Netherlands Comments - En

ACTS OF THE 7th EUROPEAN ASSEMBLY OF LAY DOMINICAN FRATERNITIES

ANNEX IIm

COMPLEMENT TO THE POWERPOINT PRESENTATION ON THE NETHERLANDS Welcome to our presentation of the Dominican Lay fraternity of the Netherlands (DLN). We are glad to have the opportunity to show you something of our beautiful country and especially of our vital and still growing Dutch Dominican lay branch. We show you some characteristic images and I will try to tell you shortly the most essential information. Our country is worldwide known for its free-thinking way of life, but fortunately more for its cultural treasures and special knowledge: we are very proud of our famous typical Dutch painters such as Rembrandt, Van Gogh, and Escher. And don’t forget the creator of ‘Nijntje’, a world famous little rabbit. And of course we are proud of our beautiful, old and attractive cities like Amsterdam and Utrecht with their canals, nice houses, museums, concert halls,… And what about our water management, our trade tradition with Rotterdam as one of the biggest harbours in the world… Our national/provincial lay fraternity started in 1999 again in a new way, after the so-called Third Order stopped of old age in the Seventies. We decided to combine the old Dominican tradition with renewed ideas about our vocation and mission as Lay Dominicans. That was a kind of brave move, because structures and entering an old religious tradition were not very popular. Nevertheless, 19 lay people became Lay Dominicans by profession. It was a wonderful moment between our Dominican brethren and sisters, a sign of future for the Dominican presence and mission in the Netherlands. Now we have 47 professed members, of whom 38 definitive, and 5 candidates following our initial formation programme. During the year we gather several times in a central place of the country, mostly Utrecht, to meet and inspire each other, to pray and celebrate our faith together and of course to deepen and broaden our formation. Every year we have a retreat weekend and we also have a great feast every year in connection with the profession of new members and the definitive confirmation of that first profession. Every year we start the new season in a fraternal way with the partners and children of our members, with guests from the Dominican family and with the new candidates. Our members live all over the country. Some of them live near Dominican centres, working together with brothers and sisters on Dominican projects, gathering for daily prayer, etc. Others live farther away from those places. They live their Dominican life in their own place.

We have our preaching mission in the world as a Lay Dominican fraternity in several activities: − together with brothers and sisters in projects for formation and study, in Dominican parishes, in spiritual centres, etc. − our website is an instrument for our preaching − organizing days of study for a much larger audience − supporting a magazine for spiritual life (TGL). Other activities are more individual: − as theologians − contributing to public debate by writing articles or publishing magazines − volunteering in social engagement, for instance helping fugitives, Islamic women, visiting sick people… − working in other parishes as volunteers or professionals − working in education and formation… In our organization the tasks and responsibilities are spread. There is a Council composed of 5 members, which initiated a policy for 2005-2010 in collaboration with the whole Fraternity. Next to the council we have 4 committees: − committee for initial formation − committee for permanent formation − committee of wise people, two lay members and a sister and a brother, who guide and counsel the temporary professed members and help them to make a good decision before their permanent profession − and we have our committee for facility management, very important for all those affairs being arranged when we come together, sending postal items, etc. The initial formation programme takes a year, but for some candidates we have a kind of pre-year, in which they can have more individual orientation on Dominican life and spirituality. For those who can’t make a decision after having followed the initial programme, there is an extra year. For the temporary professed members there is a special formation weekend every year. The permanent formation together takes place when we have our meetings 4 times a year. Besides that there is a study group of theologians, there are reading groups, regional meetings, etc. Last but not least, we live our Dominican life, inspired by our father St. Dominic, by our sister St. Catherine of Siena and by many, many other Dominican brothers and sisters from the past and the present, on whose shoulders we stand and in whose trail we may walk. We composed a Dominican litany with all those inspiring Dominican people and love to sing this litany when we celebrate our Dominican life. That’s the way we go and trust in the future of preaching God’s Kingdom.