Opening of the 800th Jubilee
Today was the Solemn Opening of the Jubilee Year commemorating the 800th anniversary of the Order of Preachers! The Order put together a ceremony that could be incorporated into either the Mass or the Divine Office by each Dominican entity throughout the world today. The ceremony had two parts, the ritual of light (which included a procession) and the ritual of sending. We began before Mass in the vestibule of the Chapel (a big surprise to some late-comers!) with Father reading the Jubilee message from the Master of the Order, Fr. Bruno Cadore followed by the lighting of the Jubilee candle and the reading of a passage from the Gospel of Matthew. The procession to the sanctuary (and for the nuns, back into the choir) then to place while chanting the sequence from the Feast of Saint Dominic.
After communion the ritual of sending took place. Our prioress, Sr. Mary Martin, and sub-prioress, Sr. Mary Amata, approached the choir grille to have their candles lit by light from the jubilee candle. They then proceeded to light the candles of the sisters, beginning with the eldest in profession. Rich, our good friend and prior of our monastery's chapter of the lay fraternity of Saint Dominic, lit the candles of the faithful in the public chapel. Once everyone's candles were lit Father led us in the Jubilee prayer. After the final blessing we concluded the Mass with the Dominican Salve.
