Featured Friar
Br. Paul Byrd, O.P.
“Latest member of the Province of the Province of St. Albert the Great to be solemnly professed.”
Paul Byrd, OP is twenty-nine years old. He grew up a Pentecostal, but when he was sixteen, felt called by God to seek him elsewhere. He was baptized a Methodist, but after reading more about the great saints of the Catholic Church and the history of Christianity, he entered RCIA and was confirmed a Catholic in 2000. From there, he went to Thomas More College, and earned a B.A. in Creative Writing and an A.A. in Theology. On October 7th, the Feast of the Holy Rosary, he dedicated himself to his religious vocation and asked God’s assistance in finding the right community for him. Remembering the holy life of Servant of God Rose Hawthorne, he looked up the Dominicans online, and decided to visit the brothers in St. Louis. While in the novitiate he discerned that he was called to be a cooperator brother, not a priest, and went on to start a blog so he could publish his reflections on what lay religious life means to him. He just earned his M.A. in Theology from Aquinas Institute in St. Louis, MO. He will begin studies for an M.A. in Writing at DePaul University in the fall. Most recently, he professed solemn vows on June 8th, 2011, thereby becoming a permanent member of the Order of Preachers. If you would like to read more about Br. Paul, visit his blog at: http://dominicancooperatorbrother.blogspot.com/
