Dominican Rite News: Dominican School of Philosophy and Theology, Berkeley CA

Readers often ask what kind of training sessions are available to Dominican friars for learning to celebrate the traditional Dominican Rite in response to requests for such celebrations in the wake of Summorum Pontificum. I can now announce that the Dominican School of Philosophy and Theology, the Studium of the Western Dominican Province, will offer this spring a course on celebration of the rite. LSFT 2405 "Dominican Rite Practicum," which will be open, for credit, to Dominican friar students, in particular those finishing their studies for ordination. I will be the instructor. The class will be taught at the chapel of St. Albert the Great Priory, Oakland CA, which is shown in the above photo (more photos here) and is home to the Western Province Studentate. I am pleased to report that the course has enrolled all the transitional deacons and those scheduled to be ordained transitional deacons, as well as two Dominican priest auditors. With such a good response, this course will probably become a regular offering at DSPT. The course listing may be found here.

In addition, I am pleased to announce that the monthly celebration of the Dominican Rite Mass for the students of the Dominican School of Philosophy and Theology (2301 Vine St., Berkeley CA), shown in the photo to the left, will be continued this spring. The DSPT is the classroom campus of the Western Dominican Province House of Studies. This Mass was instituted in fall 2010 at the request of our lay students, and the strong attendance by both lay and religious students makes it likely that the number of celebrations will be increased to more than one a month. It has been offered by Fr. Anselm Ramelow, O.P., but we expect to add additional celebrants. I will announce the days and times when they are set. DSPT has been drawing large numbers of new lay students for the M.A. programs in philosophy and theology (e.g. Thomistic Studies and Religion and the Arts) and this is one of our responses to their spiritual needs.