Find out about a new traditional religious community, the Dominican Friars of Steffeshausen, Belgium, and see how you can help them... or even join the Third Order of St. Dominic.
A video has just been published about a new foundation of traditional Dominican friars in Belgium and the Third Order that they are offering to the faithful.
This new community of traditional Dominican friars was founded on November 15, 2013 in Steffeshausen, a little village in the southeast corner of Belgium. They were invited there by the villagers after the death of their parish priest, who had kept the traditional Mass and was persecuted by his bishop some 25 years ago. They offered the church and rectory built by this priest to these friars as a first home for their fledgling community. Bishop Alfonso de Galarreta, who assists those religious communities affiliated with the SSPX, accepted to help the foundation as its ecclesiastical superior.
The goal of the community is simply to continue the true spirit of St. Dominic as it has been embodied for eight centuries, an ideal summed up perfectly by St. Thomas Aquinas in a few words in his Summa Theologica which have become a sort of motto of the Order: "To contemplate and give to others what has been contemplated."
Thus a Dominican must be first and above all a true contemplative, and in order to achieve this end the Constitutions prescribe all of the monastic practices followed by contemplative orders: the Divine Office in common, silence, fasting, chapter of faults, etc. Of course, this includes the three vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience common to all religious. On top of this, however, Dominicans add the obligation of study, in order to be able to attain the secondary end of the Order: the preaching of the Word of God, to “give to others what has been contemplated.”
Since November the friars at Steffeshausen have been living this life of contemplation and preaching. There are at present four priests and one lay brother, three of whom are French and two Canadian. Some young men have already presented themselves to ask to join them and they plan to begin to receive postulants in the fall of 2015.
The Dominicans belong to an Order of mendicant preachers. It is by alms that they are able to lead their life of prayer and study that will permit them to prepare their apostolate.
You can help the Dominicans1 by making a donation:
- send a personal check (in US dollars) to their address in Belgium made out to: Fr. Albert
- via PayPal to their account: [email protected]
- or make a donation online via the Foreign Missions; mention: Steffeshausen Dominicans
- donate via check to Foreign Missions Trust (PO Box 114, Farley, MO 64028); mention: Steffeshausen Dominicans
Correspondence can be sent to:
| Dominicans Fathers Steffeshausen 5 4790 Burg Reuland Belgium |
Dominican Third Order PO Box 175 St. Mary's, KS 66536 USA |
On their behalf, thank you very much for your support!
- 1. Not to be confused with the Dominicans of Avrille, an entirely different community.
