"A Priest's Stuff" is invited to join the Vatican Meeting of Bloggers

The Vatican has already chosen 150 bloggers to attend in person the meeting that will take place in Via della Conciliazione, 5, on Monday, 2 May 2011.

Over 750 requests were made and a hard decision-making process had to be put in place to ensure, as much as is possible, a broad representation of the blogosphere. There are some famous bloggers and some new bloggers, some are institutional, others personal, some tell vocational stories and others comment on international news or local issues. Some are well-financed, most are run on a shoestring.

While some pre-choices were made to ensure a diversified presence, for the final selection, they simply gave each blogger a number and had someone choose numbers randomly.

They hope that those who were not on the list will not feel excluded.  It is also to be hoped that this is just the beginning of a dialogue.

Selection to attend does not imply Vatican approval of the contents of any of the blogs. Neither does non-selection imply disapproval.

I am happy and honored to say that this blog A Priest's Stuff is invited.

1. Agnieszka Woszczyńska  www.teologia.blox.pl
2. Alberto Piccini: http://www.maestroalberto.it/    
3. Aldo Padovan www.katholisches.info
4. Alessandro Gilioli: http://gilioli.blogautore.espresso.repubblica.it/
5. Alessio Jacona: http://www.thewebobserver.it/
6. Alfonsus Widhiwiryawan : http://alfoesercizi2010.blogspot.com/
7. Allison Girone www.TotusTuusFamily.blogspot.com
8. Andrea Gagliarducci: http://www.mondayvatican.com/
9. Andres Beltramo  http://www.e-consulta.com/blogs/sacroyprofano
10. Angela Ambrogetti: http://www.ilportonedibronzo.it/
11. Anna Arco http://www.catholicherald.co.uk/author/anna/
12. Anna Spatola  http://ordovirginumsicilia.splinder.com/
13. Antonio González http://catinfor.com/blog/
14. Antonio Spadaro http://www.cyberteologia.it/
15. Artur Stopka  http://arturstopka.blog.onet.pl
16. Bohdan Pankevych http://risu.org.ua/ua/index/blog/~Bohdan+Pankevych
17. Brandon Vogt http://www.thinveil.net/
18. Carol Glatz http://cnsblog.wordpress.com/
19. Carole Brown http://www.light2nations.org/
20. Christoph Gstaltmeyr http://www.religion.schule.at/
21. CM Paul http://cmpaul.wordpress.com/
22. Costanza Miriano: http://costanzamiriano.wordpress.com/
23. D. Catherine Wybourne http://www.ibenedictines.org/
24. Daniel Luecking http://www.medienkonsument.de/
25. Daniel Pajuelo sm http://smdani.marianistas.org
26. Danielle van Lith http://www.vngmagazine.nl/
27. David Ratnarajah http://www.olirumiraivan.com/
28. Dominique Rimaz http://lesuisseromain.hautetfort.com/
29. Dorothy Wolanin  http://wolanka-cojestzazakretem.blogspot.com/
30. Dylan Parry http://areluctantsinner.blogspot.com/
31. Eberhard Wagner http://blog.eberhardwagner.com/
32. Edmar Araújo  www.medidasdefe.com
33. Elizabeth Scalia http://www.patheos.com/community/theanchoress/
34. Eloi Aran Sala  www.elblocdeleloi.blogspot.com www.focnou.cat
35. Eric Le Meur http://henri.mondion.free.fr/index.php/2011/03/
36. Eva Janosikova http://www.madrid11.com/en
37. Felio Vilarrubias http://www.siempresacerdotes.blogspot.com/
38. Fr Gerard Dunne OP www.irishdominicanvocations.blogspot.com 
39. Francesco Diani: http://www.blogcattolici.it e http://www.siticattolici.it/
40. Francesco Spagnolo: http://www.esseciblog.it/
41. Gabriel Burke http://www.frgabrielburke.blogspot.com/
42. Gabriele Niola: http://sonovivoenonhopiupaura.blogspot.com/
43. Georg Feßlmeier  http://www.triff-den-papst.de
44. Georg Schimmerl http://gfsch.blogspot.com/
45. Giorgio Maria Faré http://www.santuariodivinamaternita.com/
46. Giovanna Maria http://geniofemminile.blogspot.com/
47. Guillaume Luyt http://blog.paixliturgique.fr
48. Hendrick Jolie http://pfarrer-jolie.blogspot.com/
49. Hilary White http://anglocath.blogspot.com/
50. http://santagostinopavia.wordpress.com/
51. Imrich Gazda http://www.svetkrestanstva.sk/
52. Eric van den Berg http://www.isidorusweb.nl/
53. J.Francisco Jiménez  http://www.forumlibertas.com/frontend/forumlibertas/seccion.php?id_seccion=27
54. James Bradley http://www.ordinariateportal.wordpress.com/
55. James Tucker http://fireofthylove.com/
56. Jane Mossendew http://thoughtsfromoasisinfrenchcatholicism.blogspot.com/
57. Javier Alba http://familiavidaylibertad.blogspot.com/
58. Jens Albers http://frischfischen.de/
59. Joan Lewis http://www.ewtn.com/news/blog.asp?blog_ID=1
60. Johannes Paul Jacob Chavanne http://www.facebook.com/pages/Stift-Heiligenkreuz/151746389020?ref=nf
61. Johannes Roger Hanses http://vita-in-deum.de/blogs/johannes
62. Jorge Enrique Mújica  http://actualidadyanalisis.blogspot.com       
63. Jorge H. Luna www.mexico.mg.org.mx
64. José Manuel Vidal López www.religiondigital.com
65. Jose María Barrera Murillo  http://custodiosdesanpedro.blogspot.com
66. Joshua Evangelista: http://reporters.blogosfere.it/
67. jovens Sem Fronteiras http://jsfronteiras.blogspot.com/
68. Juan Alejandro  www.padrenuestro.net
69. Juan José Garcia-Noblejas scriptor.org
70. Julio Gomez Sotero www.parroquiadebecerril.wordpress.com
71. Kathy Schiffer http://kathyschiffer.com
72. Katrina Ebersole http://thecrescat.blogspot.com/
73. Kelvin Frometa http://www.tucristo.com
74. Klaus Peper  http://kathspace.com/community/Volmar/blog/
75. Lorenzo http://www.qualcosadelgenere.com/
76. Lisa Hendey http://catholicmom.com/
77. Ljudmila Hribar http://pensamientosjuanpablo2do.blogspot.com 
78. Loub Gerhard http://www.loub.at/
79. Luca Fabbri: http://www.religionereligioni.blogspot.com/
80. Luca Paolini: http://www.religione20.net
81. Luca Sofri: http://www.wittgenstein.it e www.ilpost.it
82. Luciano Giustini: http://www.lucianogiustini.org/
83. Luigi Coronel http://prieststuff.blogspot.com/
84. Luis Badilla Morales: http://ilsismografo.blogspot.com
85. Luis Fernando Pérez Bustamante  http://www.infocatolica.com
86. Mader Isma Kasia Aga  www.franciszkanska3.pl
87. Manuela und Stefan Ehrhardt http://zeitzubeten.org/
88. Marco Fioretti: http://informaticaetica.com/
89. Marco Freccero: http://marcofreccero.blogspot.com/
90. Marco Sanavio: http://www.famigliacristiana.it/famiglia/un-prete-in-rete/blog/un-prete-in-rete_180211084434.aspx
91. Maria Elisabetta Marinoni  http://genitoriliceoparini.forumattivo.com/
92. Marilena Ruah: http://nobell.it/
93. Mario Aversano http://www.iltesoro.org/
94. Marjeta Pija Cevc http://hranazazivljenje.blogspot.com/
95. Mark Aurel Erszegi http://vatikanifigyelo.freeblog.hu/
96. Marta Nin http://www.catalunyareligio.cat/?q=blog/358
97. Mary O'Regan http://thepathlesstaken7.blogspot.com/
98. Marypaz de Mencos  http://loquevale.wordpress.com/
99. Massimiliano Badolati: http://tech.fanpage.it
100. Massimo Granieri: http://www.maxgranieri.it/ e http://www.latprov.it/
101. Massimo Melica: http://www.massimomelica.net/
102. Matthias Suess http://www.matthiassuess.de/blog/
103. Mattia Marasco: http://www.mattiamarasco.it/i-miei-blog/
104. Mauricio Viquez  http://ars-parroquiavirtual.blogia.com
105. Mayra Novelo de Bardo  www.es.catholic.net
106. Michael Blume http://www.chronologs.de/chrono/blog/natur-des-glaubens
107. Miguel de la Lastra Montalbán, o.s.a  http://www.buscadoresdedios.blogspot.com/
108. Moreno Migliorati: http://www.spiritualseeds.info/
109. Mussie Zerai http://habeshia.blogspot.com/
110. Narda Centeno http://fromthepews.wordpress.com/
111. Néstor Mora http://www.religionenlibertad.com/blog.asp?idautor=145
112. P. Fortea  http://blogdelpadrefortea.blogspot.com/
113. Padre Stéphane Jourdain http://lemessin.wordpress.com/
114. Paolo Benanti: http://sinderesi.wordpress.com
115. Paolo Benvenuto: http://www.sguardocattolico.it/
116. Paolo Padrini http://passineldeserto.blogosfere.it/
117. Paolo Rodari: www.palazzoapostolico.it
118. Pavel Levushkan http://catholic.baznica.info/
119. Pe. Djalma Lúcio Magalhães Tuniz, scj  http://djalmascj.blogspot.com/http://boccadiroma.blogspot.com/
120. Pedro José González Rodenas  www.llenadlastinajas.blogspot.com
121. Peter Wurm http://www.peterwurm.com/
122. Philomena Ewing http://blueeyedennis-siempre.blogspot.com/
123. Pierre-Baptiste Cordier http://peube.wordpress.com/
124. Ralph Anderl http://www.ic-berlin.de/
125. Rocco Palmo http://www.whispersintheloggia.blogspot.com/
126. Roderick Vonhögen http://sqpn.com/
127. Rodrigo Gurgel http://rodrigogurgel.blogspot.com/ 
128. Ronald Glaeser Freelance journalist
129. Rosangela Mancusi      http://mv.vatican.va
130. Rosario Carello: http://www.rosariocarello.it/
131. Sandro Magister:http://www.chiesa.espressonline.it 

132. Santiago Casanova  http://caballerotrueno.wordpress.com
133. Sara Carlson http://foryourmarriage.org/marriage-resources/news-blogs/learning-to-say-i-do-blog/
134. Silvio Ottanelli:  http://www.cercoiltuovolto.it/
135. Simone Chiappetta http://www.laporzione.it/
136. Simone Sereni: http://www.vinonuovo.it/
137. Sjargej Surynovic http://bartnicki.livejournal.com/
138. Stefano Epifani: http://blog.stefanoepifani.it/
139. Barbara Wenz:http://elsalaska.twoday.net/  

140. Susan Vigilante http://www.desperateirishhousewife.blogspot.com/
141. Susan Windley-Daoust http://www.ironiccatholic.com/
142. Taylor Marshall http://www.cantuar.blogspot.com/
143. Thomas Peters http://www.americanpapist.com
144. Tim Kelleher http://www.firstthings.com/
145. Vicente Javier Navas www.vecinosdefuenlabrada.blogspot.com
146. Virginia Bonard www.ciudadnueva.org.ar
147. Vito Martinez http://vocationstory.blogspot.com/
148. Vittorio Saraceno  http://isgabrasil.blogspot.com 
149. Wagner Moura  http://diasimdiatambem.wordpress.com/
150. Xavier Arnaud http://www.leforumcatholique.org/ 

Biographical Profile of Pope John Paul II based on the Booklet for the Celebration of his Beatification

Karol Józef WoJtyła, elected to the Papacy on October 16, 1978, was born in Wadowice (Poland) on May 18, 1920. He was the second of two children born to Karol Wojtyła and Emilia Kaczorowska. His mother died in 1929. His older brother, Edmund, a doctor, died in 1932 followed by his father, an under official of the Armed Forces, who died in 1941.

At the age of nine Karol made his First Holy Communion, followed at the age of eighteen by the sacrament of Confirmation. After having completed high school in Wadowice, he enrolled as a student at the Jagiellonian University of Cracow in 1938.

Following the occupation by the Nazi forces and the University’s closure in 1939, the young Karol was forced to earn a living by working in a mine and in the Solvay chemical factory in order to avoid deportation to Germany. 

Starting in 1942, after having felt the call to the priesthood, Karol began secretly to frequent courses at the clandestine Major Seminary in Cracow, directed by the Archbishop, Cardinal Adam Stefan Sapieha. At the same time, he was also one of the promoters of the clandestine “Rhapsodic Theater”. 

]

After the war, Karol continued his studies at Cracow’s Major Seminary which had been reopened, and then at the Faculty of Theology of the Jagiellonian University until his priestly ordination in Cracow on November 1, 1946. He was then sent to Rome by Cardinal Sapieha where he pursued a Doctorate in Theology (1948), with a thesis on the topic of faith in the works of St. John of the Cross. During that time, in vacation periods, he exercised his pastoral ministry among Polish immigrants in France, Belgium and Holland.

In 1948, he returned to Poland and was at first assistant priest in the parish of Niegowić, near Cracow, and then in the Church of Saint Florian in the same city. As University Chaplain until 1951, he continued to study both Philosophy and Theology. In 1953, he presented a thesis at the Catholic University of Lublin on the “Evaluation of the Possibility of Constructing a Christian Ethic on the Ethical System of Max Scheler”. Later, he would become Professor of Moral Theology and Ethics at the Major Seminary of Cracow and at the 

Theological Faculty of Lublin. 

On July 4, 1958, he was nominated by Pope Pius XII as Auxiliary Bishop of Cracow and Titular Bishop of Ombi. He was ordained Bishop on September 28, 1958 in the Cathedral of Wawel (Cracow) by Archbishop Eugeniusz Baziak. On January 13, 1964, he was nominated as Archbishop of Cracow by Pope Paul VI, who also later made him a Cardinal on June 26, 1967. 

Wojtyła also participated in the Second Vatican Council (1962-65), at which he made an important contribution to the preparation of the Constitution Gaudium et Spes. Preceding his Pontificate, Wojtyła would also take part in five assemblies of the Synod of Bishops.

He was elected to the Papacy on October 16, 1978. On October 22nd he began his ministry as Shepherd of the Universal Church. Pope John Paul II made 146 pastoral visits in Italy and as Bishop of Rome he visited 317 of the 332 parishes in Rome. The apostolic trips made throughout the world, an expression of his constant pastoral solicitude as Successor of St. Peter for the whole Church, added up to a total of 104.

Among the primary documents which he wrote are: 14 Encyclicals, 15 Apostolic Exhortations, 11 Apostolic Constitutions and 45 Apostolic Letters. He also wrote numerous other works including  five books: “Crossing the Threshold of Hope” (October 1994), “Gift and Mystery: on the Fiftieth Anniversary of My Priesthood” (November 1996), “Roman Triptych: Meditations” (March 2003), “Rise, Let us be on our way!” (May 2004), and “Memory and Identity” (February 2005).

Pope John Paul II presided over 147 Beatifications, declaring 1,338 beatified and 51 Canonizations, proclaiming a total of 482 saints. He also officiated in nine Consistories thereby creating 231 (plus 1 “in pectore”) Cardinals and presided at six plenary reunions of the College of Cardinals.

Beginning in 1978, he convoked 15 Assemblies of the Synod of Bishops: six Ordinary General Assemblies(1980, 1983, 1987, 1990; 1994 and 2001), one Extraordinary General Assembly (1985) and 

eight Special Assemblies (1980, 1991, 1994, 1995, 1997, 1998 [2] and 1999).

On May 13, 1981, Pope John Paul II was the victim of an attack in St. Peter’s Square. Having been saved by the maternal hand of the Mother of God, and following a long recovery, he forgave his attacker. Grateful for the gift of new life, he intensified his pastoral work with heroic generosity. 

His solicitude as pastor was expressed, moreover, in the erection of numerous dioceses and ecclesiastical circumscriptions, as well as by the promulgation of the Codes of Canon Law for the Latin Catholic and Eastern Catholic Churches. As an encouragement to the People of God, he also inaugurated moments of particular spiritual intensity such as the Year of the Redemption, the Marian Year, and the Eucharistic Year as well as the Great Jubilee of the Year 2000. He also attracted younger generations by the celebration of World Youth Days. No other Pope had ever encountered as many people as John Paul II: the number of pilgrims at the Wednesday General Audiences alone (more than 1,160 audiences) came to over 17 million pilgrims, to say nothing of the special audiences and other religious services (the Great Jubilee of the Year 2000 alone saw the arrival of 8 million pilgrims), and the other millions of faithful that he met during apostolic visits in Italy or throughout the world.

Numerous government officials were also received in audience: there were 38 official visits and a further 738 audiences or meetings with Heads of State, along with 246 visits with Prime Ministers.John Paul II died in the Vatican’s Apostolic Palace on Saturday, April 2, 2005 at 9:37 p.m., on the Vigil of the Sunday in Albis, also commemorated as Divine Mercy Sunday, which he had instituted. On April 8th, John Paul II was buried in the Vatican Grotto following the solemn funeral celebrated in St. Peter’s Square

Source: Booklet for the Celebration of the Canonization of Pope John Paul II, May 1, 2011, pp.11-14

Via Lucis (The Way of the Light)

The Via Lucis or The Way of the Light, also known as the Stations of the Resurrection, is a scripturally-based pious Christian exercise that focuses on the meditation of the fourteen stations of the various appearances of Jesus from His Resurrection to His Ascension as recorded in the Gospel and the Acts of the Apostles. It is particularly suited for the Easter Season.

The end point of the lenten Via Crucis has been increasingly regarded as unsatisfactory in meditating the Paschal mystery, which according to Christian doctrine culminates in, and is incomplete without, the Resurrection (see 1Corinthians 15:17–20). So, it has been an outstanding instruction of the faith, since "per crucem ad lucem" [through the Cross (one comes) to the light]. Using the metaphor of a journey, the Via Lucis moves from the experience of suffering, which in God's plan is part of life, to the hope of arriving at man's true end: liberation, joy and peace which are essentially paschal values.

It is a potential stimulus for the restoration of a "culture of life" which is open to the hope and certitude offered by faith, in a society often characterized by a "culture of death", despair and nihilism.

In 1988, Fr. Sabino Palumbieri, Professor of Anthropology at the Salesian University in Rome, proposed the creation of a new set of stations, centered upon the Resurrection and the events following from it, so as to emphasize the positive, hopeful aspect of the Christian story which, though not absent from the Stations of the Cross, is obscured by their emphasis upon suffering. The first major public celebration of this devotion was in 1990, after which it gained greater currency.                ---------------------------------------------------------------

STATIONS

There is no definitive list of stations yet. However, there is general agreement that in order to emphasize the complementarity between the Via Crucis and the Via Lucis, there should be fourteen Stations of the Resurrection, as is traditionally the case with the Stations of the Cross.

In spite of the inconsistencies, there seems to be a convergence upon the following list:

1. Jesus is raised from the dead
2. The finding of the empty tomb
3. Mary Magdalene meets the risen Jesus
4. Jesus appears on the road to Emmaus
5. Jesus is known in the breaking of bread
6. Jesus appears to the disciples in Jerusalem
7. Jesus gives the disciples his peace and the power to forgive sins
8. Jesus strengthens the faith of Thomas
9. Jesus appears by the Sea of Tiberias
10. Jesus forgives Peter and commands him to feed his sheep
11. Jesus commissions the disciples upon the mountain
12. The Ascension of Jesus
13. Mary and the disciples wait in prayer
14. The Holy Spirit descends at Pentecost

What happened to my original Dominican habit?

What happened to my original Dominican habit?

Rev.Fr. Louie R. Coronel, OP

April 11, 2011

The Chapel of Colegio San Juan de Letran (Calamba)

It has been eleven years since our batch received the Dominican Habit. Some might have not been conscious to celebrate it or even forget the date of their vestition but we hold it dearly. Twelve out of the 20 postulants were accepted to the novitiate but only eleven   received the habit in a solemn investiture rite on April 15, 2000 at the old Chapel of Colegio de San Juan de Letran in Calamba City. One of our companions opted not to proceed because of personal problems.

Candidates to the Novitiate prostrating and asking for mercy

The Prior Provincial of the Dominican Province of the Philippines, Rev. Fr. Quirico Pedregosa, OP and the Prior of the Convent of St. Albert the Great, +Rev. Fr. Romeo Asuzano, OP (May he rest in peace) vested us with the Dominican habit while the choir sang the traditional Veni Creator Spiritus. It was such a moving moment when we were stripped off of our polo barong, the secular clothing, and received the religious habit.  This marked the beginning of our Novitiate. (cf. LCO 176).

The Dominican Novitiate of Annuncoation in Manaoag, Pangasinan

In the Philippines, the vestition falls on the Saturday before Palm Sunday. From Calamba City, the newly vested junior novices will, then, proceed to the Dominican Novitiate of the Annunciation in Manaoag, Pangasinan immediately after the snacks and refreshments. Imagine how much we perspired since we were not yet accustomed to such clothing considering that Holy Week in Manaoag is hot and humid. However, we took that penance happily.

c/o Godzdogz.op.org

The full habit of the Order consists of a white tunic with a white scapular and capuce, with a black cappa and capuce, a leather belt and a rosary (cf. LCO 50). We usually wear the habit during celebrations of the Holy Eucharist, the major hours of the Liturgy of the Hours, and other special and formal occasions. A Dominican can wear it anytime since it is basically our garb. Some would say that they were magnetized by the habit which prompted them to join the Order. It might be unconventional but I was more attracted to the Filipino Dominicans’ way of preaching than our habit.

FROM THE PRIMITIVE CONSTITUTION

St. Hyacinth of Odrowatz receiving the habit from St. Dominic himself 

The thirteenth chapter of the primitive constitution of the Order of Preachers under the title “Of those to be Received” provides us a hint of our tradition:

“When those to be received come to us, they shall be conducted to the chapter at the time set by the discretion of the prelate or certain older brethren. Upon arriving there, they shall prostrate themselves in the middle of the chapter, until they are asked by the prelate,’ What do you seek?’ and they answer, ‘God's mercy and yours’. Then, they arise at the command of the prelate, who explains the austerities of the Order and asks them what their will is. If they answer that they are willing to observe all these things and renounce the world, he shall, after other things, finally say,’Dominus qui coepit, ipse perficiat’. The community responds, ‘Amen’. Then divesting themselves of their secular clothing and putting on the religious habit, they are received into our society in chapter. However, before they promise stability and life in common or vow of obedience to the prelate and his successors, a period of probation shall be assigned to them.”

FROM THE PRESENT CONSTITUTION

A detailed description of the prescribed habit, on the other hand, has been promulgated in the third appendix of the present Constitutions and Ordinations of the Order of Friars Preacher:

“The tunic, closed in the front and back, is to reach to the ankles inclusively and no lower.  The cappa should be four fingers shorter than the tunic, and the scapular a little shorter than the cappa and of such width as to cover the juncture of the sleeves with the tunic. The opening of both the white and the black capuce shall not be more than a palm's breadth longer than the face.  It shall not come down farther than the breastbone in front, and at the back not farther than four fingers below the belt; at the sides it shall extend from the shoulders no lower than halfway down the bone that is between the armpit and the elbow.”

Practically, we are not too conscious and scrupulous on such provisions but we take it as a guideline. Furthermore, the General Chapter celebrated at Madonna dell'Arco in 1974 (Acta, p. 163) suppressed the provisions on the color of shoes; the clothing worn under the habit; the simplicity of hairstyle; and the need to obtain the Provincial's permission to wear a beard.

THE HABIT

The habit is black and white. White signifies the purity of life with Christ and Black signifies penance and mortification. In the habit’s physical orientation, the black cappa of mortification seems to be safeguarding the white tunic, scapular and capuce of purity. The habit clothes the Dominicans with purity and penance as they follow and live the life devoted to Christ in imitation of St. Dominic de Guzman (ca. 1170-1221).

All Dominicans, clerical and cooperator brothers, novices, and even the Master of the Order wear the same habit with no distinction. Lay Dominicans do not usually wear the habit. However, they may be buried wearing it.

The Dominican habit is virtually unchanged for nearly eight hundred years. In the pre-Vatican II times, mandatory prayers must accompany a Dominican in wearing each part of the habit. Today, these prayers are highly encouraged.  It is also interesting to note the significance of each part.

THE WHITE TUNIC

The tunic is a simple white woolen one-piece, shoe-top length gown with long sleeves and cuffs. It is made of light materials for tropical countries like the Philippines.  It signifies consecration and purity. A Dominican first puts on the tunic while praying:

Clothe me, O Lord, with the garments of salvation.
By your grace may I keep them pure and spotless,
so that clothed in white, 

I may be worthy to walk with you in the kingdom of God.
Amen.

THE CINCTURE

The Dominican cincture is a black leather belt with a simple silver buckle. Like St. Thomas who is girded by the angels with a mystical belt of purity after his proof of chastity, a Dominican gird himself each day with the cincture of chastity. Traditionally, we ask St. Thomas for his intercession to protect our purity. While fastening the cincture, a Dominican prays:

Gird me, O Lord, with the cincture of justice

and the cord of purity
that I may unite the many affections

of my heart in the love of you alone.
Amen.

THE ROSARY

The rosary is hung from the cincture on the left side as if a sword ready to be pulled out from the scabbard in the spiritual battle. According to tradition, when St.
Dominic’s labors among the French heretics became futile to the point of depression and utter disappointment, the Blessed Virgin Mary appeared to him and asked him to preach her Psalter which is known today as the ‘rosary’. Typically, the rosary has black beads and hangs from a clip near the hip. While adding the rosary to the cincture, the following prayer is recited:

O God, whose only-begotten Son,
by his life, death, and resurrection,
has purchased for us the rewards of eternal life,
grant, we beseech Thee,
that meditating upon the mysteries of the
Most Holy Rosary of the Blessed Virgin Mary,
we may imitate what they contain and obtain what they promise,
through the same Christ our Lord.
Amen.

THE SCAPULAR

The scapular is a long white strip of cloth (about shoulder width), with a hole for the head, that is worn over the shoulders, extending to near the bottom of the tunic in the front and the back. The scapular was given to Bl. Reginald of Orleans (ca. 1183-1220) by our Blessed Mother for him to pass on to St. Dominic.

Reginald became deathly ill shortly after his entrance to the Order. St. Dominic, knowing that this bright young man would be an invaluable asset to the fledgling Order, prayed earnestly for his recovery. It was the Blessed Virgin Mary herself who responded to the prayer. In a dream, Reginald had a vision of Mary, accompanied by St. Cecilia and St. Catherine of Alexandria. Our Lady anointed Reginald with a heavenly perfume. She also showed to Reginald a long white scapular and told him it was to be part of the habit of the Order. The friars, who up until that time (1218) had worn the garb of Canons Regular, gladly changed to the scapular designed for them by the Mother of God. After two years Reginald died, having the honor of being the first friar to wear the distinctive Dominican habit and the first one to die in it.

The scapular was traditionally the most important article of the habit which signifies the Order’s devotion to Mary, the Mother of God. It is put on while saying this prayer:

Show yourself a mother,
He will hear your pleading
Whom your womb has sheltered
And whose hand brings healing.

THE WHITE CAPUCE

The white capuce, a short rounded shoulder cape that has a white hood attached to it, is the only head covering used by Dominicans liturgically, and fits over the scapular. The hood is a sign of contemplation while its lower part, similar to that of the bishops, signifies that in the 13^th century, the Dominicans, along with the Cistercians, shared in the Episcopal authority of preaching. Not everyone can preach during those times. While donning a capuce, a Dominican prays:

Lord, You have set your sign upon my head
that I should admit no lover but you.
Amen.

THE BLACK CAPE

The black cape is a long black cloak that is equal in length to the tunic and scapular. It has a religious significance as noted above and it has a practical use as well during winter in cold countries. In England, the Dominicans are referred to as Black Friars because of the black cappa or cloak they wear over their white habits. Dominicans are Blackfriars, as opposed to Whitefriars (for example, the Carmelites) or Greyfriars (for example, the Franciscans).While putting it on, a Dominican prays:

We fly to your patronage, O Holy Mother of God,
do not despise our prayers in our necessity,
but free us from all peril, O Blessed Virgin.

Amen.

THE BLACK CAPUCE

Finally, the black capuce, with hood, which overlays the cappa and serves as an outer black shoulder cape and covering for the hood. The black capuce completes the Dominican habit and, along with the cappa, is traditionally always worn by a Dominican while outside the convent, and inside the convent as well from All Soul's Day until the Gloria of the following Easter Vigil. It is still practiced at the Convent of Sts. Dominic and Sixtus in Rome. While putting it on, a Dominican prays:

Heavenly Father,
Who were with your great servants Moses and Joshua
and used them to bring your children out of bondage,
fill us with that same grace
that we may preach your word boldly and with authority
for the deliverance of those under the bondages of sin.

We ask this through Christ our Lord.
Amen.

CONCLUSION

Blessed Pope John Paul II (1920-2005) in his Post-Apostolic Exhortation Vita Consecrata (1996) acknowledged the significance of the religious habit as “a sign of consecration, poverty and membership in a particular Religious family.” He strongly recommended the religious to wear their proper habit, suitably adapted to the conditions of time and place. It can also be dispensed depending on the nature of the apostolate.

Before we took our simple vows that formally marked the end of our Novitiate, we have undergone the scrutiny of a three-man panel. Facing them was tense-filled but I satisfactorily answered the questions of the first two panelists until the third brought me to deep reflection.

Fr. Filemon de la Cruz, OP, our novice master for our first 8 months was the third panelist. He asked: “What are you wearing?” I confidently said “The Dominican habit, father.” He continued his interrogation: “What does it signifies?” Knowing that I have read all the pertinent resources, I assertively quoted the constitution: “Father, the Dominican habit is ‘a sign of our consecration’ (LCO 51).” But he added: “Not quite. Yes, it is a sign of our consecration but it is just an external sign. What’s important is our internal consecration, that is, the offering of ourselves to God.” I was awestruck to hear that. It means that we should not only keep in mind such constitutional provision but put it in our hearts and live it.

So what happened to the original habit that I wore on our vestition day? Well, the white tunic, capuce and scapular were mixed up with the other habits in the novitiate. I could not pinpoint where they are now. I have probably disposed them.

The black cappa and capuce were stolen in Rome. The perpetrator may have thought that my old bag contained something that is valuable to him (or her).

My original rosary which Fray Kuray made for us was already kept for posterity’s sake since the 15 mysteries was replaced with the addition of the Luminous mysteries in 2002.

Our Director of postulants, Fr. Gerard Timoner, III, OP told us before that our leather belts are so durable that it may last even after our ordination. Yes, it was proven to be true. However, I only used it until my second year in the Studentate not because it was broken but because it lacks the slot to accommodate my increasing waistline.

So practically, my original habit is gone but what remained is the consciousness that we have offered ourselves completely to God. So, whether we are wearing the habit or not, we remain consecrated religious. External signs can be seen by everybody but the internal consecration can only be seen by God to whom we asked mercy on the very first day of our novitiate.

Happy Vestition Anniversary, batchmates!