Today we celebrate the memorial of the Most Holy Name of Jesus.  This may be of little value to most, but for the friars of St. Dominic’s Priory, this is a very important day. Today is our patronal feast day—we belong to the Dominican Province of the Most Holy Name of Jesus.

Dominicans are famous for not wanting to talk about ourselves.  But the egomaniac that I am, I would like to share with you who have been serving you since the late 1800s.

Our territory is the largest of the four Dominican Provinces in the country.  Our territory is basically from Salt Lake City to the coastline, and from Mexicali to Alaska.  (In terms of land mass, we reign supreme, primarily because of Alaska.)  We run ten traditional parishes and nine campus ministries.  We also co-founded the Catherine of Siena Institute, an apostolate dedicated to lay empowerment and vocational discernment. On top of that, we own and run the Dominican School of Philosophy &Theology, where we receive our philosophical and theological training.  We have men who are itinerant preachers, who give missions and retreat all over the world.  We have professors in Rome and Switzerland, and have had professors in Washington, DC, the University of Oregon and the University of Virginia.   Our brothers over these last 150 years have been to China, the Leprosarium in Tala, Philippines, Southern Mexico, Guatamala, El Salvador and Calcutta, India.

Fr Michael’s first pastorate is very important to the Province.  The first foundation of what eventually became the Province of the Most Holy Name arrived in Benicia in 1850.  There, we have our cemetery and our Church, St. Dominic’s, pictured here.

For a closer examination of the history of our province, I refer you to this link.

Though we do not speak of our accomplishments, we are proud that these happenings have been the fruit of our contemplation.  Happy feast day to the Dominican Province of the Most Holy Name of Jesus and to all whom we serve.

In His Holy Name, may God continually bless the friars’ work as to empower the work of our parish and all those who call St. Dominic’s their spiritual home.

O Lord Jesus Christ, you have said,
“Ask and you shall receive; seek, and you shall find; knock, and it shall be opened to you”; mercifully attend to our supplications, and grant us the grace of your most divine love,
that we may love you with all our hearts, and in all our words and actions,
and never cease to praise you.

Make us, O Lord,
to have a perpetual fear and love of your holy name,
for you never fail to govern those whom you solidly establish in your love.
You, who live and reign forever and ever.

Amen.