A rich life of prayer is fundamental to Dominican spirituality. Our relationship with God is nourished by daily Eucharist, the prayer of the Church called Liturgy of the Hours, the Rosary, private contemplation, spiritual reading, and intercessory prayer for the needs of the world. Beyond these forms of prayer, which are common to all Catholics, are modes of prayer that may be characteristic of an individual or a specific religious community.

You might hear Dominicans say our characteristic prayer is “whatever works.” There is some truth to that! St. Dominic was quite flexible and practical in his approach to prayer and certainly encouraged his followers to pray in the way they could given the circumstances of their lives. Having said that, there are at least three types of prayer that are common among all Dominicans: praying the Rosary, and praying with scripture, and using our bodies in prayer.

It is the tradition that Mary herself presented Dominic with a Rosary, so that from the earliest days of the Order, the Rosary has been carried or worn by Dominicans and prayed in solitude or in groups.

Books were rare in Dominic’s day, but for many years he carried with him as he traveled the letters of St. Paul and the Gospel of Matthew. Today’s Dominican will be quite familiar with both of these experiences–carrying a Rosary and a Bible or a smaller book that has all of the text of the Catholic liturgy for the month.

Dominic was also known to have prayed quite vigorously with his body, integrating walking, kneeling, bowing, sitting, and other body postures. If you are present in our convents for morning and evening prayer you may see that we still do the same. It’s a healthy practice that keeps you aware of your whole being–body, mind, and spirit, when you pray.

How do you pray? Are any of these foundational prayer types part of your repertoire?

Catholic Mass

Mass is in two parts, Liturgy of the Word–a proclamation and preaching of texts from the Hebrew and Christian Testaments, and Liturgy of the Eucharist, which unites the praying community in the self-sacrifice of Jesus–his passion, death, and resurrection. During Catholic Mass, we experience the divine transformation of the symbols of bread and wine into the Body and Blood of Christ. Through our daily celebration of the Eucharist, we enter into the Paschal Mystery which we are called to preach and to live.

Liturgy of the Hours

Liturgy of the Hours is liturgical prayer offered at fixed times of the day and night.  It is also called Daily Office or Morning and Evening Prayer.  Elements of liturgical prayer include hymns, psalms, canticles, Scripture readings and intercessory prayer. Morning and Evening Prayer are the bookends to our day, reminding us who we are and whose we are as we pray together for and in the name of the Church.