-page of the “Great Story” that commences after our … Continue reading →

The Church places the ancient Latin hymn, the Te Deum, at the end of the year as a way of giving solemn thanks to God.  The Manual of Indulgences grants an indulgence to the faithful who pray it in a … Continue reading →

J. R. R. Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings is a dark tale. Torture, murder, and all kinds of suffering frame a narrative about a brutal war which ends in a hopelessly overmatched assault. And yet, it is the rare … Continue reading →

“Calvary casts its shadow over Bethlehem,” wrote Fulton Sheen.  The original televangelist meant not to steal away Christmas cheer, but recognized that the Cross mysteriously “shaped” the life of Jesus.   From his infancy to the heights of Tabor to the … Continue reading →

In the bleak midwinter, frosty wind made moan,Earth stood hard as iron, water like a stone;Snow had fallen, snow on snow, snow on snow,In the bleak midwinter, long ago. – Christina Rossetti, “In the Bleak Midwinter” That the Nativity comes … Continue reading →

At its roots, the word infant means “unable to speak.” As with most holidays, Christmas generally has to it a theme of strong, joyful proclamation: “For Unto Us A Child Is Born,” “Joy to the World,” “Angels We Have Heard … Continue reading →

I was never happier to have learned grammar. It was last summer, on the New York City subway, when a very inquisitive and engaged former Protestant caught sight of my clerical collar and resolved to bounce a few things off … Continue reading →

What is it that we desire? With today’s O Antiphon, the Church invokes our Savior as “the King of the nations and their desired.” While it is true that the desire for a savior is present in all men, does … Continue reading →

Man seeks to dwell. There’s even a magazine dedicated to it. We want some place to identify as home. And we don’t just want any old four walls and a floor. We want an architecturally pleasing place. And then we … Continue reading →

Dominicana is happy to offer this audio recording of “Into Earthly Realms: Advent With Lacordaire.” It was given last Thursday by Br. Constantius Sanders, O.P. as the third and final installment of this year’s Advent Conferences, offered at the Dominican House of … Continue reading →

One week until Christmas. Decorations are everywhere. Shopping is shifting from hurried to frantic. There are preparations for travel and guests, for parties and feasts. The expectation is palpable. Even the Church, in her liturgy, has shifted into high gear. … Continue reading →

We can tell a great deal about someone by learning about his or her family tree. Names of ancestry can reveal many things about a person, such as ethnicity, language, history, and perhaps even his or her geographical location. For … Continue reading →

In just a few short days, we will celebrate the Savior’s birth.  These are days we will most likely dedicate to working, planning, shopping, wrapping, prepping, cooking, eating, and cleaning.   For some, peace and quiet are all but forgotten between … Continue reading →

Dominicana is happy to offer this audio recording of “Christmas with Sigrid Undset.” It was given last Thursday by Br. Edmund McCullough, O.P. as the second installment of a three-part series of Advent Conferences, offered at the Dominican House of Studies. Join … Continue reading →

For Dominicans, effective preaching involves more than just a well-crafted homily; it includes an entire life lived in praise of God. One motto of the Order of Preachers, “laudare, benedicere, praedicare” (“to praise, to bless, to preach”), tells us about … Continue reading →

But that’s not what I said! What I was trying to say was much subtler, much more profound, much more just than that… How often do we think these words when we experience the (sometimes playful) derision and ridicule of … Continue reading →

St. John of the Cross is probably best known for his masterpiece on the spiritual life The Dark Night of the Soul. But it is his commentary and exposition on The Dark Night, entitled The Ascent of Mount Carmel, that … Continue reading →

Thomas Aquinas asks a fascinating question: What happened in your soul when it had its first thought? How did you first react when you looked out at life? He answers: With desire. Technically, he says in his own language, “The … Continue reading →

Come, they told me, pa rum pum pum pum… (audio and lyrics) “The Little Drummer Boy” combines two of my favorite things: drums and newborns. I have some experience of them both. To the first, I’ve been a drummer since … Continue reading →

Should Catholic parents homeschool their children? What does the president of the University of Virginia think about political correctness on campus? Is gentrification good, bad, or ugly? How should one minister to those who experience same-sex attraction? The Winter 2015 … Continue reading →

It was not too long ago that I stood in a hospice center praying at the bedside of a friar in his final hours. At one point the social worker on duty came in to offer some surprising advice: leave … Continue reading →

Dominicana is happy to offer this audio recording of “Martin de Porres: A Warm Heart Amid a Cold Winter.” It was given last Thursday by Br. Joseph Hagan, O.P. as the first installment of a three-part series of Advent Conferences, … Continue reading →

Many of us will hear excellent homilies today on the theology of Mary’s Immaculate Conception, but what is the importance of this mystery for our personal spiritual lives?   St. Louis de Montfort tells us that Our Lady is the … Continue reading →