On Saturday, September 22 on the Autumnal Ember Saturday, the Diocese of Lansing gathered for the "Made for Happiness" event. A procession was conducted from the Cathedral of St. Mary in downtown Lansing east to the Breslin Center on the campus of Michigan State University. Confessions were heard throughout the day, presentations were given by prominent Catholic speakers, and the vigil Mass for Sunday was offered in the main arena. Upwards of 12,000 of the diocesan faithful attended the event, and our Lay Dominican groups were represented during the procession and with a table we shared with the Lay Carmelite and Franciscan groups from the diocese. By all accounts, it was an edifying and fruitful day of spiritual renewal.

In early September, the officers and delegates from the many Lay Dominican fraternities around the Central Province met in Chicago for the annual meeting. Michigan was well represented with members of the fraternities in Ann Arbor, Bay City, East Lansing, Farmington Hills, and Grand Rapids all in attendance. Gwen Weinberger from the Bl. Pier Giorgio Frassati group in Ann Arbor was elected the Council's new President, and Bl. Pier Giorgio Frassati was also voted by the council to progress from group to chapter status! The photo is of the beautiful chapel at the Cenacle retreat center in the Lincoln Park neighborhood of Chicago, where the Council has met annually in recent years.

Definitely a work in progress. We hope to serve as a focal point for Catholic news, thought, and reflection from a Dominican perspective. Stay tuned...