On May 23 two of our Dominican brothers, Mark Francis Manzano, OP and Boniface Willard, OP, will take part in the Rite of Solemn Profession. For the Brother it is a moment of profound humility, vulnerability and trust. For the Dominican Order it is a promise of support and accompaniment. It is the ceremony in which the individual commits himself in service of the Church through the preaching charism initiated by St. Dominic nearly eight-hundred years ago. The mercy which he seeks will be given to him through the living out of his life of obedience to the will of God. Of the many symbolic gestures that exist in Dominican rites, none are more powerful than the two prominent gestures in the Rite of Profession. Both the gesture and the profession establish a fundamental relationship between the friar and – through the Order – God.
The first gesture occurs at the beginning of the Rite, when the brother lies prostrate before the Prior Provincial (the leader of the community), arms outstretched in the form of a cross symbolizing humility and adoration of God (for more details see the blog by Fr. Augustine Thompson, OP). At that moment, the candidate is asked by the Provincial, “What do you seek?” To which he replies, “God’s mercy and yours.” This simple conversation marks the life of the person so long as he remains a member of the Order. All that he does, all that he says, all that he is and will become now is utterly dependent upon the mercy of God.
The second gesture comes at the actual profession of vows. The format is nearly as old as the Order itself. The friar kneels before the Prior Provincial and together they hold the Book of the Constitutions and Ordinances of the Friars Preachers in such a way that the Provincial holds not only the Book but also the hands of the friar making profession. The Rite itself suggests that the Book is “placed upon the hands of both the friar and the Provincial” (Rite, No. 39). The friar then does something which might seem, at first glance, to be a bit unusual: he makes a public profession of obedience to God, to Blessed Virgin Mary, and to the Master of the Order. He never mentions the other two vows of chastity or poverty. The moment passes quickly. Yet, its symbolic power cuts deeply to the heart of all present. With this gesture and profession, the individual allows himself to be bound by the Order (it is the Book which holds the two men together) to a life of obedience. The word obedience comes from the Latin ab audire, i.e. “to listen to.” The friar promises to hold “attentive listening” as the first and fundamental “stance of life”. He promises to listen to God in a manner similar to and flowing from the “listening heart” of Mary. This listening will happen throughout his life in the Order – and it is in this context that he takes on the vows – implicitly spoken – of chastity and poverty. In choosing to live life this way, the friar is simultaneously choosing to subordinate his own will to that of God – not blindly, but reflectively, contemplatively, by listening. In return for this surrender, the friar finds himself grasped by God. Whether you are there at the Solemn Profession in person or in spirit, do join us in prayer for our two brothers as they bind themselves in this way to God for the rest of their lives. May they truly find themselves grasped by the Lord in mercy and compassion. For more information, download the Rite of Profession for Friars.
Br. Mark Francis Manzano, OP
One fond memory of mine is recalling a sermon I once heard about the saints on a bright Sunday morning. In our church, high above the pews, were several stained glass windows of various people – Francis of Assisi, Thérèse of Lisieux, Anthony of Padua, and others. These were holy men and women who served the Lord and the Church in both heroic and hidden ways. And as the priest spoke, you could see the sunlight passing through and illuminating the windows and casting light into the church. And then the words came: "A saint is someone whom the Son shines through." Those words have stayed with me and I have wanted to be a saint ever since; I want to spend my life serving God and His people as they have done. I was born and raised in southern California. In college I studied mathematics and was active in my parish with music and youth ministry. My interest in religious life began in February 2002 at a religious education congress. After reading a biography of St. Francis of Assisi, I was fascinated with his life and how he lived the Gospel in a radical, genuine way and how he inspired others to do the same. So I did some research and was surprised: "These guys are still around?!" I had never met any religious before. My pastors were diocesan priests and I went through the public school system. Little did I know that I would be wearing a habit a year-and-a-half later. When I first discerned entering religious life, I looked into joining the Franciscans. They had a history of serving the poor and the forgotten, and were on the front lines of social justice issues. Some of them were also teachers. I then looked at the Benedictines and fell in love with the monastic life and the sung choral office. When I looked at the Dominicans, I found they had a healthy balance of the active life and contemplative life. At the end of a year's discernment, I found myself drawn to the Dominicans who have a saying about themselves - one foot in the monastery, one foot in the world. I feel I can best serve the Lord, the Church, and His people with these men who have made it their mission for the last 800 years to praise, to bless, and to preach.
Br. Boniface Willard, OP
I was born in Boise, Idaho, in 1977 and raised in a small town just north of there. Although my family spent a great deal of time enjoying the beauties of God found in the Idaho Rockies, we were regular in our religious observance. My sister and I attended religious education classes, and I served as an altar boy from the third grade until after college. It is, I think, through serving Mass and the example of several dedicated and holy priests that I first felt the stirrings of a desire to become a priest, but it was experienced as a sort of restlessness that quietly persisted through the years. During high school, my faith was challenged, both by the departure of family and friends from the Church and by members of other religious denominations, particularly the Mormons, who are the dominant religious group in southern Idaho. Although I was able to answer their questions and objections to some degree, I was often left feeling dissatisfied with my own answers. After a time, I realized that I had to go somewhere and learn about my faith, or I had to become an atheist. These were the only two options because if the faith I was raised with was not true, then nothing else seemed to be any better. Not having the strength to be an atheist, I decided to study the teachings and history of the Church. It was, if you will, faith seeking understanding. I attended Christendom College in Front Royal, Virginia, and graduated in 2000 with a Bachelor of Arts in theology. Attending Christendom College was a tremendous experience. I found the academic life stimulating and challenging, but it was the experience of the college community – which I think is best described as a sort of lay religious community – that once more brought to life the desire to be a priest; now, though, I began to think about life as a priest in a religious order. However, I graduated with no clear idea of what it was that I sought. After spending a year teaching high school in Richmond, I decided, on the advice of a friend, to study for my Master of Arts degree at the Dominican House of Studies in Washington, DC. As he said, I could work toward a higher degree while at the same time learn something about the Dominicans, whom he felt I would like. And he was right. I fell in love with the Order. The academic, prayer and community life of the friars resonated deeply in my soul, and a very strong desire to join them grew in me. I thought often about St. Matthew’s rich young man, and I finally decided to apply to the Western Dominican Province, and entered the Novitiate in August of 2003. I made my first profession in September of 2004, and I am currently working on the Master of Arts degree in theology and the Master of Divinity degree at DSPT.
