Godzdogz

Just as Cracow is a really important place on the map of Poland, so too the Dominican priory is a vital part of the map of Cracow. The Blackfriars arrived in this city in 1223, only a few years after the Order of Friars Preachers was established. The founder of the Cracow Priory was St Hyacinth, who had received the religious habit from St Dominic in 1221. To this day there exists a lively veneration of St Hyacinth. He is the patron of the Polish Dominican Province and of Cracow as well. Every day many people make a pilgrimage to his tomb and also the brothers of St Hyacinth go in procession to the Founder of their Province just after the evening prayers. Read more

The arrival of Dominican friars in the city of Lille in the North of France dates from 1224 and the presence of a Dominican community there has lasted until today, except for two periods: the French Revolution in 1789 caused the extinction of all religious life in France and the Dominicans didn't come back to Lille until 1869, a few years after Henri-Dominique Lacordaire restored the Order of Preachers in France in 1843. Then a second expulsion of the religious orders in France took place in 1905, due to the law of separation between Church and State. This law was later softened, allowing the Dominicans to return to Lille in 1927 and they settled in the centre of the city. Read more

The Dominicans arrived in Zwolle in 1465 as part of the newly established 'Congregatio Hollandiae' (1464-1517). The 'Congregatio Hollandiae' was a reform movement, started in 1515 at the priory of Rotterdam, aiming at a more strict observance. One can imagine how the arrival of the brethren must have struck a chord with the already large presence of communities of another reform movement in Zwolle: the Devotio Moderna. The first priory church was built between 1466 and 1480. Read more

When looking upon our modern Priory of Holy Cross, Leicester, it is so easy to forget the rich and varied history that explains its existence today. Read more

The Dominican house in Glasgow is a fairly recent mission for the Order, in the grand scheme of things. Read more

In a previous post, Br Oliver explained how Blackfriars in Oxford exists as a Priory, as well as a home to the Studium. Blackfriars is also home to Blackfriars Hall, which is a Permanent Private Hall (PPH) of the University of Oxford. Like the more familiar colleges of Oxford, such as Christ Church and New College, Blackfriars Hall can admit students for degrees from the University. PPHs are generally much smaller than colleges both in physical size and number of personnel, and tend to have a more religious character. Read more

The Priory of Our Holy Father St. Dominic in Haverstock Hill, London, is the base of a vibrant and diverse preaching apostolate of the dozen or so Friars assigned there. Read more

The Edinburgh Priory was first founded about 1230-1, in the reign of King Alexander II. The Priory was subsequently destroyed in 1559, during the reformation. The Priory was re-founded in 1931, when the English Province of the Order of Preachers acquired No 24 George Square in Edinburgh, thanks to the generosity of founding benefactors, Canon John Gray, Marc-André Sebastien Raffalovich, and Mrs Charlotte M Tytus (a trio of donors who each led fascinating lives, the former two Catholic converts and the latter also the purchaser of the site of the current Oxford Priory for the Order). Read more

At the University of Oxford where I am presently staying, Our Lord has given [us] the promise of a great catch…” These words of the year 1230, written by Jordan of Saxony—St. Dominic’s first successor as Master of the Order—could just have well been written by his 84th Successor, fr Timothy Radcliffe, a member of today’s Dominican community in Oxford. By the time of Jordan’s visit, the brethren had been settled in Oxford for nine years and were already looking to build a larger house to replace the one they’d established on 15th August 1221. ‘Friar Fever’ had swept the city, with many new recruits signing up. John of St Giles was so overcome by fervour that in the middle of a sermon he was preaching on poverty, he was clothed in the habit. His biographer notes that he eschewed much more lucrative work to lecture in the Blackfriars Studium (plus ça change). Read more

We begin our series on Dominican Priories with the newest and smallest house in the English Province: St Cuthbert's in Durham. Erected on 28 September 2012, with fr. Benjamin Earl OP as Vicar, this is a Filial House of the Newcastle Priory, meaning that the two houses form one single Dominican community. The brethren meet regularly in order to foster these bonds, even when their pastoral work keeps them busy in different places and apostolates. Read more