OPFAM
Dominican Family Matters, 1 March 2016
Go and Preach!
A Newsletter for the Dominican Family in Australia, New Zealand, Solomon Islands and Papua New Guinea
Siena College Melbourne blesses its own Holy Door
‘We opened a Siena College ‘Jubilee Holy Door’ as part of our celebration of the Dominican Jubilee
and in response to Pope Francis’ invitation to ‘gaze even more attentively on mercy so that we
become a more effective sign of God’s actions in our lives’. Members of our community, including
Dominican Sisters and Friars, staff and students, processed through the Convent cloister to the Holy
Door as part of the opening rite. College Chaplain, Fr Dominic Murphy OP, struck the door three
times with a wooden staff to open it. We have named the door Porta Santa (‘Holy Door’ in Italian),
to reflect the beautiful Byzantine style Convent building and chapel which was designed by Italian
Architect, Hamleto Agabiti, and completed in 1939.
The Holy Door tiles were made and decorated by ceramic artist, Mary-Lou Pittard and installed by
tiler, Paul Craigie. The border of the tiles is a deep blue to match the blue tiles on the dome of the
Chapel and they feature Dominican symbols: the Jubilee shield, and lilies featured on our College
crest and that represent our Patron, St Catherine of Siena. The tiles also incorporate a Dominican
dog with a flaming torch that was said to have been part of a dream of St Dominic’s mother, as well
as flowers of a native Australian Correa to symbolize our place in Australia.
As we pass through this door over the year, and particularly during the season of Lent, we are
invited to enter a new relationship with God, to reflect on God’s boundless love and compassion and
on how we are called to follow the example of Jesus to offer love and forgiveness without measure.’
Gaynor Robson Garth, Principal Siena College.
San Sisto College, Carina, Brisbane Opening Liturgy, celebrating 800 Years
“Preach the Gospel of Mercy”
Our College Symbols
Our 4 house patrons deliver monologues as they hold the 3 Jubilee symbols and the lantern given to
us by the Sisters - Rose holding the scroll containing the mandate: Go Preach the Gospel of Mercy.,
Dominic holding the staff, Sr Jude holding Matthew’s gospel and Paul’s letters, Catherine holding
the lantern.
Fr Maurice Keating OP - with the staff that will now go to each of the Dominican schools in turn, and
return to Brisbane in July when the student leaders of the Dominican Schools gather for their
“Common Ground” Conference.
New Books available from ATF Press
http://atfpress.com
Summa Theologica of St Thomas Aquinas available on line
The Summa Theologica of St Thomas Aquinas is now available in an App for Android devices. The
App is called “STh It”. This application allows users to read, search the Summa by keywords, by
parts, by treatises and by indexes all in Latin. In it, each item of the Summa has its own identification
number – index of the Corpus Thomisticum project. (http://www.corpusthomisticum.org ).
Users can navigate the menus in five different languages: English, Spanish, French, Polish and Italian.
The App was designed and developed by fr Andrzej Nakonieczny, Province of Poland. Copyright of
the Latin text belongs to the Fundación Tomás de Aquino (2015).
The aim of the application is to provide students and scholars a tool for basic research on Thomas
Aquinas, tools that could also be useful during lectures, seminars etc. According to the developer, it
can also be an open source project for anyone who is interested.
The App is available for free download and once downloaded it is available offline.
You can download it either from Googleplay Store or from Amazon Store.
- See more at: http://www.op.org/en/content/st-thomas-aquinas-summa-theologica-palmyour-hands#sthash.m9VA2o8i.dpuf
EVENTS
St Dominic’s Favourite Scriptures
Series 1:
Letters of St Paul, led by Sr Michele Connolly RSJ
5 March: 10.00 am-3.30 pm; 2 April and 4 June 10.00 am – 12.30
Santa Maria Del Monte School Hall, 59 The Boulevarde, Strathfield.
Entrance in Carrington Avenue. Cost full day: $20; half day: $10
NB. RSVP: [email protected] For full details see last week’s OPFAM
Black and White Ball
Santa Sabina College is holding a Black and White Ball for current parents, past parents, staff and
friends of Dominic to celebrate 800 years, on 1st April 2016, at Doltone House, Pyrmont.
For further information: Peta Magee, Alumni Relations (02) 97457035; [email protected]
Conference for Dominican Archivists and Historians in this year of Jubilee
Rosary Lodge, Strathfield, 14-16 May, with renowned Dominican Historian Sr Barbara Beaumont OP
For further information please contact Sr Elizabeth Hellwig OP on [email protected]
17th Convention of Lay Dominicans
The Provincial Promoter of the Laity; Fr. Mannes Tellis OP and the Dominican Laity Provincial Council
invite you to attend our Convention of Lay Dominicans, to be held from the afternoon of 4th July to
the morning of 7th July, 2016; at Peter Canisius House Pymble, NSW.
The theme of our convention will unite a celebration of 800 years of Dominican life with the
universal Church’s Jubilee Year of Mercy.
For further information please contact
Ian Cooper OP, Dominican Laity Provincial Council Secretary, [email protected]
Jubilee Calendars and book marks are still available at [email protected]
We Celebrate our Holy Ones of this week:
There are no further celebrations because of Lent
If you have any activities around the Jubilee Year, please do share them with the wider Dominican
Family, with photos and stories and utubes!
[email protected]
Let us continue to proclaim together
our heritage and our future
as an Order of Preachers