Every religious order that I know of has some kind of particular Marian devotion, or even some history with Our Lady. The Dominicans, through St. Dominic, famously received her Rosary to preach the Good News, and Bl. Reginald of Orleans had the vision wherein she gave us, the Dominicans, her scapular (the one part of our habit besides the rosary that is blessed). The Order of the Servants of Mary (Servites) have a touching devotion to Our Lady of Sorrows, and a beautiful shrine near us here in Portland, Oregon, dedicated to her. The Congregation of the Passion of Jesus Christ (Passionists) have their loving devotion to Our Lady of Perpetual Help. And of course, the Carmelites and Our Lady of Mt. Carmel and her famous Brown Scapular. This is a healthy rivalry we religious orders have, in loving Our Lord and His Blessed Mother, under her various titles. Of course, we Dominicans are her favorites, and no, I will not be taking questions or comments about that statement (I kid – kind of).

One of the mottoes of the Dominican Order is Laudare, Benedicere, Prædicare, meaning “To Praise, To Bless, To Preach.” Okay, but to praise, bless, and preach what exactly? Well, this particular motto echoes the first Eucharistic Preface of Masses of the Blessed Virgin Mary, both now and in the older Rite, which begins:

It is truly right and just, our duty and our salvation,
always and everywhere to give You thanks,
Lord, holy Father, almighty and eternal God,
and to praise, bless, and glorify Your name
(on the Solemnity of the Motherhood /
on the feast day / on the nativity / in veneration)
of the Blessed ever-Virgin Mary.

Yes, we see here a great part of the Dominican charism, which, while preaching the Risen Christ in the flesh, and glorifying His Holy Name, we likewise venerate and honor His Most Holy Mother. The Dominican charism is at once liturgical and devotional, with its spiritual fruit shared through sound and doctrinal holy preaching, using in great part her Rosary to preach that Jesus Christ indeed was born of the Virgin Mary, suffered, died, and rose again, all in the flesh and humanity He received from the Blessed Virgin Mary, all in union and devotion to the Holy See. That’s a lot to take in, but it is for us Dominicans integrally central to who we are and aspire to be.

In many ways, then, our mission is even more critical now, with sound doctrinal teaching having lacked throughout the world the last few decades, and Marian devotion having plummeted in certain regions due to terrible misinterpretations of the documents and the intent of the Second Vatican Council fathers with respect to Mary. We Dominicans were not looking for more work, but the Lord of the Harvest has given us a giant bag of seed and told us to go plant, and that’s what we plan to do.

While the harvest is the Lord’s, it is we who labor in the fields of the Lord. But you, my fellow Rosarians, have your own part in your own particular preaching, by word, encouragement, and example. You hold Our Lady’s Rosary unabashedly and humbly, in imitation of the humble Handmaid of the Lord. You are prayer warriors, engaging this world through the spiritual arms of prayer and the Rosary.

And you, young people, who are discerning your own vocation, what will you do? Remember that the first vocation is to Holy Matrimony, given to our first parents; everything is in support of that. Even our own sacred mission, and Christ’s, really, is to support that holy vocation: No family, No Church, No world. I want you married folks to remember that. We are here for YOU. Mirror the love of Christ for His Bride, the Church! No homily I give will reach as many people as your vocational witness.

Finally, we Dominicans are also looking for young people to join us in rebuilding that sacred and inviolable foundation of society and the whole world at large through the Sacraments, preaching, and devotion to the Blessed Mother. Is that you? Join us in this holy Confraternity for the salvation of souls, and if you are so called, join us in Our Lady’s favorite Order [This final statement has not necessarily been approved by the Holy See and solely reflects the opinions of the author. But he’s right. -ed.]

The Rosary  is one of the most powerful devotions entrusted to us by Our Lady, and in these turbulent times, it remains a sure path to peace, conversion, and deeper love of Christ.
Pope Leo XIV

Feature Article - Theology for the Laity

The Angels

Thank You for Your Prayerful Support!

We joyfully announce the Solemn Vows (for life), of three of our Dominican brothers, as well as the priestly ordination of five Dominican brothers. Your prayerful and financial support helped make this blessed day possible. Please continue to pray to the Lord of the Harvest for many good and holy vocations.

Our New Priests (below, L-R): Luke Maria Lee,OP, Benedict Mary Bartsch, OP, John Paul Puschautz, OP, Francis Dominic Nguyen, OP, Philip Neri Gerlomes,OP.

SAVE THE DATE: ROSARY PILGRIMAGE WEST 2027

My dear brothers and sisters in Christ, prayer warriors one and all: I am pleased to announce our inaugural Rosary Pilgrimage West, Saturday, September 25, 2027, at Our Lady of Lavang, Happy Valley, OR (near our shrine in Portland).

Our inaugural keynote speaker will be Fr. Lawrence Lew, OP, Promoter General of the Rosary for the Dominican Order, and well-known and loved for his appearances on EWTN, and his beautiful Catholic art and beauty books, focused on the Rosary and the Blessed Mother.

This will be an all-day event focused on Our Lady and Her Rosary, with the whole Dominican Order represented. Additional language tracks and speakers are being planned, as well as entertainment for all after the event. More details to follow.

Please pray for the success of this event, that it may be the glorious launch of a new Rosary movement, here in the Western US and beyond.

All to praise, bless, and glorify His Holy Name, in veneration of the Blessed ever-Virgin Mary!

Note from the Director

Dear faithful supporters of the Rosary Center & Confraternity, THANK-YOU! to all who have already donated to help us. We cannot do this without you! We rely on your ongoing support. May God bless you for your generosity!
Fr. Dismas Sayre, O.P.

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