a lay-woman who showed unlimited concern for the needy and the homeless in the twentieth century was Praxedes Fernandez. We are told that during the civil war in her country her ministry in the church surpassed that of many priests "at a time when the ministry of the laity was almost unknown in the church".

What all of these women down the centuries right to our own have in common is their Dominican calling which they have lived out actively according to their particular circumstances. When we read their stories, what comes across strongly is their spontaneous, compassionate response to the concrete needs and sufferings of their respective environments, and their ability to express in new ways the Order's mission to evangelize, teach and liberate people.

(Extracts from Catherine of Siena, by Mary O'Driscoll, OP. Editions du Signe,1994, pp 44-46.) Mary is a member of the Cabra Dominicans.