OP News- Congratulations to Fr Mark

Padrez OP 2

Officers Reports- Fr Augustine, OP 3 - Mrs Denise Harvey, OP 4

Universal Church- Pope Benedict XVI

comments of Sexual Abuse in the Church 6

- Courage under Fire 6

Faith Builder- Fr Bryan, OP

Easter Homily 7 - First Tuesdays 7

Editor Desk- Mr Jerry DeMelo, OP 11

Saint Focus- Blessed Lambertini, OP 12

Bookstore- News and Specials 13

Of Interest- Dominican Sisters grow 14- Chapter Studies 14

Thank you 15

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LET US REJOICE AND BE GLAD

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Fr. Mark Padrez, O.P. – former Provincial of the Western Dominican Province – was recently selected to be the Executive Director of the Conference of Major Superiors of Men.Founded in 1956, the CMSM is the canonically recognized pontifical conference organized to promote the welfare of all religious priests, brothers, and candidates in the United States.

Learn more about CMSM here

FATHER MARK PADREZ, OP

NEW EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF CMSM

Did you know?Antonio Ghislieri, a Dominican Cardinal who became Pope St Pius V from 1566-1572, so wanted to avoid becoming pope - that he hid in Santa Sabina thus not being present at the very conclave that selected him for the chair of Peter. He hoped that out of sight meant out of mind. It fell upon his good friend Cardinal St Charles Borromeo to tell him the news of his election. At his direction and inspiration the Counter-Reformation reforms were launched, St Thomas Aquinas was declared a Doctor of the Church, and the Turks were defeated in 1571 at the Battle of Lepanto. Mary, Help of Christians, Pray for us. His feast day is April 30.

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BEING A PROMOTER IN A BRAVE NEW WORLDI have what the world needs: love of God, love of neighbor and love itself. And I know how to get love: contemplate the undying love of the Crucified one and give that love by word and example. The world needs Dominicans. Being a Promoter of love is not a bad job. But here in our brave new world, love means getting what we want when we want it and finding others who agree with that. Love is about choice and desire. Everyone agrees with this. But when love is divorced from what is good, then the only choice and desire left is for me to get what I want and deserve. Love is work. As Bl. Benvenuta Bojani, OP said after a hard day of corporal works of mercy: You can have Paradise only once. So the work of love is known through the Crucified. We are able to grow and be strengthened in our work. Growth comes with constant work which is done consistently. Strengthening happens when the work doesn’t turn out as we want, but we still have to continue. Our work of love will continue. But in our brave new world as we have it,

FR. AUGUSTINE, OP

there will be a lot of opposition and misunderstanding. Does this mean that the work of love is bad? No. Does it mean that it might be done badly? Sure. Let’s keep going. We can ask our fellow Dominicans to strengthen us by helping us to love. Was there a difficult time in sharing the love of the Crucified? What can we learn about sharing this love better and so be perfected in the love and by love.

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from the desk of the Lay Provincial PresidentDear Brothers and Sisters,

As we approach the Feast of Pentecost, we’re reminded of Jesus’ command to, “Go therefore, and make disciples of all the nations…” (Matthew 28:19). This commission, given to the apostles, was for the purpose of bringing the entire world into the Catholic Church. This mission is still in effect today, and has been given to us.

No one can deny the urgency of this mission. The lure of secularism – and the current trials of the Church – have contributed to a sharp decline in Church attendance. Another sad fact is that, among those who still attend Mass, most don’t believe in the Real Presence. And, even more haven’t been to confession in many years. Our work isn’t limited to evangelizing unbelievers. Rather, the urgency is to evangelize the believers.

If every Catholic truly believed in the saving power of the Sacraments, the whole world would be Catholic . The lack of belief in – and understanding of – the Sacraments, is the root cause of decline and apathy. If Catholics knew that the God who made them – and the entire universe – is present in the Eucharist, they would run to Mass. If they knew what confession does for their body and soul, the lines would be out the door. Recently, a woman who leads

pilgrimages to Marian apparition sites, approached and handed me a flyer. She was very enthusiastic and had a clear love for Our Lady. I was in line for confession at the time. She asked me what the line was for. I told her, and asked if she wanted to go to confession. She immediately replied, “with a priest?” She then said it had been many, many years since she went to confession. That stunned me. Here was a faithful Catholic, who clearly loved Our Lady, and wasn’t fully

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participating in the Sacramental life. Her reply about confessing to a priest is a common one. The faithful simply don’t realize the saving power of the Sacraments.

A recent study revealed that the majority of young, baptized Catholics – ages 21-29 – consider themselves “Nones”. Another study shows that since 2014, 200,000 Catholics leave the Church, every year. The primary reason given from both groups, is that the Church “has nothing to offer” them.

Our “preaching” work must be directed to lukewarm and fallen away Catholics. As Lay Dominicans, our job is to share the beauty of our faith with those we meet every day; at work, in our family, at the store, and especially at Church. Invite someone you see at Church to go to confession with you on a Saturday. Invite a fallen away family member to pray the Rosary with you one night. Explain to them, in simple language, the beauty of the Sacraments. This is our vocation.

I’m happy to report that Our Lady had Her way with that woman, and she went to Confession. She came out transformed. She sat for a long time in

the pew, staring at the crucifix. That experience is what Jesus wants for all of us. He wants all nations to receive the saving power of His Church. That was the mission given to the apostles then. That is the mission given to us today.

Mrs. DENISE HARVEY, OP President

The Most Holy Name of Jesus Province

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THE CHURCH AND THE SCANDAL OF SEXUAL ABUSEOn February 21 to 24, at the invitation of Pope Francis, the presidents of the world's bishops' conferences gathered at the Vatican to discuss the current crisis of the faith and of the Church; a crisis experienced throughout the world after shocking revelations of clerical abuse perpetrated against minors.The extent and gravity of the reported incidents has deeply distressed priests as well as laity, and has caused more than a few to call into question the very Faith of the Church. It was necessary to send out a strong message, and seek out a new beginning …

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POPE EMERITUS BENEDICT XVI

Fr. Fournier performed a benediction inside burning

Notre Dame Cathedral

Fr Fournier is the chaplain of the Paris Fire Brigade. He went into Notre Dame as it burned — standing below a curtain of fire— he saved the Blessed Sacrament and the Crown of Thorns.

Editor’s Note - The NY Times captured this heroic story. It is worth reading if you have not heard of it before.

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COURAGE UNDER FIRE

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Luke 24:1-12; Psalm 118(117): 1-2, 16-17, 22-23 contributed by Fr BryanThe Resurrection: Wonderful in our Eyes[As] when we celebrate the rising of Christ, like the first women at the tomb, even we, with the benefit of hindsight, may “puzzle over” how to understand it, and what it means. The disciples all had a difficult time making sense of the signs of the resurrection. The women at the empty tomb are only one example; they needed to be reminded by the two men in dazzling clothes: “Remember what he said to you while he was still in Galilee, that the Son of Man must be handed over to sinners and be crucified, and rise on the third day.” Yes, it is true, when they were reminded, they remembered his words. But why was this so difficult for them? Did they not see this coming? Indeed, why were the disciples always so slow to believe this?

Let us look again at who the women find at the tomb: “two men in dazzling garments.” These “men” are really angels; later in Luke’s Gospel,

this is stated explicitly (Luke 24:23). It is worth noting that all four Gospels have an angel or angels at Jesus’ empty tomb; for Matthew and Mark, there is a single figure, while for Luke and John, there are two of them. And in the first three Gospels, it is given to the angelic figure or figures to be the first to proclaim that Jesus is risen. Why do angels have

this task, this honor? In the Old Testament, Angels act as mediators of a sort, declaring messages to God’s people, relaying his words and announcing his actions for them, and sometimes carrying out his will. But if Jesus Christ is the Mediator of the new and everlasting covenant, what is left for angels to do after the coming of Christ?

FR BRYAN KROMHOLTZ OP

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If we take the New Testament as an indication of the angels’ role, it is clear. With the coming of Christ, the angels henceforth serve Christ and

witness to Christ’s mediation. They announce the One who has now become the true and final Mediator. Angels appear particularly when Jesus Christ comes to earth and when he is about to depart from it – that is, those moments in which there is a mysterious linking between heaven and earth. So, the angel Gabriel appears at the Annunciation, proclaiming God’s new initiative, the Son of God would be born of Mary; and angels are shown rejoicing at the Birth of our Lord. They are also there to announce the Resurrection and at the Ascension, announcing that Jesus would return again. At these moments, then, the presence of angels and their words announce the mediation of Christ between our God and ourselves, those ways in which heaven and earth meet in Christ.

That the angels announce the resurrection of Christ, indeed, announcing his arrival, resurrection, and future return, is a sign of the greatness of what God has done in Christ. Those who were the mediators bow to the One who is the final Mediator. For many Fathers of the Church (including Origen, St. John Chrysostom, and St. Hilary) this just shows that the mediation of angels was not sufficient to save humanity. Only if the flesh was assumed by God could the flesh be redeemed. The Word became Incarnate because the angels could only give us messages, or carry out the will of God externally. They could not save us. So, in the resurrection of Jesus, we are in the presence of a mystery that is greater even than the mediation of the angels. In rising, Jesus has fulfilled all the promises God made to Israel, and through himself has begun the Kingdom of God that he had announced during his life. Jesus’ resurrection is not merely one man’s return to life, as was the case for Lazarus or for others that Jesus had brought back from the dead. How could all this be clear to

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the disciples just a few short days after they had seen Jesus beaten and killed? It is no wonder that they are bewildered, because they are witnessing something that is completely beyond their previous experience. All of us have seen things that are new to us; we make sense of them by comparing them with what we already know. But none of us has seen heaven and earth united in one man as was the case with the risen Jesus. And before he made himself seen and known to them, the disciples had not been granted such an experience, either.

The women, then, are right to have puzzled over why the tomb was empty. It is understandable that the disciples were slow to believe, to discount the story as non-sense. Even when Jesus appeared to the disciples, they had to be convinced that he had truly risen. Even with the gift of the Holy Spirit, with the benefit of hindsight, we ought to wonder at what has happened. Jesus’ resurrection is not the case of merely a miraculous medical cure. The day may come, after all, when someone clinically dead for over 24 hours could be brought back to life, by some work of medicine. This is plausible, on the face of it. But in such a case, we would not be talking about someone rising never to die again. And, certainly, such a revived person would not be considered a source of life for others. That kind of resurrection has happened only in Christ. Let us remain, then, within this moment of wonder, to recall this mystery of faith that we proclaim. Let us not wonder that so many do not believe, will not believe, that this is true. After all, it is the heart of our belief. We can confess that Jesus Christ is Lord only if we confess that He is risen. His resurrection confirms and enlightens all the rest of what we believe. Jesus’ resurrection affirms that his death was not in vain. It affirms that it was truly the Son of God who took on humanity; and it affirms that He took on humanity forever – not merely as a way to send us a message, but to draw us to Himself in his eternity. When we proclaim this mystery, we are to have the greatest reverence for it. Believing in the resurrection of Jesus does not mean that we have all the answers,

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but that the divine mystery has been opened to us in a new way. This is a gift: the gift of believing that Jesus Christ is Lord of Heaven and Earth, of Life and Death – that death has no more power over him. This is indeed a mysterious, wonderful gift of God’s mercy. Just as with the first disciples, this is revealed to us only as a gift of faith. In the risen Jesus himself, “God’s mercy endures forever,” as our Psalm says: “The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone. By the Lord has this been done. It is wonderful in our eyes.” (Ps 118:1, 22-23)

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Tuesday of each week has been dedicated to St. Dominic since the early days of the Order, to commemorate the translation of the relics of St. Dominic at Bologna on Pentecost Tuesday of 1233. The observance of the Fifteen Tuesdays prior to St. Dominic's feast as a specific devotion originated in the 17th century. Our community continues to observe the Fifteen Tuesdays in all houses.  (Ceremonial and Customary of St. Cecilia Congregation)Through the centuries, cures and wonders …

EDITOR’S NOTE: The first Tuesday for this year’s devotion will be April 30, 2019

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On April 4, 2017, I had the amazing privilege of meeting Adeeb Al Husseini. Adeeb, is the current custodian of the key to the Holy Sepulchre church in Jerusalem. He and other members of his family open and close the church daily. You can see videos online that show the opening and closing procedure.The Franciscans and some of the Orthodox clerics are locked inside the church for the night, guarding the Holy Sepulchre with their presence and prayer. Adeeb is Muslim and his family has had the privilege of this duty for almost 850 years. His great ancestors received the key from Salah el-Din (Saladin) himself after the capture of Jerusalem in 1187, to bring peace between the Christian sects who were mistrustful of each other regarding control of the Sepulchre. Adeeb is proud of this responsibility.

with ADEEB JAWAD JUDEH ALHUSSEINI - HOLDING THE KEY TO THE

CHURCH OF THE HOLY SEPULCHRE

Adeeb personally greets famous church dignitaries and heads of state. Yes, he was there, with his son to greet the President and First Lady when they visited Jerusalem in 2017.So how is it that Jerry DeMelo, a Lay Dominican from a small town in California had the same privilege? God is good!The restoration of the Edicule (Tomb of Jesus) had just been completed. The stone covering the marble box containing the slab that Jesus was laid on, had been removed and then replaced as part of the restoration. So it was, that moved by a new friendship, Adeeb said he had a gift he wanted me to have. He returned with a black relic box, that contained: Holy Oil consecrated inside the Tomb; Wax from the previous Good Friday tomb door seal; Incense, same as that which was re-spread on top of the slab when the vault was resealed; a Little Stone that was found on the slab when the archeologists opened the vault; and, finally a bit of the Cotton that was used to swipe the dust that had settled on the slab that Jesus had laid on, since the last time the vault had been accessed.Adeeb saw fit to share part of what had been given to him by the archeologists with me — and we have been friends ever since. —Mr Jerry DeMelo, Jr. OP - Editor

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Does it seem strange, at a time when we are called to the weighty task of being “intensely Eucharistic,” that Dominicans should look back almost seven centuries to consider the example of a nine year old little girl? Not so strange, really; in fact, not at all! For wasn’t it Jesus Himself who loved to hold children up as the best example of what He was trying to teach us all to become?And thus we are not embarrassed to consult a little girl in our Dominican family tree and seek from her the meaning of the call to be “intensely Eucharistic.” Little Imelda Lambertini would not have given us a theological treatise on devotion to the Holy Eucharist. She would simply have told us of Jesus’ love in the Sacrament, and then suggest that we learn to know Him there, as she did.Dominican tradition tells us that Imelda Lambertini was born of a noble family in Bologna, Italy in 1322. Her parents raised her to love her Catholic

faith, and through their influence she developed a love for prayer, especially for the Mass. Often she would attend Mass and Compline (Night Prayer of the Divine Office) at a nearby Dominican Church. Her mother also taught Imelda to cook and sew for the poor and cultivated in her child an eagerness to perform the corporal works of mercy. Even so, her mother and father, both of whom were getting on in years, were surprised when Imelda asked permission at the tender age of nine to go to live with the Dominican nuns at a neighboring monastery. As difficult a decision as this was, her parents evidently sensed the depth of their child’s desire and

Blessed Imelda Lambertini, OP

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CLICK HERE TO VISITwww.stdominicsstore.com

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t click here to view video Nice to see favorable coverage of our Dominican Order

LAY CHAPTER STUDIES AROUND THE PROVINCEOur St. Agnes of Montepulciano Chapter at the Newman Center, Eugene, Oregon reports studying “The Lamb’s Supper” by Scott Hahn as part of their Formation Program.St Agnes specifically noted a lively dialogue resulted from the “Worship is Warfare” chapter. The Question - What are the most dangerous evils we must confront in our culture and ourselves, turned into a reflection of the seven deadly sins and their catalyst effect in what we see in our country and church. There is a sense, that the crimes that we thought to be

far away are now closer to home. One response to this by St Agnes has been to attend Mass as a community - thus engaging in Warfare against evil with Worship.

St Hyacinth in Visalia, California has opted to study Apologetics focused on fighting Atheism. We don’t seem to discuss ‘faith alone’ versus ‘faith and works’ anymore. The market place battle is now centered on rebutting the unscientific claim that “science has proven there is no God.”

DOMINICAN SISTERS GROWING

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THANK YOU FOR YOUR CONTRIBUTIONS

THIS NEWSLETTER is my first attempt at generating and editing submitted articles that might be of interest to our community. I therefore, especially appreciate and thank those who took the time to submit articles in advancing that mission. My contact email is now inhisnameop@gmail.com

I need a bit of help.In a perfect world, there would be more content than space to print. Can we make that our goal?

Some thoughts on Contribution Ideas - though not dispositive or meant to be limiting:

• Articles that fit the categories of this newsletter are the most desired;• Articles should be of general interest to our OP audience;• Articles that transcend the season of the publication, are generally of greater

value; and• Chapter contributions are very desirable. We all want to know what the other

chapters are doing. Best info? Information that gives other chapters ideas, such as study topics, apostolate ideas, holiness suggestions, and the like.

Prep Time - Like all of you, I have a full plate. Article submissions greater than 3 weeks away from Publication, give me greater survival time to publish date. The next Newsletter will be published near the Feast of St Dominic - between July 30 and first week of August. Please give me your contributions prior to end of June if possible. Feel free to share the website link with anyone who might find the Newsletter profitable to read. www.inhisnameop.org

In His Name,Thank you - Mr Jerry DeMelo, Jr OP, Editor