Feast of All Saints of the Order of Preachers

To you, brethren and sisters blest

Who once our holy Rule professed,

These joyful rites your Order brings

And reverently with gladness sings.

Once, I heard a Jesuit (who else?) say that in heaven he would no longer be a Jesuit. I always thought that that was a bit odd and the fact that the major Orders: Benedictines, Cistercians, Carmelites, and Dominicans, each have their own feast of All Saints, makes me suspect that our brothers and sisters with whom we shared communion with on earth will still be ours in heaven!

While last weeks' solemnity of All Saints was of an ecclesial nature, today's feast of All Saints of the Order of Preachers is definitely one more of a family quality. Not only do we rejoice that some of our brothers and sisters have been held in honor by the Church and raised to the altars and some are even great saints, like St. Thomas, St. Albert, St. Catherine and in a more hidden way, St. Dominic, but we also celebrate our "little saints"—those Servants of God we read about in the Dominican Calendar whose "cult was confirmed" by Pope Such and Such. In others words, their cause for beatification has been closed but the Church still upholds them as holy men and women and models for us.

We also remember today those brothers and sisters we have known or lived with. These are the servants of God that were chosen in God's providence to help us come to holiness through their example, encouragement and prayers.

Dominicans have a not so very good track record of promoting other Dominicans for canonization. The story even goes that it was only because St. Francis was canonized that the Dominicans thought they'd better do something about St. Dominic! Still, God knows those whom He wishes to give to the Church as an example and today there continues to be many Friars, Nuns, Sisters and Laity whose causes are up for beatification and canonization.

Today we rejoice with our brothers and sisters as they share in the radiance of the Face of God and ask their intercession that we too will one day rejoin them in the Heavenly Banquet of eternal Life!

Happy Feast day, to all our Dominican Brothers and Sisters!