Apostolate

“They have as their vocation to radiate the presence of Christ in the midst of the peoples so that the divine message of salvation be known and accepted everywhere by the whole of mankind.”

~ Rule, §1

“Together with the Brothers and Sisters of the Order the members of the fraternities take part in the apostolate; they are to share actively in the life of the Church, and be ever ready to work with other apostolic groups.

~ Rule, §9

“The apostolate is the organic fruit of deep prayer, contemplative study and community action. An apostolate without prayer is just secular social work. But as lay Dominicans, we must actualize our spiritual life in the marketplace.”

~ Mr. Steve Graves, O.P.

 

“It is for the laity to translate into action the social teachings of the Church. It is for you to develop a culture of truth, in collaboration with the other members of the Dominican Family, which must replace the present culture of lies. This will necessarily involve you in the struggle against injustice, violence, racism, sexism, classism and corruption in all aspects of human life. It will require that you construct new social structures which protect life in
all its stages. It will be your task to reform our mentality in regard to the use of ecology.”

  ~ fr. Damian Byrne O.P.

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2 thoughts on “Apostolate

  1. In a novice class taught at the Immaculate Conception Chapter (Washington, DC) in 2006, we were asked to each make a presentation about a Dominican figure of interest. I chose Henri-Dominique Lacordaire, OP (1802–61), the most gifted preacher in 19th-century France and the prime mover behind the restoration of the Dominican Order in France in the decades following the French Revolution. Thus began an adventure—and an apostolate–that continues to this day.

    It was surprising, given Lacordaire’s stature and achievements, how much of his important writings had not been translated into English; and most of the translations that existed were a century old. In addition, only a very few of the writings in French about Lacordaire’s life and had been translated into English.

    A friar from Kentucky and a group of translators associated with the Immaculate Conception Chapter embarked on the project of updating some very old translations and translating many of the heretofore untranslated works of Lacordaire. A new Web site (still in development), WorksofLacordaire.com, now houses this work.

    I am currently embarked on the project of translating the definitive two-volume biography of Lacordaire (written by Théophile Foisset), a project that will take several more years to complete. My goal is to finalize the translation by 2015 and the ultimate goal is to have this translation available as an e-book.

    This apostolate has involved many moments of deep discouragement. I have wanted to give up many times. But I have felt since the beginning that this is what God wanted me to do. So I persisted. I have learned so much.

  2. http://www.mcap1.com/

    Steve,
    The link above is for The Maryland Coalition Against Pornography (MCAP), for whom I pick up the mail and send thank-you notes to members and donors. MCAP, made up entirely of volunteers, is celebrating 25 years of getting legislation passed for tougher criminal penalties for child pornography, offering a hotline for porn addicts and their families, and providing speakers on internet safety for children, among many other activities that promote the safety of men, women, and children from the destructive effects of pornography.
    Blessings,
    Rose

    P.S. thanks for all you’re doing for us!

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