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Dominican friars can exercise their call to preach the Gospel of Jesus Christ as priests (clerical brothers) or cooperator brothers.
A Dominican priest must be first and foremost a man of prayer. Personally, he is a man in union with God through the intimacy of a deep personal relationship with God: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. As an ordained minister of the Catholic Church, the priest represents Jesus Christ.
As a man of prayer, the Dominican priest images Jesus Christ to the people around him and becomes for them a living icon of Christ’s abiding love for His people. The people of God expect and rely on the priest to offer a sacrifice “holy and acceptable to God.” They look to the priest to lead them in prayer, personally and officially, not only at Holy Mass, but also at meetings, functions, services, and other events. He must, therefore, be a man accustomed to speaking with God in the intimacy of his heart, since he cannot give to others what he himself does not have.
The priest develops the habit of prayer through his daily recitation of the Liturgy of the Hours (Divine Office) and the time he spends in private prayer and meditation. This personal prayer is essential to Dominican life because he could not adequately bring others into contact with Christ without first knowing Him. An intimate relationship with Jesus through prayer is the very essence of holiness and priestly ministry.
Dominicans are preachers! They challenge their hearers to interpret life’s events in light of God’s revealed truth. From the earliest days of Christianity, people have come to Jesus through the faithful preaching of the Gospel. Preaching is the primary duty of a Dominican priest. Priests who can set the world on fire with the love of God are a great treasure for the Church. A prophetic Dominican priest will understand the truth as revealed by God and will be able to articulate that truth. A courageous preacher will also never be afraid to challenge people to recognize that sin destroys life and love. The Dominican priest will also recognize that it is not easy to put one’s faith into words. As Pope Saint John Paul II said: “The church faces a particularly difficult task in her efforts to peach the Word of God in all cultures in which the faithful are constantly challenged by consumerism and pleasure-seeking mentality.” A Dominican priest, through his words and his example, will teach people how Christ’s life and Gospel are relevant to our times and also teach his people how to live Gospel values.
A Dominican priest is called to serve and not be served after the example of Jesus.
In the Province of St. Martin de Porres, Dominican priests serve in a variety of ministries: they preach the Gospel and administer the sacraments at campus ministries, parishes, hospitals, and prisons; they teach at colleges and seminaries in the United States and abroad; they work in media and as artists; and they serve as itinerant preachers, bringing the distinctive witness of Dominican preaching to parishes and other groups that are normally ministered to by others.