TheTrumpeT
Spring Dominican
A MESSAGE
From Our Provincial
Dear Friends,
“Even to your old
age I will be the
same, and even to
your graying years
I will bear you!
I have done it, and
I will carry you.”
This is what God promises us
through the Prophet Isaiah. (Is 46:4)
One of our fundamental, solemn
and “unshirkable” duties as a
Province is the care and comfort
of our senior Friars who have spent
their lives in the preaching of
the Gospel and the mission of the
Province of St. Joseph.
Whether it’s the Friars who are
“aging in place” in our houses
throughout the Province, or those
assigned to St. Dominic Priory
in Washington, D.C. where our
Center for Assisted Living is
located or in Catholic nursing
facilities near to their families and
friends, the oldest members of
the Province continue to inspire
the younger generations of Friars
by their examples of fidelity and
perseverance in the grace of God.
We want to thank you, our
benefactors, for helping us fulfill
this solemn obligation.
Sincerely in Christ,
Very Rev. Brian M. Mulcahy, O.P.
Prior Provincial
DOMINICAN FOUNDATION: DOMINICAN FRIARS • PROVINCE OF ST. JOSEPH
2011 Foundation
Dominican Friars Province of St. Joseph
Spotlight: Healthcare
a Ministry of Care and Healing
Until recently Brother Ignatius Perkins, O.P., served as
Director of Administration for the Dominican Province
of St. Joseph and as Project Director of the Dominican
Friars Health Care Ministry of New York and Coordinator
of its Health Care Ethics program. He has resumed a
distinguished teaching career and currently serves as
Professor and Dean of Nursing and Director of the RN-
BSN Program at Aquinas College in Nashville, TN.
Can you offer some insight into the idea of care in the
Dominican Tradition and how it applies to the present day?
When St. Dominic established the Order in 1216, it had as its purpose preaching and the
salvation of souls. Through his ministry of evangelization, St. Dominic brought the healing
and salvific message of the Gospel to the people of his day whether they were suffering from
loneliness, mental or physical distress, or alienation from God. He cared for those who found
themselves far from the faith: the poor, unwanted, unloved and those void of hope. His message
of compassionate care and comfort for others is deeply embedded in the history of the Order and
remains alive in its mission today.
Can you explain how the art and science of nursing has
been integrated with your vowed commitment as a Dominican
Cooperator Brother?
Like other Dominican Cooperator Brothers, I fulfill my preaching from a different pulpit than
that of my priest brothers. My pulpits are varied, but are centered in the healing ministry of Jesus
Christ, first as a Dominican Friar, then as a clinician, nurse, ethicist and educator. I engage people
wherever they are in their journey in search of Truth, healing and hope.
My added vocation as a nurse, now for more than 45 years, is to care for persons during some of
the most vulnerable moments in their life. It is a privileged opportunity to be present to them, to
protect and defend their dignity and freedom, and help re-establish the integrity of the suffering
person once fractured and made vulnerable by illness or despair – and when the cure of illness is
not possible, to bring healing and hope even to those nearing the end of their lives.
(continued on pg. 4)
1

Did You
Know?
Caring for
One Another at Home
The Dominican Friars have a rich
tradition of caring for each other
that reaches back to the Order’s
founding in 1216. Every Dominican
community serves as the first
center for care. Only when the
needs of Friars exceed the abilities
of the community are outside
resources and services brought
in. In a few instances, Friars are
admitted to nursing centers.
With an increase in the number
of older Friars needing care, the
Province decided to establish the
Center for Assisted Living at St.
Dominic Priory in Washington,
D.C. in 1990. Groundbreaking
at the time, the Dominican
Community at St. Dominic’s
Priory welcomed Friars from all
communities of the Province to
their home and to the Center for
Assisted Living.
Now in its 21st year, the Center
accommodates Friars who need
supervised assistance in activities
of daily living, for short or long-
term stays – all within the rhythm
of the fullness of Dominican life.
The Center also provides hospice
services allowing Friars to spend
their final days surrounded by their
Dominican community and family.
Caring for the sick and the dying
in our Dominican homes is our
first preaching. It is a prophetic
witness to one another and to
the world, and an authenticating
sign of what Dominican Friars
communicate by example and
word of mouth.
– Brother Ignatius Perkins, O.P.
2 WWW.DOMINICANFRIARS.ORG
Spirituality: Friar Reflection
Prayer is a particular grace
of getting older
By Fr. Joseph J. Guido, O.P.
A number of Dominicans in the Province of St. Joseph have
entered their winter years. Most have done so with uncommon
grace. Once it was the eloquence of their words or the force of
their personalities that defined them; now it is the gentleness of
their mien. Some once traveled far and wide, befriending the
famous or serving the poor in mission lands. Now they are quietly
generous to those close at hand.
They bear their most important witness by their prayer. There is
the Mass and Office, to be sure; but it is their private prayer that
impresses most. It is something they rarely speak about and nearly
always deliberately do quietly and out of public view. Often it is
unexpected: in the chapel early in the morning, head bent, or late in the day, eyes fixed on the
tabernacle. Coming upon them at such times one feels like an intruder who would do best to
leave quietly. That, or learn from them and do the same.
Doing so is not easy. We are used to being busy, to seizing the initiative and doing what must
be done: good things, worthy things, certainly necessary things. But the simplicity of prayer
requires us to do just the opposite: To let God have the initiative, to wait on His will and
grace, and so let Him do what He wants to do with us. Prayer therefore is less something
one does than a response to what God does;
less a matter of technique than an inclination, a
disposition of being in the direction of God.
That is why we often fail to pray, despite our best
intentions, or grow frustrated when we do: so little
of use seems to get accomplished. Perhaps that is
why prayer is a particular grace of getting older. For
in the latter years of our lives, there is more time to
spend on prayer: little else to be busy about, and
less to be accomplished. There is time for waiting
and time for silence, time enough to grow familiar
with solitude, and so time to listen; time even to be
less than useful, as the world accounts utility. And
in those long hours, grace upon grace: eyes seeing
anew, and more deeply: beholding Him.
Those of us still fully in the bustle of life may
feel like intruders now, stumbling on our elders
in prayer. But if we learn from their witness we can do what they do, and long before the
winter of our own lives imposes its will. For no doubt it would be their fondest hope that we
would learn early what they perhaps learned only later: the time wasted on prayer is the most
important time of all.
Fr. Joseph J. Guido, O.P. is Vice President for Mission and Ministry at Providence College, RI,
an Assistant Professor of Psychology, and a Counseling Psychologist in the Personal Counseling Center.
[This is an edited version of a longer piece entitled “Winter’s Grace” which appeared in
Providence College Magazine in March 2011. Used with permission.]
 News & Posts

Ordinations to the Priesthood

On May 27th, 2011 at 9:30 AM, four Friars will be ordained to
the Priesthood by Archbishop Timothy Broglio, Archbishop of the
Military Services USA, at St. Dominic Priory in Washington, D.C.
Please pray for the Friars in their final weeks before ordination. The
following Friars will be ordained:
n Br. Austin Dominic Litke, O.P.
n Br. Ignatius John Schweitzer, O.P.
n Br. Ezra Sullivan, O.P.

n Br. Hyacinth Marie Cordell, O.P.

Breaking Ground for the Charlottesville Priory

On April 12, 2011, a groundbreaking and blessing marked the beginning of a new era
for the Dominican Friars in Charlottesville, VA. Wielding golden spades, Fr. Luke Clark,
O.P., Pastor of St. Thomas Aquinas Church, and Fr. Joseph Scordo, O.P., Parochial Vicar,
ceremoniously shoveled into a pile of dirt. At their side was Archbishop Augustine DiNoia,
O.P., Secretary of the Congregation for Divine Worship and Discipline of the Sacraments,
who demonstrated with his smile and vigorous dirt-digging how joyful the occasion was for
all Dominicans, especially in the Province of Saint Joseph.
The groundbreaking, though a simple affair,
signifies a remarkable achievement: it is a
visible commitment of the Dominicans to
the Charlottesville and University of Virginia communities for the coming century, and
a historic undertaking for the Province of St. Joseph, the Order and the Church in the
United States. As Archbishop DiNoia articulated in his remarks at the groundbreaking and
at the Inaugural Ceremony the following day for the new President of UVA, the kinship
between the Dominican Friars and Thomas Jefferson’s University is a natural and an
important one. It is a joyful thing to anticipate the continuing growth and fruitful labors
of the Order of Preachers at so vibrant a font of learning.
If you would like to support our new Priory at St. Thomas Aquinas Church, serving the
University of Virginia in Charlottesville, contact us at df@opfriars.org or 212.535.3664.

Fr. Bruno Cadore, O.P. Visits

the Province of St. Joseph
Fr. Bruno Cadoré, O.P., the recently elected Master of the Order, the 86th
Successor of St. Dominic, arrived in New York City on March 30th, 2011 for his
first visit to the United States. During his fraternal visit to the Dominican Provinces
in the USA and Canada, Fr. Cadoré visited with the Priors Provincial and their
councils, the houses of formation, and major apostolic institutions in each Province.
Fr. Cadoré met with the Prior Provincial and his council in St. Joseph Province
on March 31st, 2011. During the discussion, he asked about the growing number
of vocations in the Province and the needs of the various apostolates. There
was a discussion about the Order’s revival of Thomism and how best to engage
contemporary culture with the Truths of the Faith. Fr. Cadoré enjoyed his time
visiting the Province and witnessing the Dominican charism alive and thriving. Fr. Bruno Cadoré, O.P. (center right) with the Prior Provincial and his Council

DOMINICAN FOUNDATION: DOMINICAN FRIARS • PROVINCE OF ST. JOSEPH 3

 Spotlight: Healthcare
You are now teaching a new
generation of caregivers.
In this teaching role, especially in “health care ethics,” I am able
to help create the space for dialogue to occur, to help students,
colleagues and administrators come to an understanding of the
richness of the Catholic moral tradition, to help form their moral
character, to apply the Church’s moral principles in caring for
others as healers of the whole person. I can help facilitate the
development of moral communities among clinicians so they can
together become authentic moral forces in reversing the prevailing
culture of individualism and moral relativism.
Friars in our communities who
are old, or middle-aged, or young,
as well as those of us who care for
the old, need to find each other
in the common experience of aging,
out of which healing and new life
can come forth.
Could you address the
Province’s commitment to caring
for its aging and sick Friars?
Consider these key questions: do we hold the societal belief that
our value or worth in the community can be measured only by the
volume of productive work? Can we see grace, beauty and wisdom
in the aging process occurring among our members? When is the
last time we expressed our appreciation and love for an elderly Friar
for simply being a model religious for the community?
Aging cannot be denied. It can be understood, affirmed and
experienced as a process of growth and development by which the
Divine Mysteries are revealed to us. Friars in our communities who
are old, or middle-aged, or young, as well as those of us who care for
the old, need to find each other in the common experience of aging,
out of which healing and new life can come forth.
Aging can be seen as another expression of our vow of poverty; to
give up in order to enter into a more profound understanding of
the love the Lord Jesus has for us! To resist the aging process and
to deny its value prevents us from being fully present to the elderly
among us.

From my years of experience, I have come to believe the idea
of care in the Dominican tradition consists of four critical
components: affirmation and respect for the intrinsic dignity
of every person; compassion; the freedom to acknowledge one’s
vulnerability in caring for others; and the courage and willingness
to be present, spiritually, emotionally and physically to the
one who is suffering. This paradigm represents the heart of the
healing ministry of Jesus Christ. It is in this experience where
evangelization can be most influential
in leading the sick and suffering to
understand and believe the love that God
has for each of them and that He will never
abandon them.
As Dominican Friars, our caring for one another is inseparable from
our call to preach and to serve the Church. We are servants for God
and for our brothers and sisters. At special times in our lives, this
call to serve is at the bedside of the terminally ill and dying. Here
the ministry of health care, given to a dying sister or brother at one
of the most vulnerable moments in their lives, is truly sacred work.
With compassion and caring we minister as Jesus did, to the dying
in preparation for their final union with God.

In His solicitude for the Church, Christ

calls, in each age, persons to take care of
His people. As Dominican Cooperator
Brothers, being consolers of the sick and
those in distress, we have been singularly
named to respond to the radical call that
evangelization evokes; to open our lives to
those who seek healing and hope; to heal
the sick and the abandoned in their darkest
hour wherever they may be and wherever
they call home; to believe and then to
proclaim that every person is worthy of
our respect and of our unlimited love,
regardless of the reasons for their distress or
their station in life.

4 WWW.DOMINICANFRIARS.ORG
 I also met a man who had not been to Mass and Confession in
A Day in the Life more than 35 years. With end-stage lymphoma he did not have

Preaching at
long to live. But he was reconciled to the Church. For many,
coping with grave illness or the death of a loved one is a great

the Bedside
moment to come back to the Church. Then, after comforting a
man who just lost his wife of 56 years, I ran back across the street
and met a couple preparing for Marriage. My days are as varied,
By Fr. Jordan Kelly, O.P. exciting and as challenging as you can imagine.
As a Dominican Friar, I am preaching and teaching in and out
Fr. Jordan Kelly, O.P., is Pastor of St. Catherine of Siena Church in of the pulpit. At their bedside we preach to the sick and suffering
Manhattan (served by the Dominican Friars since 1897) and Interim using classic Thomistic Theology to show that God is the source,
Director of the Dominican Friars Health Care Ministry of New York. center and end of our life. A Friar has a surety about our end and
He leads a team of Catholic health care chaplains and ethicists serving can convincingly argue the point by appealing to reason. It’s not
patients, their families and staff at the Hospital for Special Surgery,
some vague idea about our destiny, but the intellectual and spiritual
New York Presbyterian-Weill Cornell Medical Center, Memorial
certainty that, marked by the Cross, the Christian person is made
Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center and Rockefeller University Hospital.
to behold God for all eternity. The virtues lead us to God, while our
We minister suffering conforms us to Christ, purifies us and sets us free.
to individuals
The Friars also deal with medical ethics. We counsel families, who
who are at
are faced, for example, with the potential choice of withdrawing
their most
life-support from an aging parent. One family consulted me in
vulnerable and
their dilemma whether or not to submit their gravely ill three-
therefore more
year-old to another round of chemotherapy. The doctors still
docile to the
held out hope – so they went ahead. Researchers will ask us if it
promptings of
is licit to use embryonic stem cells in their work (never!). We help
the Holy Spirit,
doctors and nurses out in the incredible task they have chosen.
which is an
extraordinary In terms of my own spiritual life, I have to trust in God’s goodness
grace for and His plan for each of the patients I encounter. I am humbled
them. We beyond words to be His instrument and driven to my knees every
help patients day. My own life of prayer is paramount in finding the strength.
see that the Rose Hawthorne said of her Sisters’ health care ministry, “what a
Lord has not glorious vocation – one moment they are looking in our eyes; the
forsaken them next they are looking in the face of God.”
in their suffering – that their suffering can be a road to deeper
union with Christ, a path of purification which they may not have
found otherwise.
Strange as it sounds, a cancer survivor said to me the other day,
“Father, the best thing that ever happened in my life is that I
have breast cancer.” The experience changed her; she has come to
understand life and suffering. She was already a believer, but her
faith had become pro forma. This event made her much more alive
to the faith.
Recently, I gave First Holy Communion to a nine-year-old boy,
who is suffering from a very rare form of brain cancer that is
progressing very quickly. When I met him he had already lost the
ability to speak. He had been prepared for the sacrament at his
home parish. I asked him if he knew what the Eucharist was. He
took a pad and wrote, “the Body and Blood of Christ.” I asked
him if he wanted to receive Communion and he nodded yes.
Afterward, with his parents and godparents also present, he made
signs that he wanted to say something. He mouthed, “I am so
happy.” He will not live to see his tenth birthday. This past week
I also buried a ten-year-old; baptized a baby in danger of death;
anointed a four-year-old who is undergoing his fourth cancer
surgery; and stood at the bedside of two people who drew their Fr. Jordan Kelly, O.P. with parishioner at St. Catherine of Siena Church
last breath.

DOMINICAN FOUNDATION: DOMINICAN FRIARS • PROVINCE OF ST. JOSEPH 5

 “The life here is a blessing.”
Your Generosity Bearing Fruit
Established in 1991, the Center for
Assisted Living is a unique facility
housed at St. Dominic Priory in
Washington, D.C. With room for 13,
the Center currently meets the needs
of 11 Friars who, though only partly
engaged in ministry, are fully integrated
in the daily life of the community of
Friars. Fr. Jack McMahon, O.P., has
been the Center’s Director since 1993.
“The resident Friars can still say Mass
and preach. If their health permits,
they can hear confessions, for example.
They are fully part of the Dominican
community and enjoy the support of
the other Friars. There is no distinction
between them and the newly ordained
– they are saying the same prayers every
day, which makes for a great bond. It is
a new concept, echoing the notion of a
mother house, which has always served
as the de facto infirmary for communities
of Sisters.”
Fr. Norman parish and the Priory are well integrated.
Haddad, O.P. This structure allows me to keep my
(78) is a former fundamental responsibilities as a Friar.”
Prior Provincial
of the Province
of St. Joseph Fr. John Burke, O.P. (82) taught
(1997-2002). homiletics at the DHS for 40 years.
“The Center “What’s hard about getting old is being
allows ailing no longer able to do what you used to
Friars to do – the preaching and teaching – so
continue living your life becomes quite different. I do
with brothers they have known for find my reward is to continue living
decades. There is wealth of experience the Dominican life and particularly the
and richness in all the lives that are here life of prayer. The life here is a blessing,
– and that richness is available to all. because there are other men who all
We have a wonderful community.” had to give up their careers. We are
all in the same boat and support one
another. You do grow in wisdom. I
Fr. Lawrence have come to realize like never before
Concordia, that God is in control. He gives me the
O.P. (79) opportunity here to look back on my
served as the entire life and see so many instances
long-term when He protected and guided me. That
Director of is the greatest gift of getting older: to
the Shrine of become more and more sensitive to the
St. Jude at St. movements of the Spirit.”
Catherine of
Siena Church
and Priory
in New York
City. “Living
in the Center is very comfortable. The
services are good and the circumstances
of life are quite pleasant. There is a nurse
on duty every day and staff to drive me
to doctor’s appointments. At the same
time, all of us feel very much part of the
Priory’s community. The Center, the

Thank You!
Through your assistance we are able to ensure
that our brothers remain in our communities so
that they can continue to live according to the
values of our Dominican tradition: common life
and prayer, study, observance of the vows, and
limited apostolic service.
-Fr. Dominic Izzo, O.P.

6 Photographs by Fr. Gerard A. Lessard, O.P. WWW.DOMINICANFRIARS.ORG

 A “Contemplative
Powerhouse of Prayer” Bequests
Dr. Jeanne E. Hicks, MD, T.O.P. – a Lay Dominican – was Deputy
Leaving a Legacy
Director of Rehabilitation Medicine at the National Institutes of Health As you know, the Dominican Friars
cannot continue their important
(NIH) in Bethesda, MD. Currently, she is involved in various forms of work without the ongoing assistance
medical writing, producing scholarly papers with NIH and reviewing of our faithful and generous donors
journal articles of her peers. – people like you. There are many
ways to support the Friars and their
I first met the Friars when I was at the University of Tennessee Medical School in mission, including ways that your
Memphis. My physician father took me to St. Peter’s Priory whose most welcoming Prior impact on their work can live on
after you. A charitable bequest – a
readily assigned a spiritual director for my care. I felt drawn by the Dominican charism of transfer of property to a beneficiary
prayer, study, community and apostolate and wanted to integrate these into my medical as specified in your will – is one
work – making me a more caring and compassionate physician attuned to all the needs of of the simplest types of planned
my patients: psychological, physical and spiritual. So began an enduring relationship with gifts to make, and one of the easiest
to implement.
the Friars that continues to shape my relationship with God and my medical apostolate.
Below are a few examples of how to
A critical area where the Province needs support is the care of aging Friars with special needs. leave something in your will:
From a medical perspective, it is important to note that, in the process of normal aging, Specific Amount
a growing number of individuals who reach their 70’s, 80’s and even 90’s are maintaining A common transfer within a will
good health and functional status. I have been very impressed that the Friars are very vigilant is a specific dollar amount. You
in using medical screening, preventative and early intervention strategies to limit disease and simply specify an amount of cash to
disability. God gave us the gift of life and wishes us to care for it expeditiously. leave to the charity.

It is part of the Friars’ overall mission to Specific Asset Bequests

remain as healthy as possible, limiting the Many bequests transfer a specific
item to a beneficiary. It can be a
impact of disease, and bringing Christ to house, piece of land, or any other
the world as long as they are physically and item that you own.
mentally able. There is no real retirement Bequest of a Percent
in the life of Dominicans as, in charity and of the Residue
vowed commitment, they live fully – and A fractional amount of what is left
joyfully – for God and others all of their of the estate may be transferred to
days, even as aging means taking on new charity. After you have specified the
asset and amount bequeathed in
apostolates that can accommodate medical your will, you can indicate which
issues and decreased function. percentage of what remains will go
to the charity of your choice. These
The healthiest thing for an elderly Friar is to are just a few examples of how
“age in place” in the heart of their religious you can leave a Legacy Gift to the
community. This is also advantageous for younger Friars who can experience the witness Dominican Friars of the Province
of St. Joseph. We are happy to
of a long, faithful, vowed life, and benefit from the sage advice of their older brothers. talk with you about your plans in
Older Friars who can assist in parishes are treasured for their solid, compassionate advice. greater detail.
Even Friars who can no longer engage in active ministry are a special ‘contemplative Please feel free to contact our office
powerhouse of prayer.’ Some can provide spiritual advice by mail. at 212.535.3664 or email us
at df@opfriars.org to learn more.
Priories will incur significant expenses to upgrade their facilities to accommodate for Also, there is abundant
special elder needs. Unless they had special employment with retirement benefits, older information on our website
Friars’ retirement income and health insurance will be insufficient to finance this or long at www.dominicanfriars.org/
plannedgiving.
term care. That is why the laity’s support is absolutely vital.
Thank you for your ongoing
I am happy to be able to contribute to the Dominican Foundation which supports the Friars support, and may God Bless you
throughout their lives, from their start as Student Brothers to meeting their special needs for your generosity!
in their later years. It should be noted that infirmity can strike at any age, of course, so the
Friars depend on this support their entire lives. I haven’t forgotten them in my will either.
Older Friars will be consoled to know they are loved and supported not only by their
brethren but also by friends and lay members of the Order to whom they have ministered
for so many years. The measure of the greatness of a society is how it treats its elderly. God
bless the Province of St. Joseph for working so hard to provide appropriate care for its
older brethren and promote and protect the well-being of all the Friars.

DOMINICAN FOUNDATION: DOMINICAN FRIARS • PROVINCE OF ST. JOSEPH 7

 A MESSAGE
From Our Director
Dear Friends,
God’s blessing
and peace be
with you during
these grace filled
days of the Easter
Season.
I hope you enjoy this issue of the
Trumpet that highlights the fidelity
and life of Dominican Friars who
have spent themselves tirelessly in
the pastoral care of many people
in the various apostolates of the
Province. We are grateful to them
for the way in which they have
handed on the charism of the
Order of Preachers to the growing
generation of Dominicans eager to
join their ranks and witness.
The pressing capital needs of
the priories in which our infirm
brothers live are a concern we
are urgently seeking to address
to ensure a safe and healthy
environment for them and future
generations of Dominicans seeking
to live the last days of their lives at
home in the Dominican tradition.
Thank you for your continued
financial support and prayers for
our elder Friars. Your concern for
them enables all of us to enjoy
the richness their life-experience
brings to our charism and to future
generations of Dominicans who
will build on the solid foundations
that they have laid for us.
Know of my continued prayers for
you and your intentions.
Sincerely yours in Christ,
Fr. Dominic Izzo, O.P.,
Director
Dominican Foundation
Fr. Martin Egan, O.P. counsels a friend.
THE TRUMPET is a quarterly printed newsletter of the Dominican Foundation: Dominican Friars, Province of St. Joseph.
141 East 65th Street, New York, NY 10065 • Tel: (212) 535.3664 • Fax: (775) 542.5511 • Email: df@opfriars.org
Dominicans Yesterday and Today
When Yellow Fever Raged:
A Friar and a Rabbi Team Up
Caring for people who are sick has been important for Dominican Friars since the foundation of
the Province in 1805. Our brothers and sisters, who are now confronted with illness and death,
look to the Church for comfort and healing in Her sacraments, for protection of their dignity
while they are most vulnerable, and for the strength that comes from being remembered in the
prayers of the faithful.
Fr. John Vidmar, O.P., in his book, Fr. Fenwick’s “Little American Province”: 200 Years of the
Dominican Friars in the United States (2005, available at Amazon.com) writes about the
Dominican Friars’ and Sisters’ heroic care of the sick who suffered during the Yellow Fever
epidemic in Memphis, TN, between 1873-1879. Many of them died caring for the sick. A
number of stories stand out in his book, but one speaks directly to the fundamental need of
those who are sick. It was recorded by the only rabbi in Memphis at the time, Rabbi Max
Samfield:
“While passing along Shelby Street…a man called out to me for help from a window.
‘Money or medicine?’ I asked. ‘Not food, nor money, nor doctor,’ the man replied,
‘My wife already has the black vomit, the sure sign of death, and we are Catholics, and she
wants a priest. Can you get a Catholic priest for her?’
I assured him, and hastened to St. Peter’s. I informed the priest (a Dominican) and
accompanied him as he carried the Sacrament with great respect down the forsaken streets of
afflicted Memphis to the house…Never perhaps in history had the sight been seen before: a
Jewish rabbi running for a Catholic priest, and both going side by side along the streets of a
desolate city to bring to a dying Catholic the rites of her religion.” (p. 51).
Dear Friends,
I have watched the brethren with whom I live age with grace and I have witnessed
firsthand the seeming paradox that physical limitations and age can make people to
be freer internally and very effective intercessors for others. Nevertheless, “advances”
in medical technology can neglect or obscure the dignity of the human person. The
Pontifical Faculty of the Immaculate Conception, along with the Dominican Friars
Health Care Ministry in New York, has set about training Student Brothers to guard
and promote the dignity of the human person – from conception to natural death. The St. Catherine
of Siena Chair in Bio/Medical Ethics, initially established through a generous $1M gift, will ensure
that Friars serving in this vital healthcare ministry are professionally trained so that they can be reliable
advisors to families and individuals experiencing the vulnerability that comes with age and illness alike.
The aged and infirm can be our most powerful advocates “before the throne of Grace.” Life has potential
for good, no matter how old or limited we might become.
We also know that whatever we accomplish at the Dominican
House of Studies is due to our older brethren’s arduous labor,
personal sacrifice, and devotion in service to the Gospel. For
these important lessons of living by faith we are grateful – to
them and to you.
May the joy of Easter remain with you throughout the year.
Sincerely yours in the Lord,
Very Rev. Steven C. Boguslawski, O.P.
President, Pontifical Faculty of the Immaculate Conception