Dominicans open new intellectual headquarters

Father John Joseph Aquinas Farren, O.P.
Vicar Provincial for Advancement of the Province of St. Joseph

He has not been at the helm of the Dominican Foundation (DF) for even two years. But Fr. John Farren, O.P., Vicar Provincial for Advancement for the Dominican Province of St. Joseph is presiding, along with other distinguished Friars, over what will be a milestone in the history of the Province and the order at large, as well as in the life of the US Church and likely that of the English-speaking Catholic community around the world: the launch of the new, $20M Academic Center and Theological Library at the Dominican House of Studies in Washington, D.C.

The new Dominican House of Studies (DHS) is a center for the renewal of Thomistic studies for the benefit of Friars, other priests and laypeople alike, while also serving as the main seminary for the Province to train the Order's candidates both intellectually and spiritually. The DHS aims to take its place along the major centers of Dominican learning, such as the Angelicum in Rome and the University of Fribourg in Switzerland, said Fr. Farren, who was Prior at the DHS for two terms. A vital element in the Foundation's success is the fact the Province is attracting a growing number of vocations at a time when many dioceses and other religious orders are struggling to replenish their ranks.

The Foundation is also unique in that its business is "not just fundraising, as the case with most other foundations," said Fr. Farren. "Our longer term aim," he added, "is for the Foundation to be an expression of a new collaboration between laity and religious. This collaboration is meant to be a concrete example of the order embracing lay involvement in the very shaping of the Friars' formation," the Friar said.

Besides the obviously critical role laity play in helping fund the Province's various operations, the professional expertise of the Foundation's lay board members and key supporters will play an important role "in teaching Friars about the world," said Fr. Farren, who came to his new job after spending five years as rector of the Boston archdiocesan seminary, St. John's. Friars will benefit by completing their formation already being initiated into the realms of business, law and the other professions, he explained.

The Friars will be better preachers, said Fr. Farren, if they "are formed in the realities of what it is like to be in the marketplace." This intimate exposure to the experiences and expertise of successful laymen and women "will enrich their humanity," he said, "and enrich their pastoral ability, too, as it enables them to provide appropriate informed reflection" on the real-life challenges of the people they will be ministering to.

"We always need ways to improve the quality of our preaching, making it an ever stronger tool to mediate the encounter with God," said the Friar, "and to show people a way to become more fully human and respond to God in the circumstances of their lives."

This dimension of the Foundation's unique partnership with the laity is not something Fr. Farren speaks about much publicly. It is a long-term project, with the fundraising needs the current priority, naturally. "Rome was not built in a day," said Father Farren, who is very pleased to be steering the Foundation in such an extraordinary direction.

What makes it unique, he said, is that the Dominicans and the laity collaborate in a way that does justice to their separate, autonomous realms. For one, there is no move to turn the Order into a business-like operation in ways that violate the primacy of the spiritual and pastoral mission of the Friars. The Dominicans, for their part, are committed to leading their lay brothers and sisters ever deeper into the mysteries of faith as laypersons.

In key ways, Fr. Farren, who has also spent four years as the theological advisor for the Knights of Columbus, also considers his new task to be a teaching office. "It is not just about finding money; we are trying to educate our donors as faithful Catholics," he said. "They appreciate it when I speak especially about how we together join in promoting the spread and deepening of the faith. It resonates with them, even if they cannot always put into words why," he added. "There is a profound mutual respect," the Friar said.

Fr. Farren is quick to point out that the DF, which was formally established in September 2007, did not magically raise all the money in a mere 18 months and that years of effort had preceded his appointment. Still, the Friar, who made is first profession of vows as a Dominican Friar in 1957, is setting the bar high: the goal of $5M for 2008 was exceeded and this year he expects to raise another $5M.

"I am bowled over by people's generosity," said Fr. Farren. "The goodness of people is simply incredible and I pray that we may be worthy of the gifts that so many so willingly give. They understand what we are striving for and we have the responsibility to be faithful to God and to them and to live lives of honesty and integrity."

In practical terms, the next hurdle for the foundation is finding the financing for the rehabilitation of the Priory at DHS, a building that dates back to 1905 and needs many costly upgrades. Fr. Farren estimates the costs may reach $20M. "The job will never really end," he said.

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Press Information

The media are invited to interview leading Dominicans of the Province of St. Joseph as follows: Saturday, April 18 from 1:00pm-2:00 pm and Sunday, April 19 at 1:00-2:00 pm

Please meet interviewees on the 1st Floor of the Theological Library at the Dominican House of Studies (directions below), or by appointment.

For more information, or to schedule phone interview(s), please contact THOMAS PETERS or JEFF GRABOSKY.

Phone: 202-495-3877 or 202-495-3828
Email: .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
Address: The Dominican House of Studies, 487 Michigan Ave, NE, Washington DC 20017