Last month, two third-order Dominicans gave their life promises, fully joining the lay Blessed Sacrament Fraternity during a Sunday Mass held at Blessed Sacrament Church in Madison.
The two, Dr. Nicholas Eastman, OP, and Rachel Dembrun, OP, joined the Madison fraternity, part of the Central Province of St. Albert the Great, after years of discernment and preparation.
The rite
At the Mass on September 8, the Feast of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, President of the Blessed Sacrament Fraternity Diana Ferrante, OP, invited Br. Edward Van Merrienboer, OP, Vice President Jean Robertson, OP, and the two new inductees to the front of the church for the Rite of Life Profession.
At the front of the church, the rite proceeded in a question-and-answer format, where Eastman and Dembrun made a public examine of Dominican values and resolved to “serve God and neighbor, to be of one mind with the Church and as members of the [Dominican] Order, to share in its apostolic mission by prayer, study, and preaching,” in accord with their lay state in life.
After having made those resolutions, they gave their promise to live in accord with the lay Dominican Rule for the rest of their lives in front of Ferrante, Brother Edward, other lay Dominicans in attendance, and the Blessed Sacrament Church congregation.
Then, the two were clothed in a white scapular and Dominican cross, given the kiss of peace, and were formally accepted into the Blessed Sacrament Fraternity.
Patron saints
The Rite of Life Profession immediately followed a homily from Fr. Mark Niehaus, ISP, the new parochial administrator of Blessed Sacrament Church.
In his homily, Father Niehaus brought attention to the patron saints Eastman and Dembrun chose for their induction.
Eastman chose Pope St. Pius V, OP, as his patron and Dembrun chose Blessed Pier Georgio Frassati, OP, as hers.
While Father Niehaus is not a part of the Dominican tradition, because his homily highlighted the way St. Pius and Blessed Frassati lived out Dominican values, many thanked him after Mass for the knowledge he shared about their Order, two of their saintly members, and the honor he gave to the legacy of the Dominican tradition at Blessed Sacrament Church.
After the Mass, Eastman explained why he chose Pope St. Pius V.
He said, there are “so many things I love about him, and I have had a long devotion to the Rosary.
“[St. Piux V] is known for his connection to the Rosary and the Feast of the Holy Rosary.
“My daughter was Baptized on the Feast of the Holy Rosary, so it’s a very special day, but in reading about him, in researching him, I found him as a figure of deep humility, a figure of deep piety, and someone who had an unwavering commitment to the truth.
“I found all of those things to be really inspirational and kind of a guiding light for me.”
In talking about Blessed Frassati, Dembrun said she had interiorly chosen him as her patron when she started formation as a lay Dominican in 2014.
She added that it was Blessed Frassati’s humility that she was particularly attracted to.
She said, “There were so many things that he would do and wouldn’t tell anyone about.
“He’d meet all of these poor people on his way to Mass and his parents never knew.”
Dembrun continued, saying that “For me, that humility is something I really want to emulate,” especially because “for [Blessed] Pier Georgio, it was about loving the people around him and not having to make a show about it.”
“He’s my greatest teacher, in that sense,” Dembrun added.
In June, Pope Francis signaled his intention to canonize Blessed Frassati “soon,” and many expect his canonization to come in 2025.
Growing the Order
The Blessed Sacrament Fraternity is also celebrating seven Order members who made their First Professions earlier this year in April.
The seven who gave their First Promises are: Dilsha Anne Happel, OP, of Madison; Hannah Kostuch, OP, of Verona; Dr. Albert Rauch, OP, of Sun Prairie; Jane Marie Rauch, OP, of Sun Prairie; Dr. Eugune Yellen-Shiring, OP, of Madison; Gail A. Yellen-Shiring, OP, of Madison; and Marlin Vrbas, OP, of Sun Prairie.
To be formed in the Dominican tradition, the cohort will meet regularly and deepen their understanding of the four Dominican pillars of Study, Prayer, Community, and Mission over the course of the next three years.
And the Order wants to continue to grow.
To learn more about the Blessed Sacrament Fraternity, email Mary Ellen Rodriguez, OP, at merodriguez625@gmail.com or visit blsacrament.org/lay-dominicans-madison-wi.