Notes on Dominican Family Life taken during recent session at Blockhouse Bay, presented by Rev Chrys McVey op.

 Response to the needs of the day is the basis of the founding of the Dominican Friars and Sisters; therefore it follows that the emergence of the Dominican Laity now will also be a response to current needs.

In Caleruega there a statue called Our Lady who listens – she has a small mouth and big ears.  This is an excellent model for those of us who are in ministry today. So many people are crying out to be listened to. At the same time we need to be listened out to the needs of the times.

What are the needs of the day in Auckland ??

Our horizons are becoming wider – education, dialogue with other faiths, tanga te whenua …

Dialogue - a sharing of meaning

              Through dialogue a new world is emerging

                                          an enlargement of meaning is apparent.

What  is my response to all those who have made me what I am. We are all the sum total of everyone we have ever met.

Experience in Pakistan

Sometimes people would say “You are so good why aren’t you a Muslim?”  Christians say the same thing. ie see things from only one perspective.

Moments of Conversion

Pakistan is 61 years old. Over half of that time has been under military rule.

Under Zia, a Sunni, Arabic law was imposed strictly; eg. blasphemy rule, testimony of a woman is worth only half that of a man. The harshness led to the formation of dialogue groups – a Muslim Initiative.  Dealing with the Muslim is the same as dealing with the different family members. Forced to face the fact that things are not what they seem to be.

Story: A young man seeking enlightenment asked a sufi for help. The sufi replied: tell me all you certainties and I will give you confusion. 

Life is full of uncertainties.

There was an old movie that showed Jesus in the Sermon of the Mount – striding over the hills, throwing back to those following him “Blessed are the ….  “  Jesus was always away up in front.

The Church gave the Holy Spirit to us at Pentecost.

The Development of a Theology of Hospitality

Philoxenia is loving the stranger, entering into the experience of the other as opposed to zenophobia, fear of the stranger.

Embrace what is new & challenging & different or even dangerous.

Preachers have to have swivel ears to hear what’s happening in the world.  New word in the Vatican is Relative-ism

The black and white world or attitude leads to living in your own bubble. Herbert McCabe  quoted as saying “God is a world from paganism". That ‘s OK. But if we confuse the reality with the myth we are in trouble.

Our task today is to keep the theology conversation going.

A whirl wind tour of Laity Groups in different parts of the Globe. 

Egs of what Dominican Lay Membersdo in various circumstances.

Czech Republic  The laity run the Publishing House Mission of the op Priests, Sisters & Laity.

Netherlands  - a most extremely secularized country. Friars, Sisters and Laity are jointly using their funds to support projects.

France  Joint project re pilgrimage to Lourdes

Bordeaux :  receive refuges from Morocco in the Church.

Germany: A Bishop gave a 13th century monastery to the Dominican Nuns and they use itwith lay members jointly for hospitality.

Vietnam :  A small monastery of Nuns & Brothers. 100 students, 90 Novices – can accommodate only half the Novices. Restricted Mission, So it’s the laity who keep the ball rolling. Homes for Aged, Sponsor cultural events eg poetry, Aids hospice etc.

Korea

China:  The op Sisters go regularly to China, Macau and Inner Mongolia.

Mark: 2  A leper calls out. Jesus stretches his hands out and leper is clean. Jesus made himself vulnerable by reaching out and touching.

To reach out & touch is the ministry most needed today.

Mary Magdalen Jn 20 Patroness of the Order. A seeker, a weeper, a lover, and because of all this became a preacher.

Samaritan woman at the well

Preaching is sharing questions. Opening to others our own tentativeness. People identify with thosewho have questions not with those who have all the answers.

Walter Bruggeman “Prophetic Imagination” says :

              Prophetic imagination

                            arises from people

                            aware of what is happening

                            judging according to teaching of Jesus

                            acting & speaking out

                            suffers & dies

to criticize the dominant way of thinking by proposing an alternative consciousness. 

Confessions of an Oral Speech Assessor

When Ted invited me to become an oral assessor, I was quite delighted. Having been involved with schools for nearly forty years as either principal or teacher, “This will be a breeze,” thought I.  So off I set for my first appointment, with my bag of oral assessors’ tricks, my syllabus, and my most encouraging smile.

I was met with great courtesy at the gate, given a royal escort to the Principal’s office, taken over by the caretaker, and led to the library where a row of tense little faces greeted me.  After getting everyone relaxed (I hoped!) we got under way.

I learned the arts and skills associated with netball, tennis, ski-ing, swimming, horse riding, gym, and ballet (classical and jazz). We were progressing really well when one small candidate began quietly sobbing.  I wondered whatever I could have done. In between hiccoughs I discovered she had mislaid her reading book not hard in a room containing hundreds of books. Well, day one concluded with an entourage leading me to the gate accompanied by a non-stop questionnaire: “Did you like me?”  “Was I good?”  “Did I get high marks?”

My next visit was to a small country school, all enthusiastic oralists.  There I learnt six ways of making fresh fruit salad, three ways of making delicious home-made yoghurt, and three times was given instructions in pikelet-making with a variety of spreads. I couldn’t possibly taste them all, so I commented on the eye appeal etc of the finished “structure”.

I just loved my introduction at one of our local Secondary Colleges. I was established in the Year 12 classroom. The bell went and classes proceeded to their “home rooms” for the day’s directions. The first sixth former to arrive was an athletic, debonair young man, who hurled his case into the room… and then followed in himself. If his arrival hadn’t been so rushed, he would have seen a notice on the door advising him of my presence. His vocal entrance was quite memorable.  “Oh God!” he shouted.  “No”, said I, “just one of His humble servants!” Several of my own private pupils were in that particular class and loved the incident.

Perhaps one of my most amusing situations was where a small 9 year old boy sidled up to me in the supermarket one Friday evening.  “Hello?” he said.  “Hello!” I replied.  “Mum’s over there,” said he. I looked and saw the Principal where I had been assessing that day.  “Oh,”  said I. “Do you go to Mum’s school?” “Yes,” he said. “You examined me today.” And so I had, but he had been dressed a full rodeo outfit and very little of his face was showing.

For those who may be considering applying to become an assessor go right ahead!  Here you see all the enthusiasm, spontaneity, and enjoyment of our New Zealand children. And you can be assured of the best entertainment our schools have to offer.  A medal too for all those teachers who encourage this oral activity with their schools.

Sister Marie Eugene, op

Korimako : a Centre for Ecology and Spirituality

                                         Findlay Road, Invercargill

A Corner of the Peace Garden

The Dominican Order is a global family consisting of friars, contemplative nuns, apostolic sisters, and lay people.

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