Not only is this an opportunity for readers to meet Fr. Augustine, as well as the renowned speaker and writer, Fr. Aidan Nichols, it is also both a rare opportunity and an important witness.
How so you might ask?
It is a rare opportunity to both take part in, study and explore one of the great ritual and liturgical traditions of the Western Church, the Dominican rite, and all within the proper Dominican context.
Beyond that however, it is also an important witness. This point cannot be stressed enough. As we have entered the post-Summorum Pontificum era, one of the significant matters of the day is how this re-approach to the more ancient Roman rite might also apply in spirit to and impact upon the other venerable Western liturgical books of our tradition. Traditions such as the ancient Ambrosian rite, the Carmelite and Cistercian usages, the Carthusian and Premonstratensian, the Bragan, the Lyonese and the Mozarabic, and yes, most certainly too the venerable Dominican liturgical books.
This conference then is an opportunity for you not only to experience and learn about the Dominican rite, it is also an important witness whereby you can directly give witness and testimony to your support and interest in the revived use of the Dominican rite specifically and these Western liturgical traditions generally.
The impact of a full house and great interest cannot be underestimated and will almost certainly not go without notice. (All the more so if you are a young man or woman who is considering a vocation within the Dominican order.)
Accordingly, I would encourage people to take advantage of this rare opportunity to attend this event and show your interest in and support for the Dominican rite and all of our Western liturgical traditions, while also receiving the benefit of the edification provided by noble company, intellectual pursuits and solemn worship.
Please, register and make your plans to attend starting today. If you start planning and coordinating now, then it won't sneak up upon you. It is very important that we support these events and make them successes.
To whet your appetite, a few historical images of the Solemn Dominican rite liturgy:
