Our Mission

Third Order of Penance of St. Dominic

Willing Shepherds of Jesus Christ Chapter

Saint Dominic in glory from the Constitutions of the Order

To Praise, to Bless and to Preach

Established in 1999

Our History

Our chapter originated as a Catholic community of laity in Massachusetts in 1999. This mission was led by faithful Catholics searching for a deeper understanding of the One True Faith. From the beginning, the community has defended all that Holy Mother Church teaches; whether that be our Sacred Scripture or Sacred Traditions. Our growth came about slowly, but overall moved forward with Jesus because by the grace of God, we have submitted our lives to His will and not our own. With this journey now beginning, we moved away from our local Novus Ordo parishes looking for a more conservative and more pleasing way to worship God. We moved through various Post Vatican II programs. Unfortunately, the fruits of these movements in the Post Conciliar Church simply were not there. Yes, the madness of these movements got us into the Church building but they did not show us how to worship or how to keep us there. On the contrary, it showed us irreverence and the temptation of "feeling good" instead of looking for the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass.

"When we enter ornate and clean Basilicas, adorned with crosses, sacred images, altars and burning lamps, we most easily conceive devotion. But on the other hand, when we enter the temples of the heretics, where there is nothing except a chair for preaching and a table for making a meal, we feel ourselves to be entering a profane hall and not the House of God."

Saint Robert Bellarmine , Doctor of the Catholic Church

There was a lesson to be learned in all this and God did indeed illustrate the Truth to us. Thanks to the many graces granted by God to continually pray, as well as a strong desire to do the Lord's Will and the intercession of Our Lady; we started going to the Tridentine Mass. This became the most remarkable experience of our lives; a blessing from God to see and experience the perfect Mass. We experienced a full immersion of graces that left us in awe, not only spiritually, but also our senses were realizing the holiness that surrounded us. Whether this was the realization that the Mass was the true sacrifice offered to God through the priest or the beautiful hymns that were sung so magnificently and children regardless of age showing God reverence, or not one soul talking in the Church; these outside factors, as well as the more important internal and spiritual factors, along with study of the Catholic Faith, made us realize that we were missing the one true Roman Rite Mass as God intended all mankind to observe.

"...the Novus Ordo represents, both as a whole and in its details, a striking departure from the Catholic theology of the Mass as it was formulated in Session XXII of the Council of Trent..."

"The Ottaviani Intervention":Letter from Cardinals Ottaviani and Bacci to Paul VI , September 25th, 1969

The Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, the Sacred Traditions, the Holy Rosary, study and reading the lives of the saints are what guided our community, souls and hearts forward. In this process we realized what a dire state our Holy Mother Church was in. Our mission has been solidified with true sacraments of Holy Mother Church and zeal for the salvation of souls that has not faded with time. We exist simply to spread and preach the Truth of the Catholic Faith and to pass out Our Lady's sacramentals and message, which provide the means for graces. We have made it a point in our lives to preach the Truth that Jesus Christ has taught us, but at the same time acting prudently. Through prayer, our community has embraced and follows the traditional Dominican Third Order rule and constitution. On Rosary Sunday in 2005, the Willing Shepherds of Jesus Christ became a chapter of the Third Order of Penance of St. Dominic by Bishop Robert McKenna, O.P.

As Dominicans, we are divided between prayer, study and work. As St. Dominic charged, we share the fruits of our contemplation by performing the Spiritual Works of Mercy as well as Corporal Works of Mercy. We are bound to the observance of the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass solely according to the form ordained by the Council of Trent. In all rites, ceremonies and usages. Without exception, we adhere to the established forms of Holy Tradition, esteeming the ancient and venerable as fitting for Divine worship, and rejecting novel and demonic forms which are incompatible with Catholic worship. We offer ourselves unceasingly to God as faithful servants for the Catholic priesthood, for conversion of dying sinners, for the suffering souls in Purgatory and for the return of all souls to the traditional Catholic Faith and Doctrine. We promote separation from the world, simply because if we live by the world we will lose our souls to the world. Our Lord warns of this and we feel very blessed to have had these graces among us to realize this.

"And if sons, heirs also; heirs indeed of God and joint heirs with Christ: yet so, if we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified with him. For I reckon that the sufferings of this time are not worthy to be compared with the glory to come that shall be revealed in us." Romans 8:17-18

Dominican Life

The Dominican Life is a particular way in which a Catholic seeks union with the Divine Will through Jesus Christ Our Lord. The Dominican Order (Order of Preachers) is one family within the City of God- a cell or member of the the Mystical Body of Christ, a branch of the True Vine. Under God's Providence St. Dominic brought it into being at a definite moment in history in order to fulfill a definite function in the Church.

The children of this family of St. Dominic, forming themselves on the traditions and examples of nearly eight centuries, are bound together within God's Church by ties that transcend differences of race and tongue and are more enduring than the bonds of earthly kinship. After the example of St. Dominic- his life, his acts, his spirit- every Dominican must set upon his whole life the seal of truth. Veritas! That powerful word which is emblazoned on the Dominican shield sums up the whole rule of conduct for each Dominican.

Our community is a traditional Chapter of the Third Order of Penance of Saint Dominic. Our purpose is to invite Our Lord, Jesus Christ into our everyday lives and the lives of those around us through the sacraments, prayer, study and example. We have been established to preserve the traditional practices of the Dominican Order. In particular, our chapter gives daily attention in our prayer to dying sinners, the Holy Souls in Purgatory, the holiness of our traditional Catholic priests and the restoration of Holy Mother Church; starting with the Papacy.

Our chapter assembles once a month as a true spiritual family. These chapter meetings are meant to rekindle our Christian ideals and to receive nourishment for our spiritual life. This will assure our dedication to preserving the Tridentine Latin Mass and Traditional Church Doctrine along with greater devotion and understanding of our lives as Dominicans.

Where did your chapter name “Willing Shepherds of Jesus Christ” originate?

File:ChildrensofFatima.jpg The three Fatima children; Lucia, Francisco and Jacinta, inspired our chapter’s name. The Fatima children were considered “shepherds of souls”, a play on their previous profession of shepherding their sheep. They certainly have saved many souls through their example and preaching the truth of our Catholic Faith. Our chapter’s name is inspired by their simple ideal, that we all should be willing to shepherd those around us to the one true faith through our prayers and sacrifices.

Our name certainly should not be taken in the strict sense, where only bishops and priests are true shepherds of the Catholic Faith. It is bishops and priests, who are by right the shepherds of Christ' faithful. However, the title was given to many individuals throughout Catholic history other than bishops and priests; for example Jesus Himself called Sister Mary of Saint Peter to be a shepherdess. Her selfless life gave us incredible insight into Our Lord and His suffering and the “Golden Arrow” prayer that Our Lord so much desires we pray.

Excerpts from the Golden Arrow, Page 165-166

Vigil of the of the Epiphany, January 5^th, 1846

The Divine Redeemer holds out blessings of unbounded hope even for those blasphemers who openly attack Religion and the Holy Catholic Church. Referring to this class of sinners as “His poor sheep, bitten by the serpent and infected with the madness of blasphemy,” the Savior entrust them to Sr. Mary’s care appointing her as their shepherdess… Jesus told her she must lead these poor sheep to graze on the pastures of the Divine Mysteries of His Life in order that they might be cured and He also said that she must shelter these sheep in the Adorable wounds of His Sacred Heart and brand these poor straying sheep with the picture of His Holy Face.

St. Dominic, when starting the Third Order had all of his order study and then preach the true faith to all. Prior to this the bishops and priest were left alone to fulfill this task. Since then the Third Order of St. Dominic has had countless shepherds, both religious and secular to propagate our Catholic Faith. You do not have to be in the Dominican Order or any order of the Catholic Church to shepherd souls to the truth. We are all called through our baptism to preach the Catholic Truth and defend the only Church that was started by Jesus Christ. Not only is it a duty of every Catholic but we must willfully and without complaint be shepherds of souls.

Statement in Response to the Archdiocese and Local Parishes...Click Here

For what doth it profit a man, if he gains the whole world and suffer the loss of his own soul?

Or what exchange shall a man give for his soul? Matthew 16:26

Our Prayer Life

Our chapter prays daily for the restoration of Holy Mother Church , the holiness of our priests, the Holy Souls in Purgatory, for dying sinners and for the members of the Dominican Order, living and deceased. Along with these devotions, we also pray daily to our patron Saint Joseph for his intercession, our Spiritual Father Saint Dominic and Patroness of the Third Order of St. Dominic, Saint Catherine of Siena.

We also encourage frequent confessions and to attend the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass daily. As members, we are to uphold all daily, monthly and annual devotions; while remembering and being dedicated to the Passion of our Lord, Jesus Christ through Mary in union with St. Joseph

Rosary, Brown Scapular & Total Consecration to Mary

Our Community recites the entire Rosary (15 decades) daily and is enrolled into the Brown Scapular. These two devotions are a must for our Dominican community. Our Lady herself said to St. Dominic, "One day through the Rosary and Scapular I will save the world.” We annually consecrate ourselves to Mary according to the method of Saint Louis Marie de Montfort, to show our continuing love and appreciation by being slaves under the guidance of our loving mother..

The Sacred Heart of Jesus and the Immaculate Heart of Mary

Our chapter also promotes vigorously the Sacred Heart of Jesus as well as the Immaculate Heart of Mary. We firmly believe that if we follow the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the Immaculate Heart of Mary, our souls will be guided to salvation by their Hearts.

Our Missionary Life and the Dominican Spirit

This Chapter, which began its work in 1999, is a traditional Catholic chapter of the Third Order of St. Dominic that has responded to the moral decay and doctrinal and theological errors that has corrupted our beautiful Mother Church. As a Dominican chapter of the Third Order, we primarily stress personal holiness. The second basic but equally essential aim is the social mission. We stand firmly beside the traditional teachings and discipline of the Catholic Church. And in addition to our commitment to tradition, the community provides an opportunity to grow with Christ as individuals as well as on a communal level. We thrive on our desire for the Blessed Sacrament and all the sacraments, understanding that this is where all salvation is found.

As mentioned above, the patron of our chapter is St. Joseph. St. Joseph led the Holy Family against great attacks from the world and Satan. Through our devotion to St. Joseph, we acknowledge that he will lead us to Jesus, as he silently brought our Savior to us once before. The great gift of Saint Joseph was forgotten for many centuries, but since the 14^th century, devotion to St. Joseph has grown more and more. Seeing how his fatherly love has protected the church and so many of us through the centuries, our chapter places itself under the protection of this virtuous saint. We strive to emulate the obedience that Saint Joseph so perfectly gave to the Almighty Father.

The Dominican Spirit's principal aspects are study, preach and meditation. We should be able to defend and proclaim the Gospels, the teachings of Holy Mother Church and be familiar with the Dominican history and facts. In these times especially, we must have charity and prudence for all who are open to the truth and move in God's time and not our own. Many "traditionalists" have somehow misconstrued charity with Post-Vatican II thinking, which is the reason for division among the various "traditionalist" groups. We will not compromise the truth but understand all too well how confusing these times are, especially those who lived through the changes after Vatican II. It is therefore a mission of ours to be part of the solution and not the problem. Our concern is the salvation of souls and not the condemnation of souls, which is reserved for God alone. On the other hand, not telling the whole truth is not an option for us, but dispensing the truth according to each persons situation is key in these times. God sent many different saints who worked in many different ways with the one Truth.

Pope Honorius III approves the Constitutions of the Order of Friars Preachers
in a Bull to Saint Dominic on December 22, 1216.

Qualifications for the Third Order of Penance of St. Dominic

one must be a traditional Catholic actually living one’s faith

one must join with sincere intention of being faithful to the guidelines set up by the Third Order of St Dominic

one must be at least eighteen years of age at time of promises

if married, one must have the permission of spouse, unless circumstance creates exception

love for God and one’s neighbor

a generous soul, willing to make itself available

an open mind and sincere heart, eager to listen, be taught and to teach

Sacred Heart Priory prerequisites

single & male

mature personality with stable moods and emotions

ability to persevere: good physical, mental and emotional health

willingness to submit to authority

positive attitude and a sense of humor

ability to get along with others in community

adaptability and flexibility, and the willingness to change

desire to study, pray and to fulfill the spiritual and corporal works of mercy by a daily routine

Living the Seven Corporal & Spiritual Works of Mercy

The Seven Spiritual Works of Mercy

1. To counsel the doubtful
2.   To instruct the ignorant
3.   To admonish the sinner
4.   To comfort the sorrowful
5.   To forgive all injuries
6.   To bear wrongs patiently
7.   To pray for the living and the dead

The Seven Corporal Works of Mercy

1. To feed the hungry

2.    To give drink to the thirsty
3.    To clothe the naked
4.    To shelter the homeless
5.    To visit the sick
6.    To visit the imprisoned
7.    To bury the dead

Sacred Heart Priory Daily Schedule

6:30 Rise

7:00 Morning Prayer & Rosary

8:00 Mass*

9:00 Breakfast

9:30 Household chores or assigned ministries

12:00 Angelus & Rosary, Sacred Heart Litany & St Joseph Litany

1:00 Lunch

1:30 Household chores or assigned ministries

5:00 Study

6:00 Angelus & Rosary

6:30 Dinner

7:30 Free Time

9:00 Compline

9:30 Simple Silence

10:00 Grand Silence

11:00 Lights Out

*When available

Schedule varies on Saturdays, Sundays, Holy Days of Obligation and Dominican Feast Days..

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