The Priestly Fraternity of Saint Dominic
Province of St. Albert the Great · USA
Diocesan Priests Following the Way of Saint Dominic in the Order of Preachers
RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THE PROVINCE AND THE FRATERNITY
Members of the Priestly Fraternity of St. Dominic are members of the Dominican Family and sharers in the grace and mission of the Order of Preachers. The Order provides members of the Priestly Fraternity with spiritual aids and directs them to their own sanctification. However, it leaves them free for the complete service of the local Church, under the jurisdiction of their own bishop.
Priests of Saint Dominic in particular places are normally organized into local chapters (fraternities), according to various cities, vicariates, deaneries, or dioceses, and they have periodic meetings. In their progress in Dominican life, they rely upon the major superiors of the Order, that is, the Prior Provincial of the territory where the fraternities are established and the Master of the Order, head of the whole Dominican Family and successor to Saint Dominic.
However, the Master of the Order ordinarily provides for all fraternities through his General Promoter—currently Fr. Florentino Bolo, OP—and the Prior Provincial through his Provincial Promoter who regularly visits these fraternities at appropriate times and promotes the spirit of Dominican life in them.
PROVINCE OF ST. ALBERT THE GREAT
The first Dominican friars to come to North America came with the earliest explorers, but the beginnings of the present provinces date from 1805 when Dominicans came to Kentucky. This was the beginning of the Province of St. Joseph (Eastern Province). The Province of the Holy Name (Western Province) dates from the 1850s. The Province of St. Albert the Great began in 1939 and the Province of St. Martin de Porres (Southern Province) was founded in 1979.
The Province of St. Albert the Great includes the states of Michigan, Indiana, Wisconsin, Illinois, Minnesota, Iowa, Missouri, North and South Dakota, Nebraska, Kansas, Wyoming, Colorado, New
Mexico, and the unincorporated territory of Puerto Rico. Members of the province also minister in Bolivia, Nigeria, and Central America. Provincial headquarters are in Chicago, the novitiate is in Denver and the house of theology is in St. Louis. There are about 200 friars in the Province of St. Albert the Great.
Four fraternities exist in the Province of St. Albert the Great: the St. Vincent Ferrer Chapter in River Forest, Illinois (in the Archdiocese of Chicago); the Lumen Ecclesiae Chapter in Grand Rapids, Michigan (in the Diocese of Grand Rapids); the Regina Rosarii Chapter in Joliet, Illinois (in the Diocese of Joliet-in-Illinois); and the Mary Mediatrix Chapter in Booneville, Indiana (in the Diocese of Evansville). Priests may join their nearest chapter or any chapter that appeals to them.
Prior Provincial: Very Rev. James V. Marchionda, OP
Provincial Promoter: Fr. Michael J. Monshau, OP (EMAIL)
PROVINCE OF ST. JOSEPH
The Dominican Friars of the Province of St. Joseph were founded in 1806 by Fr. Edward Dominic Fenwick, OP, an American who had joined the English Province of the Order as a young man during its exile in Belgium. Fr. Fenwick eventually returned to the United States with the dream of establishing the Order in his native land. Due to the shortage of priests in the western states, Fr. Fenwick first established the province in Kentucky, and soon extended the ministry to Ohio. In the mid-nineteenth century, the Province began ministering on the East Coast while continuing its presence in Ohio and Kentucky.
The Province of St. Joseph includes the states of Kentucky, Virginia, West Virginia, Ohio, Pennsylvania, New York, Maryland, Delaware, New Jersey, Rhode Island, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Vermont, New Hampshire, Maine, and the District of Columbia. Members of the province also minister in Kenya. Provincial headquarters are in New York, the novitiate is in Cincinnati and the house of studies is in Washington, DC.
If you reside in the territory of the Province of St. Joseph, learn more by visiting opeast.org or dominicanfriars.org. Contact any friar in the Province of St. Joseph or the Provincial Promoter listed below to learn more about connecting with the Priestly Fraternity of St. Dominic in your province.
Prior Provincial: Very Rev. Kenneth R. Letoile, OP
Provincial Promoter: Fr. Albert Trudel, OP (EMAIL)
PROVINCE OF THE MOST HOLY NAME OF JESUS
The Province of the Most Holy Name of Jesus, commonly referred to as the “Western Dominican Province,” was founded in 1850 during the California Gold Rush. Today the Province of the Most Holy Name of Jesus continues to be at the forefront of teaching and preaching for the salvation of souls. There are currently 150 friars in the Province, preaching the Gospel in virtually every major city across the Western United States—from Anchorage, Alaska to San Diego, California to Salt Lake City, Utah.
The Province of the Most Holy Name of Jesus includes the states of Alaska, Washington, Oregon, Montana, Idaho, Nevada, California, Utah, Arizon, and Hawaii.
If you reside in the territory of the Province of the Most Holy Name of Jesus, learn more by visiting opwest.org. Contact any friar in the Province of the Most Holy Name of Jesus or the Provincial Promoter listed below to learn more about connecting with the Priestly Fraternity of St. Dominic in your province.
Prior Provincial: Very Rev. Christopher Fadok, OP
Provincial Promoter: Fr. Vincent Mary Kelber , OP (EMAIL)
PROVINCE OF ST. MARTIN DE PORRES
On December 8, 1979, as a response to the rapidly-growing Catholic population in the Southern United States, the Order of Friars Preachers approved the foundation of a new Dominican Province—the Province of Saint Martin de Porres. In the relatively few years since its foundation, the province has grown into a joyful and diverse preaching and teaching community, ready and able to preach the Gospel of Jesus Christ in whatever manner or place necessary.
The Province of St. Martin de Porres includes the states of Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Tennessee, Alabama, Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, and North Carolina.
If you reside in the territory of the Province of St. Martin de Porres, learn more by visiting opsouth.org. Contact any friar in the Province of St. Martin de Porres or the Provincial Promoter listed below to learn more about connecting with the Priestly Fraternity of St. Dominic in your province.
Prior Provincial: Very Rev. Tom Condon, OP
Provincial Promoter: Fr. David Kong Seid, OP (EMAIL)
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