Our spirits were truly lifted.
RENEW Toronto
RENEW Toronto Conference – A Spirit-filled experience
The Dominican family was well represented, demonstrating its presence and commitment in the heart of Toronto.
November 21-23, 2025
The RENEW Toronto conference was a deeply inspiring and Spirit-filled weekend, with keynote lectures, workshops, Mass, Eucharistic adoration and much more.
Mass at St. Michael’s Cathedral Basilica, presided over by Cardinal Leo, was followed by a lovely moment of fellowship over food and refreshments.
“Be what you were created to be, and you will set the world on fire.” – Saint Catherine of Siena
Dominican Month for Peace 2025: Cameroon
LITANY FOR JUSTICE AND PEACE
Christ’s rights were flouted so that justice and peace would reign forever for all. “It pleased God … to reconcile all things through Christ and for him, both on earth and in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross” (Col. 1: 19).
- So that your Will may come and reign, we pray to you, Lord, hear us.
- In order for human beings to come to the obedience of faith, we pray to you, Lord, hear us.
- So that human wills may commune with your holy Will, we pray to you, Lord, hear us.
- So that human beings may live according to your holy Will which desires the good and the salvation of all, we pray to you, Lord, hear us.
- So that your reign of justice and peace may come, we pray to you, Lord, hear us.
- That your justice and your peace reign in hearts and nations, we pray to you, Lord, hear us.
- So that injustices give way to true justice, we pray to you, Lord, hear us.
- So that human freedoms are respected, we pray to you, Lord, hear us.
- So that real equality and equity reign among human beings, we pray to you, Lord, hear us.
- So that the dignity of human beings, created in your image and likeness, may be respected, we pray to you, Lord, hear us.
- So that charity and sharing reign among human beings, we pray to you, Lord, hear us.
- May the castles and paradises of the rich no longer be built on misery and the blood of the poor, we pray to you… Lord, hear us.
- So that the strong no longer crushes the weak, we pray to you, Lord, hear us.
- So that the poor are no longer sold for a pair of sandals, we pray to you, Lord, hear us.
- So that the judges of the nations apply the laws with the fear of the Lord, we pray to you, Lord, hear us.
- May the innocent be condemned no longer and the guilty set free, we pray to you, Lord, hear us.
- May our prisons become places of life and not of torture and death, we pray to you, Lord, hear us.
- So that wars and violence around the world will cease, we pray to you, Lord, hear us.
- In order for human beings to forgive each other, we pray to you, Lord, hear us.
- May human beings be reconciled with you and among themselves in Christ, we pray to you, Lord, hear us.
- Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world, have mercy on us.
- Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world, forgive us, Lord.
- Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world, give us your justice and your peace.
Let us pray: Lord, you have made Christ our Justice and our Peace. Through the merits of his rights flouted on the Cross, grant us to live as artisans and apostles of justice and peace, so that your kingdom may come in the world and your will be done. We ask this through Him, Christ, who reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, forever and ever. Amen.
Cameroon’s Forgotten War: A Dominican Witness to Suffering and Hope
A recent special report highlighted the ongoing conflict in Cameroon’s English-speaking regions, a war that has lasted nearly nine years and remains largely ignored by the international community. Rooted in historical divisions between Anglophone and Francophone regions, the crisis escalated in 2016 after the violent suppression of peaceful protests calling for linguistic and legal rights.
Testimonies from Dominican sisters and lay members revealed the human cost of the conflict: widespread displacement, closed schools, destroyed villages, and families torn apart. In Bamenda, Dominican nuns have transformed their monastery into a refuge for women and children fleeing violence, providing shelter, food, education, and hope amid extreme hardship.
The report called on the Dominican family and the wider Church to respond through prayer, advocacy, and concrete solidarity, affirming that lasting peace can only emerge from truth, justice, and faithful accompaniment of those who suffer.
The Catholic Church in Cameroon (PDF)
Life behind the Walls: A monastic community’s response to the Anglophone Crisis
Being an Intelligent Believer: A Danger or A Calling?
A Reflection Through the Lenses of Biblical Exegesis
The modern world often sets religion and scientific thinking in opposition, to the extent that believers feel
sometimes compelled to choose between traditional belief in God and a more rational, more modern,
and more intelligent viewpoint that rejects this belief. It might seem as though belief in God is hardly
consistent with the choice of being an intelligent person. This conflict is especially dire in the field of biblical
studies, for example in the recent debate on archaeology. But perhaps this is a false dilemma?
Drawing on his experience as a biblical scholar; Fr. Hervé Tremblay, O.P., believes that it is possible
to develop a balanced approach that respects the merits of both faith and reason.
Father Hervé Tremblay Examines Faith, Scripture, and the Ongoing Tension Between Belief and Modern Scholarship
In his Mahoney Library Lecture at St. Peter’s Seminary, Father Hervé Tremblay, O.P., reflected on a lifetime of faith, scholarship, and teaching, exploring the enduring tension between religious belief and modern scientific inquiry. Using the story of Father Lagrange—founder of the École Biblique in Jerusalem—as a starting point, he described how the rise of modern science in the 19th century confronted believers with difficult questions about the historical accuracy of Scripture and forced many to choose between faith and intellectual honesty. Tremblay traced this struggle through the modernist crisis, the cautious openness of mid-20th-century magisterial documents, and the renewed skepticism toward biblical scholarship in some contemporary circles. He urged listeners to reject simplistic, literal readings of ancient texts and instead embrace the Catholic tradition’s long history of interpretation, which recognizes Scripture’s complexity while affirming its enduring meaning. Human intelligence and faith, he argued, must work together—not against each other—if believers hope to read the Bible responsibly in the modern world.
Religious Architectural Heritage and Contemporary Art
✨ Conference: Religious Architectural Heritage and Contemporary Art ✨
📅 Sunday, November 9 at 2:30 p.m.
📍 Saint-Dominique Church
175 Grande Allée West, Quebec City, G1R 2H1
🎟️ Free admission | Voluntary contribution
Le Corbusier and the La Tourette Priory
A French architectural masterpiece listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, the La Tourette Priory, built in 1959 near Lyon for the Dominicans, remains a unique place where spirituality, art, and modern architecture meet.
Since 2009, this living monastery has hosted annual contemporary art exhibitions featuring major artists such as Anish Kapoor, Vera Molnar, Lee Ufan, François Morellet, and Anselm Kiefer.
Fr. Marc Chauveau, an art historian by training, has a special interest in 20th-century and contemporary art. His goal is to make contemporary art accessible to everyone.
Organized by the Dominicans
📩 Info: Fr. François Pouliot – fpouliotop@hotmail.com
The Interior Redesign of Notre-Dame de Paris
✨ The Interior Redesign of Notre-Dame de Paris ✨
📅 November 6 at 7:30 p.m.
📍 Saint-Dominique Church
175 Grande Allée West, Quebec City, G1R 2H1
🎟️ Free admission | Voluntary contribution
After a historical overview of the evolution of the liturgical space of Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris, Dominican friar Marc Chauveau will present the current redesign and offer a reflection on the challenge of integrating contemporary artworks into a sacred and heritage space.
🕊️ Highlights include:
– New liturgical furnishings
– A series of seven tapestries
– A set of six stained-glass windows
Fr. Marc Chauveau, an art historian by training, has a special interest in 20th-century and contemporary art. His goal is to make contemporary art accessible to everyone, whether initiated or not.
Organized by the Dominicans
📩 Info: Fr. François Pouliot – fpouliotop@hotmail.com
50th Anniversary of the Caribbean Parish in Toronto
Our Lady of Good Counsel Parish – Caribbean-Canadian Catholic Church in Toronto
Siyahamba — “We Are Marching in the Light of God.”
Happy Thanksgiving !
Celebration of the 50th anniversary of the Caribbean parish with Bishop Kasun.
Founded in 1975, Our Lady of Good Counsel Parish was placed under the pastoral care of the Spiritan Fathers of Trinidad and Tobago, as well as the Dominican Sisters of St. Catherine of Siena from Port of Spain, Trinidad.
Many thanks to the Dominicans of Toronto for their participation in this beautiful celebration.
Feast of Our Lady of the Rosary
Feast of Our Lady of the Rosary (with the Dominican family)
📅 Tuesday, October 7
📍 Saint-Dominique Church – 175 Grande Allée West, Quebec City
Conference
“The Rosary in Marian apparitions” by Brother Lamphone, o.p.
Program
- 5:30 p.m. – Vespers
- 5:50 p.m. – Optional dinner (bring your own)
- 6:30 p.m. – Marian conference
- 7:30 p.m. – Meditated rosary
- 8:00 p.m. – Solemn mass
- 8:45 p.m. – Torchlight procession
- 9:15 p.m. – Final blessing
Feast of Our Lady
Saint Pier Giorgio Frassati
Dear friends, Saints Pier Giorgio Frassati and Carlo Acutis are an invitation to all of us, especially young people, not to squander our lives, but to direct them upwards and make them masterpieces. They encourage us with their words: “Not I, but God,” as Carlo used to say. And Pier Giorgio: “If you have God at the center of all your actions, then you will reach the end.” This is the simple but winning formula of their holiness. It is also the type of witness we are called to follow, in order to enjoy life to the full and meet the Lord in the feast of heaven. ( HOMILY OF POPE LEON XIV, September 7, 2025 )
