Instructions for Novices - Paperback

by George G. Christian O. P. (Translator), Richard L. Christian (Translator), Ezra Sullivan O. P. (Editor)

During the Nineteenth Century, when religious life was on the verge of dis-appearing, the Order of Preachers entered a new springtime. Instructions for Novices provides the practical and spiritual principles that undergirded the Dominican renewal. Written by Blessed Hyacinthe-Marie Cormier in 1880, the work is the fruit of his experience, learning, and sanctity. An abbreviated version of Instructions for Novices was reprinted in 1950 by the Master of the Order at the time, Fr. Emmanuel Suarez, O.P. That version is translated here along with new sections never before in English. Also included is an introductory essay by Basil Cole, O.P, and Ezra Sullivan, O.P., that explores the historical context and relevance of Cormier's work to our time; an appendix includes a biography of Bl. Hyacinthe Cormier and the beatification homily given by Bl. John Paul II.

Author Biography

Blessed Hyacinthe-Marie Cormier (1832-1916) was born in Orleans, France on the feast of the Immaculate Conception. Working for the revival of the Order of Preachers, he served as Novice Master, Prior, Provincial, and eventually as the seventy-sixth Master of the Order. He founded the Pontifical University of St. Thomas Aquinas in Rome, known as the "Angelicum," and his biographies of Bl. Raymund of Capua and Alexander Jandel are notable among his many writings.