New Dominican Collaboration: Priestly Fraternities

By Fr. Michael Monshau, O.P. (Chicago)

Although the word “collaboration” is written in indelible ink in the Dominican lexicon, periodically it becomes necessary to breathe fresh meaning into it. The Church is quite familiar with Dominican collaboration. Perhaps the most enduring memory of Dominican collaboration was found in the remarkable collaborative parish structure of the Twentieth Century, with friars maintaining the Holy Preaching attendant to the church while the Holy Preaching of the Sisters was grounded in the parish school, neither entirely distinct from the other. In some cases, the Dominican laity were part of such a parish, and occasionally a monastery of cloistered nuns took the parish into their prayerful embrace as well, and there you had it: Dominican collaboration.

Whereas every Dominican can function fully in the Order’s life and mission, the various ways of life within the Order lend the sense that at least figuratively, the unique focus or life situation particular to a certain form of the life can influence the entire Order. For example, in a general way, it can be said that:   

…The friars help all Dominicans to remember that we are at home when we are dwelling at the heart of the Word;

…The nuns help all Dominicans to remember that we are at home when we are dwelling in the Heart of God;

…The Sisters help all Dominicans to remember that we are at home when we dwell at the heart of mission;

…The lay Dominicans help all Dominicans to remember that we are at home when we are at the heart of the world;

—The Priestly Fraternity helps all Dominicans to remember that we are at home when we are at the heart of the Church.

The Order has many branches, and occasionally a branch reaches a new stage of development or has repurposed some aspect of its program so that it attracts the attention of other Dominicans.  Aware that our association with one another enhances the effectiveness of the preaching mission of the whole  Order, we want to know about each other; we want to know each other; we want to collaborate.

Dominicans value collaboration with as much of the Church as possible. Few movements in the Church are bereft of Dominican participation. The Order looks with pride on the fact that whereas some Dominican Sisters are quite active in the prophetic projects of the LCWR, other Dominican Congregations are just as committed to the more classical projects of the CMSWR. The more diverse we can be and remain authentic, the greater the landscape of the Church upon which our Preachers can announce the Gospel.

Accordingly, reports about a new or revised branch of the Order attracts our attention. And there is such news today! The Priestly Fraternity of Saint Dominic, formerly regarded as the Third Order for priests, is growing rapidly in our midst. The Church is conscious of the need to support diocesan priests in their pursuit of greater fraternal support and more robust direction in their spiritual lives. Priest support groups and clerical study gatherings flourish.  New initiatives are widespread, from associations like the Companions of Christ, who feature shared living arrangements for their members to informal homily preparation groups whose obligations might be quite light.

Membership in the Priestly Fraternity implies being part of a group of diocesan priests who either live close enough to each other to function as a fraternal group, or who are committed to maintaining their alliance virtually. Chapters belong to the Province of friars in whose geographical territory they are located. A chapter itself usually has from six to twelve members and, inspired by the approved Constitutions, those members decide what their common activities will look like and how often they will gather. Despite the common constitution, each chapter finds its own way in charting their course for the kind of chapter they want to be. For example, observers of one current chapter would think it looks  like a priests’ support group. Another chapter is presently very much of a virtual chapter, helping men who live at a great distance from others or who are not well enough to travel to remain in touch with each other. Another chapter works very closely with a twin lay Dominican chapter to sponsor an incredibly courageous network of ministries to the poor. Yet another might appear to some to be something of a Thomistic study and prayer club. A very new chapter is situated within a major seminary and recruits and begins formation for seminarians who must wait for ordination to  begin their official Dominican formation. Future chapters will undoubtedly fashion their own unique response to Holy Father Dominic’s call to the Holy Preaching. 

Each Province designates a friar as the Promoter of the Fraternities. He assists in the formation and maintenance of the chapters, provides for the initial and permanent formation, and is a conduit between the province and the fraternity members as well as among the fraternity members. Promoters are Fr. John Langlois for the Eastern Province; Fr. David Keong Seid for the Southern Province; Fr. Augustine Hilander for the Western Province; and Fr. Michael Monshau for the Central Province.

Currently, there are 481 fraternity clerics worldwide. Of those, 266 belong to the Philippine Province. The Central Province of the United States is next with 34 members; the Southern Province has nine; the Eastern Province reports six members and the Western Province has five members.    

Dominicans everywhere can help to strengthen the revival of the Fraternity by becoming engaged in their ministry projects. The Springfield Sisters have generously granted borrowing privileges in their Motherhouse library to the fraternity priests; several others have done the same.  Some of the nuns’ monasteries have been very open to the fraternity priests. Before it amalgamated with other communities, the cloistered Sisters at Ortonville MI hosted professions and meetings of the fraternity on their property. Any kind of outreach to the fraternity priests exhibited by other Dominicans would be a great help as this most recent branch of the family finds its footing on Dominican ground.

This year from June 22-25, the Dominican Order is sponsoring the third international assembly in Rome for the Priestly Fraternities of Saint Dominic. Each province is to send delegates and its Promoter, and with that collaboration in the family will have taken one more large step.