The theme of the mission will be “To Praise, To Bless, To Preach,” which is drawn from the mandate of every Dominican. St. Dominic was convinced that the focus of every follower of the Gospel is to always and everywhere speak and live what Jesus taught. The only way that we can do this is to praise, to bless and to preach.
The mission will be held both in English and in Spanish with presentations at 7 p.m. Sunday, March 20, and Monday, March 21, and a bilingual Taize prayer service at 7 p.m. Tuesday, March 22.
Father Brian Gualalupe Walker, OP, a Dominican priest based in Chicago, is the primary speaker each evening. Father Dexter Brewer, pastor of Christ the King Church in Nashville, will also speak during the Monday session.
Father Walker was born in Chicago and was educated through the school system of the Archdiocese of Chicago. He earned a B.A. in theology from Loyola University in Chicago and continued his seminary studies where he earned an M.Div. from Catholic Theological Union in Chicago with Mission Specialization.
He entered religious life in 1978 and was professed Aug. 9, 1980. He was ordained to the priesthood on March 15, 1986, by Bishop J. Terry Steib, SVD, retired Bishop of Memphis, and has spent several years in the missions of México.
Father Walker has spent the majority of his priestly years working in inner-city and bilingual parishes from Los Angeles to Chicago and many places in between. He has lectured from coast to coast on working in bilingual settings and tolerance and understanding in ministry. Being a member of the Order of Preachers, popularly known as the Dominicans, Father Walker spends extensive time preaching on how we can better our lives and develop our relationships with all of God’s people.
For more information, visit StPhilipFranklin.com/mission/.
