ETA: If you want to check out Dominican spirituality without leaving the comfort of your introversion, subscribe to my newsletter and get your free copy of Get Moving With St. Dominic’s Nine Ways of Prayer.

Someone recently asked this question on Facebook.  I thought I’d post my answer here, too, as being a Dominican is as much a part of my writing life as having fingers that type or having an imagination.  

That’s my little watchdog looking at my little watchdog statue.  

In my 20s, I went to a local retreat house. Emblazoned on a ceiling beam were the words, “To Praise, To Bless, To Preach.” I stopped short when I saw those words, and it was like I could almost hear something click into place in my heart. At the time, I didn’t even know what a Dominican is! Being a Dominican has taught me the value of speaking, of silence, of reading and writing. Dominican life has taught me to value myself as a precious member of a huge family that wants nothing but the best for me. I often say the Franciscans are the Hippies of the Church, but we’re the nerds. Being a Dominican has given me the gift of using my nerdiness for God instead of wishing I were one of the cool hippies.

If you would like information about what it means to be a layperson following Jesus in the school of Dominic, make with the clicky.

Again, if you’d rather check out Dominican spirituality without leaving the comfort of your introversion, subscribe to my newsletter and get your free copy of Get Moving With St. Dominic’s Nine Ways of Prayer.