How did I discern which order I should join?  That was complicated.  I was schooled by the Jesuits and my parish was diocesan.  I thought of both of those first and made inquiries of them while still a schoolboy and later as well.  But I took nearly ten years to make up my mind.  In the meantime I studied, had various romantic and social involvements, practised law, travelled around the world, grew up a lot.  While I was at Sydney Uni a girlfriend persuaded me to attend a conference of the Tertiary Catholic Federation in Adelaide.  There I met a would-be Dominican whom I told I was thinking of entering the priesthood.  Soon after that pamphlets started arriving mysteriously in the post for me with titles like 'So you want to be a Dominican?'  I met a few real Dominicans and the more I learnt about what the Order was about, the more I admired its ideals and thought its apostolate and style of life might suit me.

I love study and am passionate about philosophy and theology; this was an Order with a great intellectual tradition and apostolate; an order with the motto Veritas, Truth, which has counted among its number great doctors of the Church such as St Thomas Aquinas, St Albert the Great and St Catherine of Siena…  I need help with prayer and spirituality, and this was an order where the brethren would be there cajoling and encouraging and requiring your participation in these things, rather than leaving you to go it alone, an order which has counted among its number an enormous variety of temperaments which God made through the Order into saints: Dominic, Martin de Porres, Antoninus, Fra Angelico, Vincent Ferrer, Rose of Lima…  I love people and knew I needed to live in a family or community; in this Order the friars normally live in communities of six or more and, like monks, spend much of their lives together…  And I was a public speaker and debater and wanted to turn that to some good use: joining an order of preachers seemed just the thing…  Above all I was convinced that at its best the Order could provide exactly the things the Church and society needs at this post-modern moment: direction in all the intellectual and moral chaos, a spirituality and consciousness of the divine amidst all the materialism and reductionism, genuine community in all the individualism, hope amidst the widespread despair.

In the end, though, I really only discerned my vocation within the Order.  It was in my first year at St Dominic's that I really fell in love with the Order's tradition and ideals and work for God. I'm still fairly romantic about those things.  I still haven't got the balance right given the high commitment of the Order to prayer and liturgy, study and contemplation, then passing on the fruits of that contemplation to others in various preaching apostolates.  I suppose I've got some of it better than other bits.  But it is sure worth trying.

When did I know it was forever?  Technically I suppose it was when I applied for solemn vows, was examined, discussed and voted upon by the brothers I lived with, accepted by the Order and made my solemn (final) profession: that was about six years after I joined.  But to be honest I really knew deep in my heart almost from the day I joined - fifteen years ago now: it was just a matter of time after that until I made my final commitment.

You asked about the place of prayer in all this.  I love the Mass and the Divine Office.  I remember visiting the Dominican student house in Krakow, Poland (the Pope's city) once.  They sang the divine office so beautifully one afternoon that I found I was crying; there were hundreds of people including hundreds of young people, there to join in their old style Vespers.  Here at St Dominic's we try to celebrate both solemnly and prayerfully too.  We aren't the best singers at the moment, so if our celebration brings people to tears it is probably for different reasons!  But at least we try.  My work keeps me away from the choir (i.e. from praying the divine office with the brethren) quite a bit, but I miss it and try to get to it whenever I can.  Dominican prayer is very liturgical and very physical: there's lots of standing, sitting, kneeling, bowing and other carry on.  It involves the whole person.

We are expected to build time for more private prayer and contemplation into our day.  Because I have so many jobs that's often late at night or in the car or other unlikely places for me.  Dominicans are big on the Rosary too: it was Our Lady's gift to Dominic and the Order.  I know that I cannot sustain the busyness of my life, with my jobs at the University, the Archdiocese, the hospitals, various comittees, dealing with the government and the media, celebrating the sacraments, helping our students in the Order, and all the rest, unless I keep the conversation going with God and unless I keep the worship of him first and foremost, before any of my earthly projects.  Otherwise it will all come to naught.

You also asked how I prepare a homily.  I do always prepare: I have not yet learnt the art of the ex tempore sermon.  I read the readings a few times a few days before, and think and pray about them.  Sometimes I consult a scripture commentary or the Fathers or St Thomas or someone else whose ideas I trust.  I try to think about current affairs, literature, art, the media, the world, and what might be live issues for the particular congregation to whom I will be preaching.  I try to mine our wonderful Catholic tradition for wisdom that will speak to those concerns.  The ideas run around in my head and finally on the computer screen.  Sometimes it is inspired and other times it is mundane.  Then there's the task or ordering and culling and French polishing the words.  And the delivery, which I find nerve-wracking, exciting, humbling.  I love preaching.  I hope it helps the congregations to find more meaning in their lives and be joined more closely to God.  But in the end I can only do my bit and leave the rest to the Holy Spirit.


Bishop Anthony Fisher, O.P. is Bishop of Parramatt NSW.  He was previously the foundation Director of the John Paul II Institute for Marriage and Family, Melbourne, and Auxiliary Bishop of Sydney.  The Bishop holds degrees in law, philosophy, theology, history (honours) and a D.Phil. from the University of Oxford.  He was ordained bishop on the feast of St Gregory the Great, 3 September, 2003.