Dominicans to withdraw from St. Dominic in July 2022

By Peter Finney Jr.
Clarion Herald

After several years of reflection on its ministry in an 11-state region of the southern U.S., the Southern Dominican Province of St. Martin de Porres announced Jan. 25 that Dominican friars will withdraw from St. Dominic Parish in New Orleans, beginning July 1, 2022, ending the religious order’s 98-year presence in Lakeview.

Southern Dominican Provincial Father Thomas Condon acknowledged the “very painful” decision was prompted by a review of overall ministry by the Dominicans’ former “master of the order,” Father Bruno Cadoré, who visited the province in 2016 and advised “that we needed to look at consolidating some of our ministries and communities.”

The Dominicans will retain a strong presence in New Orleans at St. Anthony of Padua Parish on Canal Street – which was their original outpost in the Archdiocese of New Orleans in 1915, with St. Dominic originally serving as a mission church – and at Tulane University, where the Father Val McInnes, O.P., Center for Catholic Life serves Tulane students.

A diocesan priest will be assigned as pastor of St. Dominic Parish by Archbishop Gregory Aymond, with an effective starting date of July 1, 2022. Father Condon said there should be no impact on the thriving St. Dominic School.

“I know it came as a shock to a lot of people, but this gives us a chance to adjust to this and to be able to have a really smooth transition so it won’t be disruptive to the lives of the people,” said Father Condon, who informed parishioners at all Masses on the weekend of Jan. 23-24.

“The archdiocese will take over the running of St. Dominic and provide the priests for St. Dominic. In a lot of other ways, things probably will not change. The school is going to remain as it is, and this is a very strong and vital parish and school. Everyone wants it to stay that way.”

Deliberations over the order’s ministry in the archdiocese included discussions by the Dominicans’ Provincial Council, aided by a consultant, Father Condon said.

“We felt (the master of the order) was right in this – that we did need to consolidate,” Father Condon said. “One of the priorities we found among our Dominican friars (both priests and brothers) is that we want to emphasize a strong community life. We are semi-monastic in a way. We have our roots in the monastic order, but, at the same time, St. Dominic said, ‘Don’t stay in the monastery. Go out into the community.’”

Father Condon said a major aspect of the decision was to choose between staffing St. Dominic or St. Anthony of Padua, which includes a small pre-K program run by the parish. 

The buildings of the former St. Anthony of Padua Elementary School are now used as the Canal Street campus of Christian Brothers School, which serves a coed student body in grades pre-K4 to 4 and an all-girls’ student body in grades 5-7.

There is also a large priory at St. Anthony of Padua – a bigger residence than at St. Dominic.

“Some people might have said, ‘Why St. Anthony over St. Dominic when St. Dominic is a much bigger parish?’” Father Condon said. “That’s true. But St. Anthony of Padua has been there for a long time and it’s kind of our mother church. We frequently have ordinations and professions at St. Anthony. And, the priory is bigger than St. Dominic’s. It’s the older church and it’s kind of what we all see as our central location.”

Father Condon said Dominican friars are engaged in ministry now at both parishes, the Tulane Catholic Center, Hispanic Apostolate, Xavier University of Louisiana, Notre Dame Seminary, St. Mary’s Dominican High School and other places in the archdiocese.

“We’re going to continue with every one of those ministries as well as have a place to house some of our retired priests and brothers as well, so we felt St. Anthony was the better place for that,” he said. “This is a very painful decision. It’s very painful for me, because I live at St. Dominic and consider that my parish. But we’ve had to make some hard choices.”

There are currently 19 Dominicans residing in New Orleans – 10 at St. Dominic and nine at St. Anthony of Padua – but the bigger St. Anthony residence can easily accommodate at least 15 friars. Some friars will move to different ministries in other states. Those decisions will be made over the next several months, Father Condon said. 

The Southern Dominican Province spans 11 states. With 85 friars, the Dominicans have ministries in five of those states: Louisiana, Texas, Florida, Georgia and Tennessee. 

The Southern Dominican Province’s headquarters – the former convent of the Teresian Sisters and the Carmelite Sisters – will remain on Mirabeau Avenue in New Orleans. 

Father Condon said what impresses him so much about St. Dominic Parish is its “esprit de corps,” which was never more evident than after Hurricane Katrina when the church and school recovered from 8 feet of floodwaters.

“St. Dominic, I think for a lot of people, is the center of Lakeview, whether you’re a parishioner or not,” Father Condon said. “The buildings were devastated by Katrina, but the work of the people to bring that back was outstanding, and the church and the school continued to be strong and vibrant. People speak about that a lot, and they should because they take great pride and ownership in that they were able to bring it back after the devastation.”

Another aspect of community building at St. Dominic is that the church remains open during the day for individual prayer.

“This is a place of community, a place of strong prayer life,” Father Condon said. “Every time I walk through the church, no matter when, there are people in there praying. And there are a lot of young families in Lakeview now. People of all generations. Everyone is welcome.”

The archdiocese owns the church and the school, Father Condon said.

He is sure there will be celebrations associated with the Dominicans’ presence at St. Dominic since 1924, but that will be announced later, he said.

“Our church is really good about celebrating transitions, whether it’s in a person’s life, baptism, marriage or funeral – or in the life of a diocese,” Father Condon said. “I’m sure there will be a big celebration. A woman in the parish told me, ‘We need to have a second line!’ Having a long transition time means we may not have just one celebration but more than one.”

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