"Be who God made you to be and you will set
​the whole world on fire.”
- St. Catherine of Siena

ST. Louis bertrand fraternity

Members of the St. Louis Bertrand Fraternity of Lay Dominicans live in and around Syracuse, New York.  We meet on the third Saturday of every month. Four times a year, we meet in person at Holy Family Catholic Church located at 127 Chapel Drive Syracuse, NY 13219 at 8:00 AM for Holy Mass before conducting our meeting. For the rest of the year on a monthly basis, we meet virtually online from 10:00 AM to 12:00 PM. We also meet online for book discussions, prayer meetings, and sharing the fruits of our study of the Catholic faith and the Dominican Order. Interested in attending a meeting?  We'd love to have you!  

lay dominican activities and outreach

Our members are involved in the following organizations, ministries, and missions: If you are interested in any of these, we may just be the fit for you!

The Four Pillars

Members of the Lay Dominicans are fully incorporated into the Order of Preachers and live out their vocation in the world.
Along with the friars, nuns, and sisters, lay members of the Dominican family have a special charism to preach for the salvation of souls. Dominican life is distinctly flavored by four key areas which are essential to our charism and our vocation. These areas are called the Four Pillars, since they work together to “hold up” our lives as Dominicans.

prayer

St. Dominic recognized the importance of prayer and insisted that his religious and lay followers practice a rigorous daily prayer schedule. Only through putting Christ first each day, taking time to pray and deepen our relationship with Him, can Dominicans have lasting fruits to give to the world. 
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​The foundation of a Dominican's prayer life is the Eucharistic celebration of the Mass, daily if possible. Upon that firm foundation, we endeavor to sanctify our day through the Liturgy of the Hours (Divine Office), the contemplation of Sacred Scripture, and the recitation of the Rosary, which holds a privileged place in the Dominican tradition.

Community

Lay Dominicans come together to share their common vocation within a local fraternity. Frequent and regular participation in community life enables us to grow in love, patience and understanding. We are strengthened and supported by our brothers and sisters, as we seek to grow in holiness together in the Dominican family.

Study

St. Dominic understood that study of the truth forms the human soul and makes us alert and attentive to the presence of Christ in our lives. In founding his Order, St. Dominic made study a religious duty, placing it beside prayer as a service to God. For this reason, Lay Dominicans pursue study, particularly in theology, Scripture, liturgy, Church history and catechesis in order to preach well for the salvation of souls. However, Dominicans believe that all study leads to God, and since the founding of the Order, we have studied and taught many different subjects and contributed great treasures to the Church. We are called through the particular discipline in which each excels to share truth with those around us. 

Apostolate

The apostles were the men "sent out" by Jesus to share in His
mission. Likewise, an apostolate is the work we are "sent out" to do in the world. Dominicans have individual apostolates, as well as communal apostolates. This work is undertaken for the salvation of souls, and because we are Dominicans, it usually contains an element of preaching.
Header Photo: Albertus Magnus Expounding His Doctrines of Physical Science in the Streets of Paris. Oil painting by Ernest Board, ca. 1245.

ignite your torch

ORDER OF PREACHERS
​2024