New Dominican Community in Philadelphia
January 29, 2018
In July 2018, the Dominican Friars of the Province of St. Joseph will begin a new Dominican community in Philadelphia. The Province has a long history of service to the Archdiocese of Philadelphia, with friars having served in the past at Holy Name of Jesus Parish and on the faculties of various institutions of higher learning in the Philadelphia area. On July 1, four Dominican friars will begin ministry in Philadelphia, with two serving as Pastor and Parochial Vicar of St. Patrick’s Parish near Rittenhouse Square, one joining the faculty of an Archdiocesan high school and a fourth assisting with various ministries.
The Prior Provincial, Very Reverend Kenneth Letoile, OP, made the following statement about the new apostolate: “We are delighted to accept Archbishop Chaput’s gracious invitation to establish a new Dominican community in the Archdiocese of Philadelphia. It comes at a providential moment for us: vocations to our Dominican province have been increasing over recent years, and we have long wanted to return to Philadelphia in order to serve the vibrant local church there. The Dominican Order was founded over 800 years ago as the Order of Preachers, and ever since, Dominicans have been dedicated to the work of preaching and teaching the faith. We are therefore very happy to be able to minister in the Archdiocese by accepting the pastoral care for Saint Patrick’s Church in Rittenhouse Square, which offers a rectory with sufficient space for a full Dominican community of priests and brothers, and a pastoral setting congruent with our charism.”
—
Photos from CatholicPhilly.com and PhillyChurchProject.
