EAST GREENWICH — In June and July, a group of three white-robed men has been traveling all over Rhode Island, continuing a tradition that started hundreds of years ago. Their mission is to prove that the teachings of a man who walked the Earth 2,000 years ago are just as relevant today, if not more.
That man is Jesus Christ, and those men are Brother Anselm Kelly, Br. Clement Greenspan, and Brother Roland Wakefield, who are Catholic Dominican friars, also known as the Order of Preachers.
The friars say that summer is a time of year when there are fewer celebrations on the liturgical calendar, and it’s more difficult for parishioners to focus on their faith with vacations and outdoor activities. They hoped to be a guiding light to help Catholics across the diocese nurture their faith, no matter what life brings.
The friars visited Our Lady of Mercy Parish in East Greenwich on Monday night to finish up a four-part series of talks titled “Why Catholicism Still Matters.” The final talk, “Life is Still Worth Living,” was given by Brother Anselm, who took inspiration from both Blessed Fulton Sheen and the rosary, a popular prayer tool tracing the life of Jesus that originates from the Dominicans.
The phrase “life is worth living” is the title of Archbishop Sheen’s popular TV show back in the 1950s, through which he evangelized millions. But in Brother Anselm’s view, the truth of why life is worth living is found in the very structure of the rosary as you move through the events surrounding Jesus’s birth, Earthly ministry, death, and Resurrection.
Brother Anselm made the case that if Jesus is God, then everything that he did as a man has become sanctified. That means that every phase of our life must mean something to God. No matter if we’re dealing with boredom, questions about our identity, intense suffering, or a fear of death, we can unite that to God because he’s lived it himself through Christ.
The three friars were each on verydifferent paths before hearing the call to the order, but their stories are united in a desire to draw deeper meaning out of life. All three of the friars entered the Dominican order in 2021, and they are currently in formation for the priesthood. They hope to be ordained deacons next year.
Brother Anselm graduated from Hampden-Sydney College, where he studied history and government. He lived and worked in Richmond, Virginia, before entering the order. That kind of civic background equips him to connect spirituality to history, even in today’s complicated political landscape.
“I like to use examples from U.S. history or history in general in some of my talks,” he said. “The church has such a long history, and I think that the drawing on that history kind of shows us that while the times that we live in may be challenging, the church has seen something like it before. And I think that helps to kind of quiet some anxieties that we might have about life.”
Brother Clement currently lives in Washington, D.C., and he has a background that’s arguably even more unexpected for a friar. He studied marine transportation at the Massachusetts Maritime Academy and earned a U.S. Coast Guard license as a third mate on vessels of unlimited tonnage upon oceans.
“Unfortunately, many of my classes don’t transfer over,” he said. “I found the religious life when I was in college when I met the Franciscans who were there. I realized that God wanted something else for me, and I found that through the Dominicans.”
Brother Roland is the most local of the three. He’s originally from Hanover, Mass., and graduated from Providence College right before entering as a Dominican. He said he was attracted to this life because of its emphasis on prayer, preaching, and fraternity. What most surprised him at PC was the camaraderie and the laughter that the brothers shared. It gave him comfort that there was still room for humor and imperfection, even in religious life.
“I was actually fortunate to go to my five-year Providence College reunion at the beginning of the summer,” he said. “It was wonderful to see classmates and friends and to interact in a new role as a friar. It’s been a real blessing and a great moment right before we make our solemn profession, our last vows, vows until death.”
Published with permission from the Southcounty Independent.
