Dominican friars at
the conventual mass
We are the Friars of the Order of Preachers, known as Dominicans after our founder St Dominic, and are a religious order of priests and brothers in the Roman Catholic Church. The word friar is derived from the Latin word frater, meaning simply brother.
Although this page is written principally with the vocation of a friar in mind, much that is said applies equally to the vocations of the Dominican nuns and sisters and members of Dominican Secular Institutes and Lay Fraternities. At the bottom of the page contact details are given for those considering any of these vocations.
The Order was founded in the south of France in the early thirteenth century. Dominic realised that some of the central truths of the gospel were being denied, and saw the need to establish a preaching community. Dominic and his brothers showed by their lives and preaching that it was possible to live a radical form of life without abandoning the truth of the gospel. Dominic's friars spread quickly through Europe, being especially strong in the centres of learning.
The Order was "known from the beginning to have been instituted especially for preaching and the salvation of souls" and is "appointed entirely for the complete evangelisation of the Word of God".
Dominican friars at
the conventual mass
Dominican friars live in priories, usually with at least six brothers under an elected prior. The Divine Office and Mass are sung daily by the community, and form the heart of the common life. Sharing meals and recreation together is also an important part of community life. Any works of the brothers are seen as works they do as a member of the priory.
We profess obedience directly to the Master of the Order, and so can be moved to another priory as the needs of the Church and of the Order require. As part of our profession of obedience we also bind ourselves to the celibate life and the life of personal poverty, so as to be free for the common apostolate. Our life is not only a witness to the gospel in itself, but prepares us to preach that gospel.
So that they can minister the word and the sacraments of faith, most of the brothers are ordained priests; however there are also non-ordained brothers who contribute in various ways to the preaching community and thus share fully in the work of the order.
A brother studying
We must be men of prayer, in times of quiet contemplation as well as in the liturgy and in all that we do. We must never lose touch with the God whom we study and preach.
Dominican friars are both apostolic and comtemplative. Contemplation means both prayer and study, so all the brothers are called upon to devote time to study, whatever their other work might be. In a number of cases this means full-time academic research and teaching, but for every friar it means a continual enrichment of our preaching.
The first eight years of a friar's life in the Order are set aside for full-time initial formation, principally the study of theology and philosophy, according to the needs and abilities of the brothers.
To find out more about life as a Dominican student, you can read an interview with one of our students, fr. Bruno Clifton OP.
The purpose of our regular and contemplative life is to prepare us to preach the gospel, not only in the homilies given at Mass, but also by lecturing, writing books and pamphlets, appearing on radio or television and producing material for the Internet. We preach the gospel to the people we meet in our work in parishes, schools, hospitals, prisons, universities and all the other places where Dominican friars are found. Wherever our work takes us, we try to emulate our founder St Dominic, who, it was said, spoke always either to God or about God.
Dominican priories in particular areas are grouped into provinces. It is the province which is responsible for admitting, training and nurturing friars, and so a province builds up over time its own character and traditions.
The English province covers the whole of Great Britain, and is also given the care of three islands in the West Indies. In Britain there are 75 friars in seven houses, at Oxford, London, Edinburgh, Cambridge, Newcastle, Leicester and Glasgow.
Apart from prayer and study there is a wide range of work that is done in these houses: parishes, chaplaincies to universities, schools, hospitals and prisons. A number of brothers are writers or lecturers, many of whom teach in Blackfriars, a Hall of the University of Oxford run by the Order.
There are nearly forty provinces of friars in the Order of Preachers, from all parts of the world, all united by obedience to the Master of the Order. Sharing in the charism of the order there are also enclosed nuns, apostolic sisters and members of Dominican lay fraternities, priestly fraternities and secular institutes.
Our order has a world-wide mission, and so we work to spread the gospel not only by preaching in our own lands but also in those places around the world where the Christian message of hope has not been heard.
A friar makes profession
Every year young men approach the Order, considering the possibility that they might be called to join in our work.
We encourage such people to come and see us: to talk to the friars about their life and work, and to taste the life by staying in some of our priories, without of course any commitment at this stage. We try to be both welcoming and honest to anyone who visits us.
If they then join, they are clothed in the Dominican habit and begin their years novitiate, a time of practising Dominican life and work before deciding to make a longer commitment by taking religious vows. Vows are for three years in the first instance and then, if the brother so desires, for life.
Glasgow Dominicans' vocation page
Two articles by fr. Isidore Clarke, O.P.:
Two articles by fr. Timothy Radcliffe, O.P., former Master of the Order:
A talk given by fr. Giles Hibbert, O.P.:
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