Master of the Dominicans tours our Province

The English Province was honoured in October 2024 to welcome the Master of our Order, Fr Gerard Timoner III, to Great Britain on visitation.

During his visit, Fr Gerard toured the Province in the company of Fr Thomas Brogl (Socius for Europe), and was joined in Oxford by Fr Pablo Carlos Sicouly (Socius for the Intellectual Life), engaging the brethren in an extended reflection on the challenges and opportunities facing our mission in this country.

He aimed to help us clarify our vision and purpose, and encourage us to deepen our commitment to the Gospel through our Dominican way of life. Fr Gerard’s presence among us has been a real blessing and encouragement, and we hope very much that he will visit us again soon.

A photo gallery of the visit follows reports from each house, below.

Edinburgh 8-9 Oct

The Master celebrated Mass with the community of friars. Three people made their profession as Lay Dominicans, and after the Mass a further four received the scapular.

A highlight of the visit was a showing of the new film, Becoming Dominic, made by Graham Pritz-Bennett. As well as charting from conception to completion the creation of a new statue of St Dominic that stands outside the Dominican chapel in Edinburgh, the film explores who we are as sons and daughters of St Dominic and what we do. There were over 160 people at the showing, and the film was received very positively. Its distribution is still under negotiation and we will notify our readers in due course about how to see it.

London 10-12 Oct

The Master and Socius spent three nights in our London priory. They met with the whole community to think through the current challenges and opportunities for the Dominican mission. There are multiple facets to our presence in the national capital: we run the parish of St Dominic’s, which is also the diocesan Rosary Shrine; we host the London studio of Radio Maria England (with Fr Toby, the subprior, working full time as the Priest-Director). Indeed, having blessed the new Radio Maria studio on his last visit in 2021 (our province jubilee year), the Master was now able to go live on air, as Fr Toby interviewed him about his life in the Order and its mission today. The brethren also each met with the Master or Socius for an individual conversation.

Over the weekend, London played host to the various provincial bodies that met with the Master: the Councils for Formation, for the Intellectual Life, for Economic Matters; as well as representatives from the Lay Dominicans and the Priestly Fraternity of St Dominic.

On Thursday 10 October, the Provincial hosted a focus group over dinner, for the Master to meet and discuss with some of the most engaged Catholics of the younger generation.

The following evening, we hosted a Variety Evening in the parish hall with wonderful performances from local artists, including Grace Oskiera-Vooght, our own choral director Rachael Shipard (showcasing her talent as a concert pianist), the bard Sarah de Nordwall, and the Filipino Choir of St Dominic’s.

The biggest event was the Mass on Saturday 12^th October for the Dominican Family, who had gathered from all over the country. The Master celebrated the Mass and preached. Our new choral scholars led the music in a rich polyphonic offering. And of course there was a great party afterwards, with lots of food and drink! Many thanks to all our parishioners who did such a wonderful job.

Leicester 12-14 Oct

The Master celebrated the 10.30 Mass on Sunday 13 October, then met with parishioners, lay Dominicans and local supporters in the Frassati Centre, where he was overwhelmed by young people wanting selfies and very struck by how many different nationalities were represented – including fellow Filipinos, students from China and Vietnam, parishioners from India, Nigeria, Lebanon, Afghanistan and even Scotland, among many other places.

The Master and his socius joined the community for a special Sunday lunch cooked by Fr Benedict, including Schnitzel which made Fr Thomas Brogl feel very much at home! After a community meeting and individual meetings, followed by Exposition, Vespers and Benediction, the visitators were around for the 7pm evening Mass to meet another very large and diverse congregation.

Cambridge 14-16 Oct

The Master and his Socius arrived in Cambridge on Monday 14 October in time for Midday prayer. We were joined by the Cambridge Dominican Sisters for lunch followed by coffee. The Master and his Socius then facilitated a discussion with brethren on our mission in Cambridge and beyond.

In the evening, the Master and his Socius attended a Catholic Scientists discussion group in the Old Library led by Fr Robert Verrill OP.

On Tuesday morning, the Master had a meeting with the novitiate, and then in the afternoon, Fr Robert showed the Master some of the sights of Cambridge. On Tuesday evening, the Master spoke to the students at the University Chaplaincy, Fisher House for the first Apologia meeting of the Michaelmas term.

Oxford 16-19 Oct

We were delighted to welcome the Master of the Order to Oxford. As Oxford is a house of formation, with the Studium for formation of future priests and women religious, and Blackfriars Hall, our insertion into Oxford University, the Master and his socius were also accompanied by Fr Pablo Sicouly, the Master’s Assistant for the Intellectual Life.

During their time with us they were shown a Dominican manuscript at the Bodleian library, experienced Oxford collegiate life, and met fellows and staff of Blackfriars Hall and the Theology Faculty.

Over a reception in the Refectory, the Master got to meet our Dominican Sisters and Lay Dominicans, Studium and Hall students, academic, friends and benefactors.

We all felt very encouraged by this visit of the Master to see the diverse and in many ways unique work of the Oxford friars, as we meet the growing desire for theological formation and test out our ideas against the best of secular thought.