Dominican Friars Central Province--Vocations Page

01/28/2026

Happy Feast of St. Thomas Aquinas! It is said that near the end of his life, in the midst of trying to finish a text on the Eucharist, St. Thomas Aquinas placed his writing upon the altar, asking God to judge it's worth. God answered him, saying, “Thou hast written well of me. What reward wilt thou have?” And St. Thomas replied: “None other than Thyself!”

After this encounter, St. Thomas Aquinas fell silent and stopped writing. He told Brother Reginald, “I can write no more. All that I have hitherto written seems to me nothing but straw.”

Credits in order:
Case 1. Place 1. Super Sent., lib. 1 d. 47 q. 1 a. 1 s.c. 2
Case 1. Place 1. Super Sent., lib. 1 d. 2 q. 1 a. 3 s.c. 1
ST.I-II.Q2.A7
ST. I-II Q2 a5 resp
ST. II-II, Q. 1, Art. 5, reply obj. 1
Case 5. Place 3. Super Sent., lib. 1 d. 2 q. 1 a. 4 s.c. 1.

Photos courtesy of Fr. Lawrence Lew, OP

The article to the story can be found at the National Catholic Register:https://www.ncregister.com/blog/when-the-words-stopped

01/21/2026

01/18/2026

"O God, the lover and guardian of chastity, by whose gifts Thy handmaid Margaret united the beauty of virginity and the merit of good works, grant we pray, that through the spirit of salutary penance we may be able to recover integrity of soul. Through Christ our Lord. Amen."

- Collect for the feast of St. Margaret of Hungary (January 18). St. Margaret was a Dominican nun and princess of Hungary

This photo is of a painting of the saints of the Dominican Order, from the Priory museum in Krakow. It was taken by Fr. Lawrence Lew, OP.

01/04/2026

A religious sister giving a talk to seminarians!? Find out what Sr. Mercedes had to tell them!

12/29/2025

It's almost time! Visit the Dominican Friars Booth at Mission Way in Columbus, OH for your Photo Bingo sheet and win a Dominican Friars themed deck of cards!

FOCUS Catholic

12/25/2025

“And you, Mary, the Virgin of expectation and fulfilment, who hold the secret of Christmas, make us able to recognize in the Child whom you hold in your arms the heralded Saviour, who brings hope and peace to all. With you we worship him and trustingly say: we need You, Redeemer of man, You who know the hopes and fears of our hearts. Come and stay with us, Lord! May the joy of your Nativity reach to the farthest ends of the universe!” - St. Pope John Paul II

Photo taken by Fr. Lawrence Lew, OP
Edits: adjusted brightness and contrast

12/22/2025

December 22 is a special day for all Dominicans, but especially for the Friars of the Province of St. Albert the Great, USA! On this day in 1216, Pope Honorius III formally approved the Order of Preachers as a religious order. On this day in 1939, the Province of St. Albert the Great (USA) was established at St. Thomas Aquinas Priory in River Forest, IL. This photo shows a few of the first friars of the province making the venia, a prostration made as a sign of obedience. These men (and all of the first friars of the Province of St. Albert the Great) had been members of the Province of St. Joseph (commonly known as the Eastern Province). The Province of St. Joseph was essentially divided in half in order to form the new Province of St. Albert the Great.

Since the province's establishment, hundreds of friars have made profession, and hundreds have been ordained to the Priesthood of Jesus Christ. Two bishops have been consecrated. Two mission territories served by members of the province, in Nigeria and Bolivia, are now independent entities of their own, a mark of success in Dominican missionary activity. Several significant scholars, including those of the River Forest School of Thomism, have contributed to the intellectual life of the Church. Dozens of friars have served as full-time preachers. Hundreds of thousands, if not millions, have visited our Shrine of St. Jude in Chicago to venerate the largest relic of an Apostle regularly kept in the United States. Many thousands have been served, taught, and spiritually nourished through our pastoral and intellectual ministries. With 28 friars currently in formation (the most in decades), and nearly 100 friars serving in ministry, the mission of Preaching for the Salvation of Souls continues to thrive.

On this double anniversary, we give thanks to God that the Holy Preaching continues throughout the world, and particularly in the Central United States of America! Please join us in prayer that the Sacred Preaching may continue to bear fruit.