Second Station of the Cross

Br Daniel Jeffries, OP gives a reflection on the Second Station of the Cross - Jesus takes up the Cross - in a video specially pre-recorded for Godzdogz.

Media Vita

During Lent some beautiful pieces of Dominican chant are sung in the office of Compline. One of these is the responsory 'Media Vita' (which is said to have moved St Thomas Aquinas to tears) and which may be translated as follows:

"In the midst of life we are in death; of whom may we seek help but you, O Lord, who for our offences are justly displeased?

Yet, O God most holy, O holy and mighty, O holy and merciful Saviour, give us not over unto bitter death.

Cast us not away in the time of our old age; forsake us not, O Lord, when our strength fails us.

Yet, O God most holy, O holy and mighty, O holy and merciful Saviour, give us not over unto bitter death."

Below is a recording of the Dominican students at Blackfriars singing this chant: 

Genealogy

During First Vespers of Christmas in Blackfriars, Oxford, the genealogy of our Lord Jesus Christ according to St Matthew is sung in Latin using Dominican chant. Below is a video of this beautiful and joyful proclamation of the Gospel sung by Br Benedict Jonak, OP.

Advent Talk 2 on Video

This year's second Advent talk, delivered by Br Romero Radix, O.P. on Wednesday night, is now available in a pre-recorded video for readers who cannot join us for our weekly talk, meditation and Compline.

Advent Talk 1 on Video

This year's first Advent talk, delivered by Br Dominic Colangelo, O.P. on Wednesday night, is now available in a pre-recorded video for readers who cannot join us for our weekly talk, meditation and Compline.

Angelicum video

Blackfriars Studium is the House of Studies of the English Dominicans and most of the Dominican students in Oxford are studying for the STB (Baccalaureate in Sacred Theology) granted by the Pontifical University of St Thomas, Rome (the Angelicum), which is a Domincan-run institution. It is also possible for lay men and women to begin the Angelicum's STB programme by studying in the Blackfriars Studium and to conclude the programme with at least a year's full-time study in Rome.

If you're interested in the work of the Angelicum or want a taste of what it is like to study there, do take a look at this video.

For more information on the Angelicum STB at Blackfriars, Oxford, click here.

Credo 46: 'Amen' - Video of Credo 1

To mark the end of our commentary on the Creed, which we've been publishing on Godzdogz since April this year, we have recorded Credo I (which is in the 4th mode) according to the Dominican chant books. Do excuse the few stray notes - this was the fifth attempt!

To Praise, to Bless, to Preach!

This Sunday, the World Day of Prayer for Vocations, we would like to share with you a video exploring the gift of a Dominican vocation produced by our brothers in St Joseph's Province, U.S.A.



Their other videos, available here, are also well worth a look.

We ask you please to pray with and for our Order:

Blessed Jordan, worthy successor of St Dominic,
in the early days of the Order,
your example and zeal prompted many men and women
to follow Christ in the white habit of our Holy Father.
As patron of Dominican vocations,
continue to stimulate talented and devoted men and women to consecrate their lives to God. Through your intercession,
lead to the Order of Preachers generous and sacrificing persons, willing to give themselves fervently to the apostolate of truth.
Help them to prepare themselves to be worthy of the grace of a Dominican vocation.
Inspire their hearts to become learned of God,
that with firm determination they might aspire to be
champions of the faith and true lights of the world. Amen.

Dominican Vocation film clip (1964)

Our Dominican brothers in Washington, D.C. have recently put up this video on the Dominican vocation. It is taken from a 1964 film entitled And the world looks at us. Some aspects of the Dominican liturgy and some customs of conventual life have changed since then but our life is still essentially the same: dedicated to preaching for the salvation of souls, a preaching nourished and supported by prayer, contemplation, study and fraternity.



For a contemporary account of the call to Dominican life read Br Bruno's story.

Is God calling you too?

Exsultet - Rejoice!

Many of our readers will be familiar with the Exsultet, the great hymn of praise to the paschal candle, as it appears in the Roman Missal. In Blackfriars Oxford we sing it to a tune adapted from Dominican chant and using a unique translation of the Latin text. Br Bruno Clifton OP sings it here in this setting, with photographs by Br Lawrence Lew OP

The prayer of the prophet Jeremiah

The video above is a recording of Oratio Jeremiae prophetae, part of the Office of Tenebrae for Holy Saturday. It is sung at Blackfriars this year by Robert Gay OP. Here is a translation of the text:

The prayer of the prophet Jeremiah

Remember, O Lord, what has befallen us; behold, and see our disgrace!
Our inheritance has been turned over to strangers, our homes to aliens.
We have become orphans, fatherless; our mothers are like widows.
We must pay for the water we drink, the wood we get must be bought.
With a yoke on our necks we are hard driven; we are weary, we are given no rest.
We have given the hand to Egypt, and to Assyria, to get bread enough.
Our fathers sinned, and are no more; and we bear their iniquities.
Slaves rule over us; there is none to deliver us from their hand.
We get our bread at the peril of our lives, because of the sword in the wilderness.
Our skin is hot as an oven with the burning heat of famine.
Women are ravished in Zion, virgins in the towns of Judah.
Princes are hung up by their hands; no respect is shown to the elders.
Young men are compelled to grind at the mill; and boys stagger under loads of wood.
The old men have quit the city gate, the young men their music.
The joy of our hearts has ceased; our dancing has been turned to mourning.
The crown has fallen from our head; woe to us, for we have sinned!
For this our heart has become sick, for these things our eyes have grown dim,
for Mount Zion which lies desolate; jackals prowl over it.
But thou, O Lord, dost reign for ever; thy throne endures to all generations.
Why dost thou forget us for ever, why dost thou so long forsake us?
Restore us to thyself, O Lord, that we may be restored! Renew our days as of old!
Or hast thou utterly rejected us? Art thou exceedingly angry with us?

Jerusalem, Jerusalem, turn again to the Lord your God.

The Passion of our Lord Jesus Christ

In Blackfriars on Good Friday St John's account of the passion is sung to a setting based on Dominican chant. It is usually sung by three people and a small choir. However, this recording was made during a rehearsal by Fr Richard Ounsworth OP and Br Bruno Clifton OP and so only two voices are employed.

We wish to share part of our liturgy with you and offer this video as a way of using music and art to pray and meditate on the Lord's Passion.

Sequence for Candlemas

In the 9th and 10th centuries, there arose a new form of hymnody, the Prose or Sequence which was sung after the Gradual (the anthem between the Epistle and Gospel at Mass). In the Dominican Missal, the Sequence Laetabundus, may still be sung at the Third Mass of Christmas, the Epiphany and Candlemas. It begins thus:

"Let the faithful choir
Joyfully rejoice,
Alleuia!

The womb of the undefiled one
Has brought forth the King of kings:
A thing of wonder..."

There were quite a number of sequences written to celebrate the Incarnation of Christ, but the most famous Nativity sequence is this one. It was once sung all over Europe - the oldest surviving manuscript evidence is from the 11th century - being especially popular in England and France. Unlike other early sequences, it was written in rhymed stanzas and this came to influence later hymns and verses.

This Sequence is believed to survive today only in the Dominican liturgical books and the recording above is from Blackfriars, Oxford. The Latin words and music may be found here and a full translation here.

Advent Talk 3 on Video

The third and final Advent talk, delivered by Br Alistair Jones OP on Wednesday night, is now available in a pre-recorded video.

O Sapientia - December 17

The text of today‘s antiphon is

O Wisdom, who came forth from the mouth of the Most High, reaching from one end to the other, powerfully and sweetly ordering all things: come to teach us the way of prudence.

Jesus, the Word or Wisdom of God, is like a bridge reaching from heaven to earth and from earth to heaven. We are invited to journey towards our Father by stepping on this bridge and following where it leads. Walking this 'way of prudence' helps to make the kingdom of God visible in our time. The one who utters the invitation is none less than the Messiah himself.

Advent Talk 2 on Video

The second Advent talk, delivered by Br David Rocks, O.P. on Wednesday night, is now available in a pre-recorded video for readers who cannot join us for this weekly talk, meditation and Compline.

Advent Talk 1 on Video

For our readers who are not able to join us tonight for the Advent talk at Blackfriars, we have posted the text of tonight's talk and also a pre-recorded video of it being delivered.

To view the talk, given by Br. Bruno, please click the video below.