Meet The Student Brothers
Br Thomas Thérèse Mannion O.P.
Br Thomas Thérèse is a student brother in simple vows, born on the Wirral. He felt called to the priesthood at an early age. Before joining the Order, he was employed in the Archdiocese of Westminster as a Catechetical and Youth Coordinator. Whilst studying Theology at Heythrop College, University of London, he stumbled across the Dominican Sisters of Mary Mother of the Eucharist which lead him to discover the Friars of the English Province on YouTube. He entered the noviciate in 2016. He enjoys Ice Skating, History of the Papacy and the writings of St. Thérèse of Lisieux. | thomas.mannion@english.op.org
Br Bede Mullens O.P.
Br Bede was born in Enfield and grew up in Essex. He read Literae Humaniores at St Hugh’s College in the University of Oxford. It was in Oxford that he first met the Dominicans, and he joined the Order in 2017 after completing his degree. The writings of Pope Benedict XVI/Joseph Ratzinger greatly influenced his development in the Faith. He retains a wide interest in literature; among religious authors, he particularly admires St Augustine and St John Henry Newman. | bede.mullens@english.op.org
Br Daniel Benedict Rowlands O.P.
Born in Berkshire, Br Daniel was raised in the Faith in a Benedictine parish. Before entering the novitiate in 2018, he read Natural Sciences at the University of Cambridge where he remained to complete a doctorate in Theoretical Physics. His years of study confirmed a love for the contemplative life, but also theological debate with those of different world views. C. S. Lewis, St Augustine, and Pope Benedict XVI were formative influences as an undergraduate, whilst more recently he has enjoyed exploring Dante, the twelfth-century Cistercians, and Eastern spiritual theology. | daniel.rowlands@english.op.org
Br John Bernard Church O.P.
Br John Bernard, raised a Catholic by an English father and Dutch mother, first encountered the Dominicans at Blackfriars while studying Classics at the University of Oxford, and entered the noviciate in 2018. An attraction to religious life initially grew out of time spent working with the Missionaries of Charity, which then crystallised into a Dominican vocation through a desire to integrate the contemplative life with preaching and study. Based on his recent reading, he looks forward to delving further into St John of the Cross and the Carmelite mystics, as well as combining his preaching vocation with a love of the outdoors. | john.church@english.op.org
Br Jerome Johnson O.P.
Br Jerome was born and grew up in Johor Bahru, Malaysia. He moved to England to study Chemical Engineering at the University of Bath, where he remained to complete an MPhil in Electronic & Electrical Engineering. While in Bath, he helped run the Young Adults’ Group in the parish of St John the Evangelist and eventually felt called to the Dominican way of life, joining the Order in 2020. He enjoys playing the guitar and loves discussing all things Scripture-related. His favourite books are The Imitation of Christ and Crime and Punishment. | jerome.johnson@english.op.org
Br Giovanni Castellano O.P.
Br Giovanni Castellano was born in Italy in 2000. He attended high school in his small town in Sicily, and then he joined the Order of Preachers in the Province of St Thomas Aquinas, in southern Italy. After one year of postulancy, he entered the noviciate in 2020. He is now living in Oxford, where he is entering his second year at Blackfriars Studium. Before becoming a friar, he enjoyed travelling a lot, and so is it now, as well! In his free time, he likes reading good books and spending time with old and new friends. | giovannicastellano.00@gmail.com
Br Reginald Herbert O.P.
Br Reginald is a student brother in simple vows. He was born in London and grew up in Hounslow, before reading physics and UCL and then a PGCE at St. Mary’s, Twickenham. He met the Dominicans as a student in London and joined the Order in 2021 after spending some time teaching abroad. He was particularly influenced by the writings of St. Augustine as a teenager which drew him towards the religious life. His other interests include karate, rugby, comic books and playing the piano. He is particularly inspired by the writings of St. Catherine of Siena and St. Theresa Benedicta of the Cross. | reginald.herbert@english.op.org
Br Augustine Chen O.P.
Br Augustine was born and raised in Kuching, Malaysian Borneo. He came to England to study Law at the University of Oxford, where he was acquainted with and attracted to the Dominican way of life. A desire to proclaim the Gospel and to acquire a wider experience of religious life led him to work with the Salesians among young people in Glasgow before entering the Order. He finds nourishment in the works of St Augustine and the poems of Gerard Manley Hopkins, and is seeking a deeper familiarity with Eastern Christian spirituality and the Metaphysical poets. Among his favourite books are St Augustine’s Confessions and Graham Greene’s The Power and the Glory. He has an interest in the visual arts, and likes drawing and painting. | augustine.chen@english.op.org
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