Course Description
This course will provide you with a very thorough introduction to the Dominican Order, also know as the Order of Preachers. It was originally designed to help those who were discerning to become members of the Lay Dominicans, also know as Third Order Dominicans. It will give you a very solid foundation in Dominican spirituality and encourage you along your path toward discerning God’s will in your life.
Required text- “Hounds of the Lord” by Dr. Kevin Vost (Sophia Institute Press, 2015)
Module 1: St. Dominic and the Order of Preachers
St. Dominic
St. Dominic (1170-1221) was the founder of the Order of Preachers, known as the Dominicans. When you read the Gospel of St. Matthew (which Dominic carried with him and knew by heart), you are struck by the confluence of his life with that of the Master. Both were itinerant preachers; both collected a group of followers; both gave their lives to preach the ‘Good News.’ And yet neither wrote much, if anything, for their followers. It is fitting that we should study the life of our Founder as or first module.
- Click here –> The Life of St. Dominic PDF and read about the life of St. Dominic and the foundation of the Order of Preachers, then reflect on the following questions:
- Who founded the Dominican Order?
- Why did this person found the Order?
- During what point in history did the founder start the order?
Why the Dominican Order?
Module 2: The Four Pillars and the Dominican Rule of Life
Read the following documents and respond to the questions after:
The Four Pillars of Dominican Spirituality PDF
- What are the four pillars of Dominican spirituality?
- What makes the Dominican order unique from other religious orders?
- From which ancient Rule did the Dominicans use as their own when the order was formed?
- What makes the Dominican Rule unique to other Rules from other religious orders?
We encourage you to read The Lay Dominican Rule and to put it into practice in your daily life. You might find that living like a Dominican can help you ultimately live like Christ.
Module 3: The Doers
This week, read Part I of Dr. Kevin Vost’s book, Hounds of the Lord, The Doers (pages 17-85). View the video of Dr. Vost talking about the three Dominican Saints from this part of his book from our interview with him.
Take notes on who the following Dominican Saints are and why their role in the family of St. Dominic is so important:
- St. Dominic
- Blessed Humbert of Romans
- Fra. Angelico
Module 4: The Thinkers
This week, read Part II of Dr. Kevin Vost’s book, Hounds of the Lord, The Thinkers (pages 89-168). View the video of Dr. Vost talking about the three Dominican Saints from this part of his book from our interview with him.
Take notes on who the following Dominican Saints are and why their role in the family of St. Dominic is so important:
- St. Albert the Great
- St. Thomas Aquinas
- St. Catherine of Sienna
Focus on the following questions as you read. You might need to do some extra research to discover some of the answers:
- What is Thomism?
- Why is Thomism considered to be one of, if not THE, most important philosophies to the Catholic Church? Here is a hint, Pope Leo XIII wrote this encyclical on why Thomism was so important.
- What is the title of St. Catherine of Sienna’s most popular piece of writing?
- What is St. Albert the Great the Patron Saint of?
Module 5: The Lovers
This week, read Part III of Dr. Kevin Vost’s book, Hounds of the Lord, The Lovers (pages 171-227). View the video of Dr. Vost talking about the three Dominican Saints from this part of his book from our interview with him.
Take notes on who the following Dominican Saints are and why their role in the family of St. Dominic is so important:
- St. Martin De Porres
- St. Rose of Lima
- Blessed Pier Giorgio Frassati