Lay Dominicans formally welcome five new members

Friday, Aug. 28, 2020

COTTONWOOD HEIGHTS – Five members of the local Catholic community were received into the St. Catherine of Siena Chapter of Lay Dominicans in a special Mass on Aug. 15 at St. Thomas More Catholic Church.

Those making their profession are “seeking to add another level of permanency in their life in relationship with God, in their way of holiness, in coming to know and love God and love [their] neighbor,” Fr. John Evans, pastor of St. Thomas More Parish and a former member of the Dominican order, said in his homily that day.

The lay Dominicans are part of the Order of Preachers, which was founded in 1216 by Saint Dominic de Guzman. As Dominicans, they devote themselves to the four pillars of prayer, common life, study and preaching/apostolic work. Lay Dominicans attend daily Masses if possible, recite the Liturgy of the Hours, pray the rosary daily and also say morning prayer, evening prayer and night prayer. In addition, they gather once a month for study and contemplation.

“We are not a book club, a prayer group, a study group, a group of friends getting together; it is a calling and we are part of the Order of Preachers,” chapter moderator Paul White said. “We are just as the friars, the brothers, the sisters and nuns; we are the lay branch in the Dominican tree. We live our lives as lay people in the world following the pillars and teachings of St. Dominic and the Dominican order.”

Mick Collins, David McDonald, Laura McDonald, Janice Mosby and Sandy Nichols, who have all spent at least a year as inquirers, have now formally joined the chapter. Victor Siebeneck, who has been a member since last year, was unable to attend the ceremony but will be making his first profession at an upcoming chapter meeting. 

Sandy Nichols said her introduction to the lay Dominicans was gradual but very comfortable.

“I just wanted to find out more about it,” she said of attending her first meeting. “And I’m still finding out about it, but it’s in small doses, so you don’t get overwhelmed.” 

After a while, “I realized I didn’t choose this, I bet I was chosen for it,” she added.

The five new members come from all walks and stages of life. For example, Laura and David McDonald are the parents of two young children, while Mick Collins is a retired computer programmer and lawyer.

“I had been discerning for a while joining a third order,” said David McDonald, who introduced his wife to the lay Dominicans. “I wanted something that was a little more religious, a little more faith-forming; the Dominicans just spoke to me.”

Often, the groups of laity associated with a particular religious order are known as a “third order;” in Utah, in addition to the Dominicans, there are Benedictine and Carmelite third orders, as well as the Ladies of Charity (associated with the Vincentians) and the Holy Cross Associates.

Laura McDonald said being involved in the Dominican chapter gives her comfort because “it teaches me how to pray better; it makes me more compassionate because it has taught me to pray for others,” she said. “It gives me the comfort and the knowledge and that support system to keep on praying and to keep on getting the gap between God and me smaller.” 

“What it does for a person is it gives you access to the intelligible world, to the spiritual world. … It’s oriented me towards what’s much more important in life and that’s intellectual or beatific vision. I call it noose vision – a vision of the image of God. It’s the way that we participate in the divine,” Collins said.

This year marks the 25th anniversary of the establishment of a lay Dominican chapter in Utah.

“This is the largest group we’ve ever received, so the Holy Spirit has given us a bountiful harvest this year,” said Gary Topping, a 20-year member of the chapter who is the group’s formation director, at the Mass. “The Lord has called us to live an apostolic way of life, just as he called our holy father Dominic. We come together today to receive into the Dominican chapter those who, moved by the Holy Spirit, have asked to be admitted as holy communicants.” 

Becoming a lay Dominican is a five-year process, at the end of which members make a life profession to the order.

“I would recommend it for anyone who is interested in learning more about the Dominican way of life and the four pillars because it is a five-year process, so you have time to really think about it, find out if it’s right for you,” Mosby said. “There’s time to discern if it’s the right thing for a person; it’s really a lifelong journey.”

“To practice all the Dominican values at home is very difficult,” Laura McDonald said. “Even though we will make a life profession, we’re going to spend the rest of our lives trying to achieve those ideals.”

The chapter was formerly associated with the St. Catherine of Siena Newman Center but now meets at St. Thomas More Parish when pandemic conditions allow. In addition to the five new members, the chapter has nine other active members and four prayer members (those who are life-professed but are unable to regularly attend meetings and functions). Deacon John Keyser is the chapter’s religious assistant. They meet the third Sunday of each month at 1:30 p.m. through Zoom, a videoconferencing application, for prayer, study and preaching. Inquiries are welcome; contact scoslayop@gmail.com.