Visit of the Fraternity of St. Vincent Ferrer

A solemn Dominican Rite mass was celebrated at Holy Innocents church yesterday evening. The sacred ministers are members of the Fraternity of St. Vincent Ferrer, who are visiting North America.

(Above) The founder of the Fraternity of Saint Vincent Ferrer, Fr Louis-Marie de Blignières, was the celebrant and preached at the mass. He focussed on St. Vincent Ferrer as very much a saint for our time – now, as then, a period of crisis for the Church. St Vincent practiced both contemplation and a preaching apostolate.

(Above) The “Pax Instrument” as used in the Dominican Rite.

(Above and below) A lively presentation followed.

The Fraternity is dedicated to the Dominican way of life. What is emphasized is contemplation, the Traditional liturgy and Thomistic philosophy. Their house in France is unique fro these features – certainly among the various orders of friars today.

The fraternity, with 23 members and growing steadily, is building a large church and monastery complex in France and needs $370,000 to complete this work.

At its foundation in 1979 associated with Archbishop Lefebvre, since 1988 the Fraternity of St Vincent Ferrer has been recognized by the Vatican. It is separate from the Dominican order even if it maintains cordial relations with some Dominican Friars. This “regular” status does not at all preclude critical commentary of aspects of the Church today: liturgy, moral theology , ecumenism…..