Dominican Glossary: the words we use!
Parishioners who are new to a parish run by a religious order like the Dominicans might encounter some unfamilar words - so this page is here to help you!
Profession: short for "profession of vows", a vow to remain a Dominican for a period of time ("simple profession") or for ;life ("solemn profession").
Priory: the house Dominicans live in. Strictly speaking, a priory has at least six friars, but the word is sometimes used more loosely even of smaller houses.
Provincial: short for "Prior Provincial", the brother elected to lead us in this province as our superior.
Provincial Chapter: an elected assembly, held every four years, of Dominicans in our province, to elect the prior provincial and his council, make decisions about our life and apostolate, plan for the future, etc.
Vows: a promise made to God in the presence of witnesses. A Dominican first takes vows to remain a Dominican for one or three years. When these have expired, if he is ready and is accepted, he makes "solemn vows" to remain for life. These solemn vows may be considered analogous to marriage vows. although they are not a sacrament, they do mean reaffirming and strengthening the promises made in the Sacrament of Baptism; they are a special form of consecration to Christ.
The Dominican formula mentions only obedience explicitly. It is above all a vow to go where one is sent, to be at the disposal of the Church through our superiors. But it is "according to the Constitutions", so it includes implicitly the vows of povert and chastity, which all religious take. Vows must not be confused with ordination.
Ordination: the sascrament, always conferred by a bishop, in which a man is ordained deacon, priest or bishop.
Co-operator brother. (Before 1968, "lay brother.") A Dominican - who may be simply or solemnly professed - who is not a priest nor preparing to be one. While most Dominicans are priests, we have always been assisted by brothers who are not called to holy orders. These brothers may be teachers, catechists, manual workers, writers, artists ... anything that will assist the Order in spreading the word of the Gospel.
General Chapter: an elected assembly, held every three years, of Dominicans from all over the world, to elect the Master of the Order, to make decisions about our life and apostolate, change the Constiutions if necessary, plan for the future, etc.
Province: an administrative division of the Order. There are currently 38 provinces in the world. The Province of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, established in 1950, covers Australia and New Zealand, and it has a vicariate - a semi-autonomous missionary outreach - in Papua New Guinea and Solomon Islands.
Habit: the particular dress of the members of a religious Order. All Dominicans wear the same habit, whether they are priests or not priests, novics or the Master of the Order - though the heavy black cappa or cloak is not often seen in warmer places like Brisbane. For the habit of the Dominicans, you can see a detailed description here.
Profession: short for "profession of vows", a vow to remain a Dominican for a period of time ("simple profession") or for ;life ("solemn profession").
Priory: the house Dominicans live in. Strictly speaking, a priory has at least six friars, but the word is sometimes used more loosely even of smaller houses.
Provincial: short for "Prior Provincial", the brother elected to lead us in this province as our superior.
Provincial Chapter: an elected assembly, held every four years, of Dominicans in our province, to elect the prior provincial and his council, make decisions about our life and apostolate, plan for the future, etc.
Vows: a promise made to God in the presence of witnesses. A Dominican first takes vows to remain a Dominican for one or three years. When these have expired, if he is ready and is accepted, he makes "solemn vows" to remain for life. These solemn vows may be considered analogous to marriage vows. although they are not a sacrament, they do mean reaffirming and strengthening the promises made in the Sacrament of Baptism; they are a special form of consecration to Christ.
The Dominican formula mentions only obedience explicitly. It is above all a vow to go where one is sent, to be at the disposal of the Church through our superiors. But it is "according to the Constitutions", so it includes implicitly the vows of povert and chastity, which all religious take. Vows must not be confused with ordination.
Ordination: the sascrament, always conferred by a bishop, in which a man is ordained deacon, priest or bishop.
Co-operator brother. (Before 1968, "lay brother.") A Dominican - who may be simply or solemnly professed - who is not a priest nor preparing to be one. While most Dominicans are priests, we have always been assisted by brothers who are not called to holy orders. These brothers may be teachers, catechists, manual workers, writers, artists ... anything that will assist the Order in spreading the word of the Gospel.
General Chapter: an elected assembly, held every three years, of Dominicans from all over the world, to elect the Master of the Order, to make decisions about our life and apostolate, change the Constiutions if necessary, plan for the future, etc.
Province: an administrative division of the Order. There are currently 38 provinces in the world. The Province of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, established in 1950, covers Australia and New Zealand, and it has a vicariate - a semi-autonomous missionary outreach - in Papua New Guinea and Solomon Islands.
Habit: the particular dress of the members of a religious Order. All Dominicans wear the same habit, whether they are priests or not priests, novics or the Master of the Order - though the heavy black cappa or cloak is not often seen in warmer places like Brisbane. For the habit of the Dominicans, you can see a detailed description here.