Letter from the Director
Dear Friend,
Advent is a time of awaiting the coming of
the Lord in stillness and silence. After this
tumultuous year in our nation’s history, we
are especially in need of this stillness and
peace. With that in mind, I want to share a
story from our Dominican tradition.
to re-release Fr. Thomas McGlynn’s book,
Vision of Fatima, through Sophia Institute
Press and I recommend it to you as a way
of deepening your relationship with our
Order during the 100th anniversary of
Fatima next year.
Caught up in a vision of heaven, St. Dominic
saw the Blessed Mother surrounded by
throngs of religious and began weeping.
The Lord asked him “Why are you weeping?”
Dominic said, “I am weeping because I
see all other orders here but there is no
sign of my own.” At this point, Mary drew
back her cape, and beneath it Dominic
saw a large multitude of his own brethren.
He threw himself down and thanked God
and Our Lady.
Action flows from contemplation, and I pray
that all of you who so generously support
the many actions of the Dominican Friars
will share in our joyful contemplation of
Our Lord and his Mother this Christmas.
This deep Marian peace is at the heart
of all the works of the Friars that you so
generously support. In this issue you
will read about our leadership of college
missions with organizations like FOCUS
(Fellowship of Catholic University Students)
and our Angelic Warfare Confraternity,
which is providing hope for thousands of
young people struggling with pornography
and impurity. You will also hear from one
of our long-time donors, who, like every
one of you, we consider to be part of our
Dominican family.
Finally, in this issue you will read about a
matter close to my heart, devotion to Our
Lady of Fatima, and how one of our Friars
used the gifts God gave him to spread this
devotion when it was still little-known in
the United States. The Friars are proud
BlackFriars - Volume III, Issue IV
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Fr. Gabriel Gillen, O.P., blesses relics of St. John
Paul II at the Fatima Shrine in St. Vincent Ferrer
Church, New York.
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