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Fr. Dominic Izzo, O.P.
Fr. Dominic Izzo, O.P. is Director of the Dominican Foundation and Vicar Provincial for Advancement for the Province of St. Joseph. From 1995 to 2002, Fr. Izzo served as a missionary in Kenya, which is part of the Dominican Vicariate of Eastern Africa where he was called to various ministries such as Treasurer of the Vicariate, Local Superior, Student Master and Vicar Provincial. Additionally, he taught scripture at Tangaza College, in Nairobi, Kenya where a number of religious congregations send their students for theological training. Besides the academic teaching at Tangaza, he also served there as a Director of the Institute of Spirituality and Religious Formation and later as a Member of the college’s Board of Governors and Chair of its Finance Committee. From 2002 until 2010, Fr. Izzo served as Prior Provincial of the Province of St. Joseph and it was during that time that he was elected to the Conference of Major Superiors of Men (CMSM) National Board (2003), as CMSM’s President-Elect (2004), and CMSM’s President (2005-2007). He was also appointed for a second term as Friar Consultant for the Association of Monasteries of Nuns of the Order of Preachers in the United States of America (to which he was appointed by the Holy See in 2005).
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One Ave at a Time:
Contemplating the Mysteries of our Salvation
Posted by Fr. Dominic Izzo, O.P. on October 07, 2010
Facade of Santa Maria Sopra Minerva; Rome, Italy
Annunciation by Fra Angelico; replica
Mary Garden, St. Vincent Ferrer, NYC
The Holy Rosary is the contemplative school of salvation. While meditating on the mysteries of the rosary, the devout Catholic enters into the greatest revelation of all time: "God so loved the world that He gave His only Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life (John 3:16)."
Praying the Holy Rosary is an important part of the spirituality of the Dominican Friar who is called to be a contemplative preacher. Contemplating by means of this school of contemplation, the Dominican Friar is reminded of the richness of God's invitation to life with Him. Contemplation forms the Dominican's preaching so that it is centered on Jesus Christ and not on himself.
Dominican spirituality, like the mysteries of the Holy Rosary, is rooted in the journey of the Word made flesh abiding with us and then returning to the bosom of the Father as the model of itinerancy that marks the life of the contemplative preacher. So important is the incarnation in the spirituality of the Dominicans that St. Dominic and the early Friars would genuflect as did the Archangel Gabriel in various images when he greeted Mary, "Hail Mary, full of grace."
How does praying the Holy Rosary in the Dominican tradition help all of us on the journey of holiness? The daily recitation of the rosary awakens within us the tangible presence of God and His unique invitation to holiness for each person. The more we become aware of God's presence in our lives the more easily we are able to discover His peace in the midst of the distractions and the tragedies of our world. At the same time, our joy is intensified when we realize that God became man so that we "may have life and have it more abundantly (John 10:10)."
Life is through the Word of God. There is an intimate connection between the Holy Rosary and the Psalms of the Old Testament. The Rosary was known as "Our Lady's Psalter" and played an important role in the life of St. Dominic and his sons that continues to this day. The Rosary, as we know it, has 150 Aves that remind us of the 150 psalms. Why is this important for us?
The People of Israel sang songs (psalms) of salvation, thanksgiving, lamentations, and praise that marked different stages in their relationship with the Lord God. They recall times when the presence of God was vividly a part of their lives. They also recall times when they felt the absence of God because their deeds and selfish choices turned them away from God's outstretched hand continually offered in one covenant after another. The psalms are the poetic contact point between God and man's journey with Him that are still relevant for us today.
In a similar manner, praying the 150 Aves of the Holy Rosary guides our meditation that we may enter into the mystery of the Incarnation, where the contact point between God and man becomes tangible in the Word made flesh. It is within these mysteries that we too sing our Christian songs of joy, sorrow, and glory that find voice in a discipleship illuminated and rooted in a personal encounter with the living God through the new and everlasting covenant given to us in the body and blood of His Only Son, Jesus Christ.
We take comfort that our experience has assured us of the efficacy of praying the Holy Rosary as a means to receiving God's grace to heal us and to raise us above the daily struggles that life brings our way. The Rosary has stood the test of time as an unfailing means to attain intimacy with God who is Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. One needs only to see firsthand the honors given to Mary near our Church of St. Vincent Ferrer, New York City. In the midst of a bustling street corner, people stop to ask Mary's intercession for their needs. The stream of fresh flowers held in her hands tells us that countless silent petitions have been answered.
Confident in the power of the Holy Rosary as the school of contemplation, Dominican Friars carry a Holy Rosary on the belts of their habits so that the mysteries of the Holy Rosary may carry them through moments of joy, and times of sorrows. All of us are carried by the Holy Rosary so that we may truly be ambassadors of Christ, like St. Paul who, through God's grace, preached, "I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me; and the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me (Gal 2:20-21)."
Today, I will offer the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass for your intentions on the feast of Our Lady of the Most Holy Rosary. In addition, I ask that you send to me your prayer intentions (df@opfriars.org) which I will keep in my prayers during the month of October, the month dedicated to the Holy Rosary. With confidence in God who is faithful to His promises, I pray that He may continue to guide you as you ponder the mysteries of our salvation wherein await the graces God has prepared for you. As God has blessed the Dominican Order through the intercession of Mary over eight centuries, may He also bless you and your family.
Praying the Holy Rosary is an important part of the spirituality of the Dominican Friar who is called to be a contemplative preacher. Contemplating by means of this school of contemplation, the Dominican Friar is reminded of the richness of God's invitation to life with Him. Contemplation forms the Dominican's preaching so that it is centered on Jesus Christ and not on himself.
Dominican spirituality, like the mysteries of the Holy Rosary, is rooted in the journey of the Word made flesh abiding with us and then returning to the bosom of the Father as the model of itinerancy that marks the life of the contemplative preacher. So important is the incarnation in the spirituality of the Dominicans that St. Dominic and the early Friars would genuflect as did the Archangel Gabriel in various images when he greeted Mary, "Hail Mary, full of grace."
How does praying the Holy Rosary in the Dominican tradition help all of us on the journey of holiness? The daily recitation of the rosary awakens within us the tangible presence of God and His unique invitation to holiness for each person. The more we become aware of God's presence in our lives the more easily we are able to discover His peace in the midst of the distractions and the tragedies of our world. At the same time, our joy is intensified when we realize that God became man so that we "may have life and have it more abundantly (John 10:10)."
Life is through the Word of God. There is an intimate connection between the Holy Rosary and the Psalms of the Old Testament. The Rosary was known as "Our Lady's Psalter" and played an important role in the life of St. Dominic and his sons that continues to this day. The Rosary, as we know it, has 150 Aves that remind us of the 150 psalms. Why is this important for us?
The People of Israel sang songs (psalms) of salvation, thanksgiving, lamentations, and praise that marked different stages in their relationship with the Lord God. They recall times when the presence of God was vividly a part of their lives. They also recall times when they felt the absence of God because their deeds and selfish choices turned them away from God's outstretched hand continually offered in one covenant after another. The psalms are the poetic contact point between God and man's journey with Him that are still relevant for us today.
In a similar manner, praying the 150 Aves of the Holy Rosary guides our meditation that we may enter into the mystery of the Incarnation, where the contact point between God and man becomes tangible in the Word made flesh. It is within these mysteries that we too sing our Christian songs of joy, sorrow, and glory that find voice in a discipleship illuminated and rooted in a personal encounter with the living God through the new and everlasting covenant given to us in the body and blood of His Only Son, Jesus Christ.
We take comfort that our experience has assured us of the efficacy of praying the Holy Rosary as a means to receiving God's grace to heal us and to raise us above the daily struggles that life brings our way. The Rosary has stood the test of time as an unfailing means to attain intimacy with God who is Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. One needs only to see firsthand the honors given to Mary near our Church of St. Vincent Ferrer, New York City. In the midst of a bustling street corner, people stop to ask Mary's intercession for their needs. The stream of fresh flowers held in her hands tells us that countless silent petitions have been answered.
Confident in the power of the Holy Rosary as the school of contemplation, Dominican Friars carry a Holy Rosary on the belts of their habits so that the mysteries of the Holy Rosary may carry them through moments of joy, and times of sorrows. All of us are carried by the Holy Rosary so that we may truly be ambassadors of Christ, like St. Paul who, through God's grace, preached, "I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me; and the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me (Gal 2:20-21)."
Today, I will offer the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass for your intentions on the feast of Our Lady of the Most Holy Rosary. In addition, I ask that you send to me your prayer intentions (df@opfriars.org) which I will keep in my prayers during the month of October, the month dedicated to the Holy Rosary. With confidence in God who is faithful to His promises, I pray that He may continue to guide you as you ponder the mysteries of our salvation wherein await the graces God has prepared for you. As God has blessed the Dominican Order through the intercession of Mary over eight centuries, may He also bless you and your family.