I cannot remember how I recently fell over this video. Sorry if I didn’t credit you. It is part of a 1964 vocations movie for the Dominicans.
I think there is much that is fascinating here – let alone how much has changed in four and a half decades.
People often think that the vows of Religious are poverty, chastity, and obedience. In fact these are purely Western – and the older Western vows, in any case, are obedience, stability, and conversion of life. I don’t think the Roman Catholic Church allows new orders to use those older vows? In this case, it is interesting that Dominicans only take one vow, you may have noticed: obedience. I guess that hasn’t changed?
You may have noticed the difference in the Dominican Rite of the Mass. Eg. they don’t prepare the chalice at the Offertory/Preparation of the Gifts. The chalice is prepared prior to Mass – and here you see them offering the bread and (already-prepared) wine together. Carthusians, similarly, prepare the chalice prior to Mass, not at the Offertory/Preparation of the Gifts. I have been told that Dominicans drew this tradition from Carthusians. I have seen Cistercians similarly use a chalice prepared prior to Mass – but have not been able to establish if this is part of the Cistercian “Rite”? Do Dominicans still follow their unique traditions, or have they all gone over to the Roman Rite? Carthusians? Cistercians?
The Dominicans have only ever vowed obedience – the other vows are bound up in that vow. Vowing “obedience, stability, and conversion of life,” is (I think) only found in Benedictine communities.
The Dominican Rite of Mass is still in use.
Carthusians vow obedience, stability, and conversion of life, as do non-Benedictine Camaldolese… So Dominicans still prepare the chalice prior to Mass and offer bread and wine in one action? What are other variants? Cistercians, I think, don’t use “… Lord I am not worthy…”?
very interesting