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Dear Friend, Dear Colleague,

The time is almost here—the joyous Feast I hope this finds you well in
of the Birth of Our Lord is fast
approaching. As the grace filled holy these final days of Advent as
season of Advent gives way to Christmas, we prepare for the celebration
on behalf of all the Friars of the Province of Christmas with our families
of St. Joseph, please accept our sincere thanks and gratitude and those dear to us. As we
for being our steadfast companions, collaborators and prepare our hearts to welcome
generous supporters. Our hearts are overflowing with joy and receive the great gift of the
and thanksgiving in anticipation of the Birth of Our Savior birth of Our Lord, we are
from Whom all good things come—most especially the gift
of your invaluable friendship. reminded of the many blessings
we have received throughout
What a blessing it is to journey with you toward celebrating the year and in our lives. And
the appearance of the Light of the World in the dark of we are reminded of, and given
winter. Christ, our Light forever illumines all of creation. May renewed hope to continue to
‘every heart prepare Him room’ so that we are able to fully press on in the great mission to
receive Him which we have been called, in
who wishes
to take us collaboration with the
into His Dominicans--that of helping
loving others to know Christ, Our
embrace. We Savior. Thank you, dear friends
have so and donors, for all that you do
much to be to help bring that hope to
grateful for! reality. Please continue to pray
In these final
days of for the success of the
preparation Dominican Friars. May God
for the Bless you and your families.
Christmas
feast, I invite Have a very Merry
you to take some quiet time to consider the role of gratitude Christmas!
in your life by opening yourself to the special graces of this
season where we give thanks to God for the beginnings of
our salvation. I hope the reflections of some of the Friars, Sincerely in Christ,
including my own, may guide your time of reflection.
The Mysteries of Advent
Some of our Friars prepared a Ray Clark
series of meditations on each of President
the four weeks of Advent.
Timeless in their message, they
are well worth viewing to help
us prepare our hearts and minds
for the coming of Our Savior
into the world and into our
lives.
Brother John Chrysostom
Kozlowski, O.P. reminds us of Please support the
the late Pope John Paul II's
insistence that Advent is "a DOMINICAN
period of intense training that FOUNDATION
directs us decisively to the One who has already come, who of the Dominican Friars,
will come, and who continuously comes." Fr. Anthony Province of St. Joseph.
Giambrone, O.P. calls us to follow the ascetic model of St.
John the Baptist so that we may fully "recognize and receive The purpose of the Dominican
the testimony of Christmas: the full revelation of God's love Foundation is to raise resources
in the lowliness of a manger." to support the mission and
strategic plan of the Dominican
Brother Hyacinth Cordell, O.P. teaches us that Advent is a
period in which we "rekindle our longing for the Second Friars, Province of St. Joseph.
Coming and the completion of our life's journey toward Please consider contributing to
God...(and in which) we wait for the coming of Christ more the Dominican Foundation today.
deeply into our life now, in preparation for the last coming."
Because of the generosity of our
Finally, then-Brother, but now Father James Brent, O.P.
explains that Advent challenges us to boldly ask ourselves friends, with the help of God's
this question: "Does absolutely every part of my life belong grace, we’ve been able to do so
to Jesus Christ?" If the answer is no, he says, "then it is time much. But this can only continue
to surrender to Jesus. It is time to belong completely to
Christ. It is time to welcome the Presence." if our supporters continue to step
out in faith and generously
Indeed, Advent is a special time of grace that makes contribute. Thank you and may
possible a full participation in the mystery of Christmas and
God Bless you!
the Word becoming flesh. In this regard, I also cordially
recommend this video of a talk by Father Andrew Hofer, O.P.,
on the teaching of Pope Leo the Great, who did battle with The Dominican Foundation is a
heresies that denied the full meaning of the Incarnation. 501C-3 tax-exempt not-for-profit

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heresies that denied the full meaning of the Incarnation. 501C-3 tax-exempt not-for-profit
The Feast of the Immaculate Conception organization. All donations are
tax-deductible to the extent
At the heart of Advent is the Solemnity that celebrates the permitted by law.
fact that of the Mother of Our Lord was conceived without
sin. Her
Immaculate
Heart was
totally open
and receptive
to God’s will
that she, full
of Grace,
accepted the
invitation to
bring forth 141 East 65th St.
the Son of New York, NY 10065
God for the
salvation of Phone: (212) 535-3664
every man Fax: (775) 542-5511
and woman. Email: df@opfriars.org
Please read,
and reflect
upon, my
own
meditation
on this
“singular
grace given
to the Virgin
Mary.” All of
us, though
born marked by the stain of original sin, are called to imitate
her by availing ourselves of the sacraments and becoming,
like Our Lady, supremely sensitive to “the sight of evil and
the pain of others” and willing—and brave enough—to do
whatever it takes to do the right thing in all circumstances. In
the end, as Br. Bruno Shah, O.P. puts it, “the noble beauty of
life without regrets is what our belief in the Immaculate
Conception itself has the power to conceive.”
We Dominicans, of course, have a particular devotion to Our
Lady, whom we know to be especially solicitous on behalf of
the Order. In humble gratitude, our devotion to her finds
expression in dedicating to her our place of intimate
encounter with Her Son, the Chapel of the Immaculate
Conception at the Dominican House of Studies (DHS) in
Washington, D.C. Our pontifical faculty at the DHS is
likewise named in honor of the Blessed Mother: the
Pontifical Faculty of the Immaculate Conception (PFIC). Like
Mary, we Dominicans are called in a very particular way to
say “yes” to the Lord throughout our lives so that we may
fully carrying out our mission to preach her Son, Jesus
Christ.
On the Feast of the Immaculate Conception, Dec. 8, the Friars
at DHS marked their Patronal Solemnity with a solemn Mass
celebrated by Abbot Austin G. Murphy, O.S.B. ofSt.
Procopius Abbey
in Lisle, IL.As a
former student at
the PFIC, he said
in his homily that
"if we want to
receive Christ in
our hearts and
bring His
salvation into the
world, we do so
by repeatedly saying yes to God. On this solemnity we ask
for the Blessed Virgin Mary's intercession for us, that like her
we may repeatedly say yes to God." To watch the video of
his homily, please click here.
Preaching in the public square
These monthly letters to you are always an occasion to
share with you some
of the ways the Friars
preach Christ and
make Him present in
our world, in ways
both subtle and direct,
as the occasion demands. Our “yes” to God constantly
prompts us to active witness. This month I want to call
attention to our Thomistic Circles, academic seminars at the
PFIC. These seminars are devoted to applying the teachings
of St. Thomas Aquinas to the pressing issues of our day, and

they are open the public. Please visit our website to learn
about upcoming seminars. The most recent one featured Dr.

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about upcoming seminars. The most recent one featured Dr.
Remi Braque, a distinguished French professor of Arabic and
religious studies.
Last month, the Dominicans also had the distinct honor of a
Friar—Irish Dominican Father Paul Murray, O.P.—preaching
to the House of Lords in the United Kingdom for the first
time in history! It is hard to imagine a public square more
distinguished than that setting.
Works on Dominicans
The Friars, of course, thanks to their deep learning in myriad
fields are much sought-after speakers and authors, while
Dominican saints are increasingly the subject of books and
even films. A noted example of the latter is a new film about
the life of our Holy Founder, St. Dominic, produced by the
Dominican Province of the Philippines. You can
see the trailer here, and learn about the amazing story behind
the making of this unique film. Allow me to call your
attention to a few titles and projects that are well worth your
time and resources:
The Catholic Truth Society in England has published a new
book on Blessed Margaret of Castello, a
Third Order Dominican and patroness of the
unborn and those with physical disabilities.
The Province of St. Joseph honors her at a
shrine dedicated to her at the Church of St.
Patrick in Columbus, OH. I also warmly
recommend Don Brophy’s new work on one
of our greatest saints, St.
Catherine of Siena.
“Catherine of Siena: A Passionate Life”
won the Paulist Press book of the month
award. Please click here to learn more
about the book and also read Pope
Benedict XVI’s tribute last month to the
saint’s “profound union with the Lord.”
You will also enjoy this homily by Archbishop Timothy
Dolan of New York, who preached on St. Catherine’s Feast
Day last April 29 at St. Catherine of Siena parish in New York.
Books by Our Friars
Although we live in an era increasingly dominated by short-
form digital—and instant—communication,
Dominican learning lends itself to authoring
more comprehensive scholarly works, and this
they do prolifically. This past month, a Friar of
our Province, Fr. Nicholas Lombardo, O.P. has
written a book on St. Thomas Aquinas’
teachings on human emotion, a study that will
greatly interest both religious
and secular readers. Father
Peter Cameron, O.P., the Editor-in-Chief of the
daily missal Magnificat and also a Friar of the
Province, has just published “Mysteries of
the Virgin Mary—Living Our Lady’s Graces.”
Please click here to listen to an interview with
the author.
Conclusion
I cannot recommend to you strongly enough to visit often
our website and keep up with all the news of publications,
events and talks that serve as a resource for your journey of
holiness. You will discover great riches online. Better yet,
sign up to receive our email alerts each time a new item is
posted. Simply submit your email address when prompted as
you first visit the site.
And please consider introducing friends and loved ones to
the site, for example by forwarding items that strike a
particular chord with you. You are also invited to write us at
df@opfriars.org with any questions and suggestions. I am
very grateful for the reactions I received in response to my
reflections on the Feast of the Immaculate Conception and
respond to all your correspondence.
The Friars of the Province of St. Joseph can look back to a
wonderful year filled with God’s many blessings. First and
foremost stands the amazing fact of the bounty of vocations
the Lord is sending us. It bears repeating: no fewer than 21
Novices entered our Novitiate last summer! Thanks to your
help we will be able to give them a formidable formation and
ensure that they will serve the People of God for decades to
come, transforming the culture along the way.
The New Year will bring more opportunities for serving God,
and with it more challenges to find the funding to sustain
and expand our ministries to meet the needs of our time. We
will continue to call on your prayers and support to make all
this possible. Your friendship and support are indispensable.
On behalf of all the Friars, I wish you and your loved ones
the unique blessings that can only be given to those who
celebrate Our Lord’s birth with faith, thanksgiving, and joy.

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celebrate Our Lord’s birth with faith, thanksgiving, and joy.
Sincerely yours in Christ,

Fr. Dominic Izzo, O.P.

Director

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