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Love of philosophy drew local man to Dominicans
by Robert Delaney of The Michigan Catholic
Published June 18, 2010
DETROIT — Newly ordained Fr. James Brent, OP, returned to Detroit after his May 28 ordination in Washington, D.C., to celebrate a Mass of Thanksgiving at what had been his parish here, St. Mary in Greektown, on June 4.
And he was back in St. Mary Church on Sunday, June 6, to celebrate the noon Mass and then carry the monstrance in the Corpus Christi procession that involved St. Mary, Holy Family and SS. Peter & Paul (Jesuit) parishes.
But it was the now closed St. Dominic Parish that played a key role in the development of his vocation to the priesthood.
Fr. Brent, 34, grew up in Birmingham, attending St. Regis Grade School and Brother Rice High School in Bloomfield Hills.
"In high school, I decided that I was going to study philosophy in college (at Central Michigan University in Mount Pleasant). Studying philosophy introduced me to a whole world of ideas that I had never been aware of before, and forced me to rethink my faith at every level," Fr. Brent says.
"As my study of philosophy went on, I found myself increasingly compelled by the wisdom of St. Thomas Aquinas. It was he who first introduced me to the Dominicans," he continues.
And it was not only the great 13th-century Dominican who influenced him, but also several contemporary Dominican writers who he found had answers to many of his unresolved philosophical questions.
"More and more, the writings of Dominicans impressed me. When I arrived at graduate school in Wayne State University in Detroit, there happened to be a Dominican parish two blocks from my office," Fr. Brent says.
Although St. Dominic was staffed by archdiocesan and then Franciscan priests in the last years before it closed, it had been founded and staffed for most of its existence by the Dominican order.
"The parish was just what I needed. It had a great community of Dominican priests. They were obviously outstanding men and wonderful priests. Sacraments and devotions were available in abundance. The friars were very welcoming — even to the point of inviting me to use their library and some of its rare books.
"I was impressed by their life of common prayer, study, community and preaching Christ. Their life impressed me so much, in fact, that becoming a Dominican myself became a live option for me," he says.
Still, he had to think about it for several more years, come to terms with the sacrifices that the life of a Dominican friar would entail.
"It was not until years later that I could resolve in my heart to do it. The decision was difficult for me, but by the grace of God at the age of 28 I finally entered the Dominican Province of St. Joseph (Eastern United Sates)," Fr. Brent says.
Any reservations or doubts about the decision were soon to evaporate, he explains: "Ever since I became a Dominican, I have known a happiness, a joy and a peace that is nowhere to be gained from any books of philosophy. For there is a happiness that comes from knowing Jesus Christ. There is a happiness that comes from living out His call.
"There is a happiness that comes from having a heart consecrated to Him by vows. And it is a happiness so deep and so profound that all the happiness of this world pales by comparison to it. "
Fr. Brent made his solemn profession of vows as a Dominican on Nov. 8, 2008, and was ordained a deacon Jan. 10, 2009, as a transitional step toward his eventual priestly ordination.
He completed his studies for the priesthood at the Dominican House of Studies in Washington, D.C., and his first assignment as a priest is an appointment to the philosophy faculty of the Catholic University of America.
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