Dominicans Make Vows at Old Cathedral

EARLIER THIS MONTH, three men made solemn vows to the Order of Friar Preachers (the Dominicans), at the Basilica of Saint Louis, King of France.

This happened at the “Old Cathedral,” once the cathedral church for half of the United States, an edifice which once was one of the most highly indulgenced churches in the world, located near the base of the Gateway Arch, in downtown Saint Louis, Missouri.

For photos, see the article Three Brothers Take Solemn Vows, from the website of the Dominican Brothers of the Province of St. Albert the Great.

Founded by Saint Dominic, the Order of Preachers is an active order devoted to preaching, being of one heart and mind in the Lord, and the salvation of souls. The modern university system developed from the work of the Dominicans in the Middle Ages, who according to their constitutions, were to devote much time in study. The Dominican Order was one of the earliest groups to have formed a constitutional form of democratic or parliamentary government; because of their broad knowledge and liberality, friars often served in the Inquisition — and so Modernity unfairly castigates them, even though their intent was to moderate the severity of the secular rulers.