DOMINICAN FRIARS
Philippine Province
The Philippine Province
We, the brothers of the Dominican Province of the Philippines, committed to become an authentic community of preachers in the service of the Church, strive to incarnate in ourselves and in our communities Jesus Christ, the Preacher.
FUNDAMENTAL STATUTE III
THE DOMINICAN FAMILY
The Dominican Family gathers friars, contemplative nuns, apostolic sisters, lay Dominicans, priestly fraternities, and young people into one shared mission of preaching. United by the charism of St. Dominic, its diverse branches collaborate in formation, prayer, apostolic service, and team preaching, bearing witness to the Gospel through their distinct vocations in the Church and society.
THRUSTS OF THE PROVINCE
Guided by Christ, the Preacher of Hope, the Province commits itself to strengthening its communities and institutions as centers of preaching, vocation, formation, and responsible stewardship. Its thrusts call for deeper collaboration, sustainable and strategic management, engagement with emerging technologies, and bold missionary outreach to the existential peripheries and new frontiers wherever the Spirit leads.
The Dominican Family in the Philippines is composed of the Dominican friars, nuns, the clerical confraternity, apostolic sisters, and lay Dominicans. In recent years, the Family has continued to grow and strengthen its mission of preaching, ministering, and promoting vocations by acting together and supporting one another.
Various platforms have fostered this collaboration, such as the Dominican Formators Conference of the Philippines, the Justice, Peace and Care for Creation Commission of the Dominican Family, and the Dominican Network of Schools (DOMNET). These initiatives create spaces where members can work hand in hand in formation, education, mission, and advocacy.
The Dominican Family also gathers for formation and celebration. The Dominican Juniors Formation Encounter allows young Dominicans in formation to come together to share their experiences and the fruits of contemplation and study. Regular gatherings happen on significant feast days of the Order and the Province, such as the Solemnity of St. Dominic, the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception (which also marks the anniversary of the Dominican Province of the Philippines), as well as during retreats, ordinations, professions, jubilees, and other special milestones.
The Dominican Family also unites in preaching and ministry. The iLumen Blog(http://ilumenpreachingblog.blogspot.com) serves as the official online preaching platform of the Dominican Family, featuring reflections from friars, nuns, sisters, the lay faithful, and the clerical confraternity. As one Family, the Dominicans also reach out in times of need. For example, after Typhoon Yolanda (Haiyan) in 2013, Dominican communities provided assistance to members who were affected, enabling them to continue their ministry and relief work in devastated areas. Another powerful witness of shared mission is the “Siete Palabras”, the annual Good Friday preaching on the Seven Last Words of Christ. Broadcast on national television, it not only garners high viewership but also showcases the richness and diversity of Dominican vocations in the Philippines.
The contemplative branch of the Family is represented by the nuns, who pray unceasingly for the Church and the world. In the Philippines, they are present at Our Lady of the Angels Monastery in Bocaue, Bulacan, and Our Lady of the Rosary Monastery in Cainta, Rizal.
The Dominican Laity continues to flourish, with the addition of six new chapters. The Priestly Fraternity of St. Dominic has likewise expanded, now with 264 priests and bishops as members (as of August 2025). Meanwhile, the Dominican Network of Schools, Colleges, and Universities (DOMNET) continues to grow, gathering students annually for youth festivals, leadership training, recollections, and outreach activities, strengthening the Dominican spirit among the youth.
Indeed, the Dominican Family in the Philippines embodies the vision of St. Dominic by remaining united in diversity, committed to the preaching of the Gospel, and steadfast in building a future rooted in faith, truth, and service.
Thrusts of the Province
Thirteenth Provincial Chapter
Christ the Preacher of Hope
CHRISTUS PRAEDICATOR SPEI, thus, declares the most recent General Chapter of the Order (ACG 2022 Tultenango, 57). Indeed, Christ is the Preacher of Hope! "He brings the glad tidings to the poor" (Isa 61 :1; Luke 4:18-19). And by his coming, Christ is the Hope of Preaching, Hope incarnate, "whom we hear and see, touch and bear witness to" (1 John 1-2).
In the Order of Preachers, Dominic has promised us that "Wonderful Hope," O Spem Miram, of presence abiding, grace outpouring, help assuring, over and beyond death, darkness, difficulty, and despair.
In this Jubilee Year, this is the Hope we celebrate with gratitude, the Hope we preach, the Hope we bear in our pilgrimage, the Hope we "proclaim persistently in season and out of season, convincing, rebuking, and encouraging, with the utmost patience in teaching" (2 Timothy 4:2).
In the spirit of the apostles, we will "proclaim the kingdom of God and teach about the Lord Jesus Christ with all boldness and without hindrance." (Acts 28:31) Through this 13th Provincial Chapter, we thrust ourselves to become PREACHERS OF HOPE in our communities and institutions. We will strive to develop Caleruega and Surabaya and the UST Ecclesiastical Faculties as centers of preaching in the Philippines and in Asia-Pacific.
"Always be ready to give an account for the reason for your hope" (1 Peter 3: 15). Through this 13th Provincial Chapter, we thrust ourselves to cultivate a culture of vocation promotion - giving an account of our hope, nourishing our own religious formation as well as drawing people through authentic Christian witness, preaching through our lives, living our hope, integrating and strengthening our formation both initial and permanent, exercising fraternal care especially to our brethren who are weak, infirmed, aged, and in crisis.
"Therefore let us encourage one another and build up each other" (1 Thess 5: 11 ). Through this 13th Provincial Chapter, we thrust ourselves to build our communities and institutions as centers of strategic management, stable and sustainable, dealing with the challenges of integrating apostolates, synergizing our efforts, and engaging emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence. The hope we preach leads us to confront the difficulties of our communities and the Province. Notably, we shall respond concretely and judiciously to the challenges of our institutions in need of assistance. This same hope raises our vista towards the future, when our houses in Indonesia would become a Provincial Vicariate within the next ten years.
"Enlarge the space of your tent, stretch your tent curtains wide, do not hold back; lengthen your cords, strengthen your stakes" (Isa 54:2-3). Through this 13th Provincial Chapter, we thrust ourselves to deepen and expand our collaboration between and among fellows, communities, institutions, both local and international. In hope, we commit to the mission of preaching to the "existential peripheries," to new frontiers in Asia-Pacific, even in Europe, and wherever the Spirit leads us.
Through these thrusts, we shall work and "wait for the Lord, renew our strength, soar with eagles' wings, run and not be weary, walk and not faint" (Isa 40:31 ). By the promised prayer of St. Dominic, we hold on to this Wonderful Hope, preaching boldly and unhindered "Christ who is our Hope" (Col 1 :27).