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The Dominican Difference
 People tend to jumble religious communities together into one group - none different from the other. This not only does a disservice to the individual communities, but to the Church as a whole. Each community brings with it a specific approach or gift to the greater body of the Church. One of the greatest challenges in discerning your vocation is deciding upon what group would best utilize the particular gifts you bring to ministry and community.
The Four Pillars
As you know, values define our actions and attitudes toward the world around us. In order to really understand a particular religious community, you must first see what values lay at the very core of their life. As friars in the Order of Preachers, we hold four common values which dictate how we live out our communal and individual calling as Southern Dominicans. Often referred to as the Four Pillars of Dominican Life, they are:
- Prayer
- Community
- Ministry
- Study
Every friar strives to incorporate these values into every aspect of their life. They trust in God's grace and the support of their brothers as they continue growing in their Dominican life. They naturally look to one another and to those friars who have come before them to provide inspiration. The life of one friar in particular exemplified God's love and compassion with such power that we chose him as the patron of our Province - St. Martin de Porres.
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