Letter from the Director
Dear Friend,
As I write this, the summer is drawing to
a close. The ancient Romans coined the
term dies canincula, the “dog days” of
summer, as a reference to Sirius, the dog star,
which rises just before the sun this time of
year. Likewise, the Order of Preachers is
blessed with a rising number of domini canes,
“God’s dogs,” as the friars are nicknamed.
Watch this video to meet the young men
who finished novitiate this August and are
continuing formation at the Dominican
House of Studies thanks to your generosity:
dominicanfriars.org/novices
I also invite you to read about a generous
bequest from Mr. Robert Mullin in honor of
his late older brother, Fr. Francis Raymond
Mullin, O.P. We are looking forward to
memorializing Mr. Mullin’s generosity by
engraving Fr. Raymond’s name in the cloister
of the Dominican House of Studies, where the
friars gather for evening prayer.
This summer, I was asked to lead a group of
FOCUS missionaries and college students
to two marian shrines: Our Lady of Knock
in Ireland and the Sanctuary of Our Lady of
Fatima in Portugal. In my daily masses at
those holy sites, I remembered you who have
been so generous to the Dominican Friars
and to the souls who are being reached by
our preaching.
In this issue of BlackFriars, Br. Daniel
Traceski, O.P., reports from the Thomistic
Institute philosophy conference in Newburgh,
New York. Students and teachers committed
to the philosophical realism of Aristotle
and St. Thomas shared ideas and formed
friendships before returning to their
respective campuses to serve as beacons
in secular academic environments marked
by confusion and darkness.
You will learn about a friar-led missions trip
to Peru, and how two Dominican student
brothers prayed for your intentions at
an ancient holy site: the cave of St. Mary
Magdalene in France. You will also hear of
the efforts of three friars to defend the
sanctity of life, religious freedom, and the rule of
law here in the United States.
BlackFriars - Volume IV, Issue III
As you prepare to return renewed to the
activities of autumn, I entrust you to the
care of Our Lady. As supporters of the
Dominican Friars, you are under the care
of the primary patroness of the Order: the
Blessed Virgin Mary.
In Mary and Dominic,
Fr. Gabriel Gillen, O.P.
Executive Director
Dominican Friars Foundation
Photo: Fr. Gabriel Gillen, O.P., with FOCUS
missionaries and college students on pilgrimage to
the Shrine of Our Lady of Knock, Ireland
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