Br. Thomas Nee, O.P., Remembering Who We Are while Looking Ahead to the New Year

"My last name, 'Nee,' is quite odd - terribly short and simple and, yet, somehow often mispronounced (it's just like 'knee,' by the way, and should be distinguished from its heteronym). I'm stuck with it, but that's okay. It ties me to my roots: my family background, my heritage, and the people who have known me by that name. A given name is something to cherish. And yet, people often want to change their names. Sometimes this is meritorious - a woman marks herself as part of a new family in marriage, or a religious takes on the yoke of a new consecrated name. But other times this desire for change is for less-than-noble reasons -identity crisis and confusion, perhaps even a desire to cast off one's past completely. These are radical examples, but I think at its root this desire aligns with the sentiment we take on at New Year's: it's a time of 'New Year, New Me.”'"

In a recent commentary, Brother Thomas Nee, O.P., reflected on the importance of, while looking ahead to the new year, not forgetting the "auld acquaintance" of who we are and where we came from.

To access Br. Thomas' complete post, please visit:

Dominicana: New Year, New Nee (29 DEC 23)