In 1216, the Order of Preachers was established. Its mission was to preach the good news of Jesus Christ and battle heresy at a time when only bishops preached. In their opulence, bishops left the people in despair and the itinerant, mendicant priests who professed poverty and obedience won hearts and minds for Christ. Today, in the early 21st century, the number of religious vocations within the Order is nearly halved, the worldview grows more despairing and postmodern with each day. Nearly 50 years ago, the Order's General Chapter of Tallaght proclaimed that without the lay members of the Order, the preaching mission could no longer be accomplished. The problem is that the lay branch of the Order of Preachers exists without a conventual life like friars, sisters, and nuns. Historically, the lay members have strayed, over and over again, to embrace their own notions of what it means to be a Dominican. A Rule for the Lay members was necessarily established to try to add structure. In the 14th century, the great Saint Catherine had trouble joining the lay branch because she was not an "elderly widow." In 1960, the renown, though misunderstood theologian, fr. Edward Schillebeeckx, called the third order a "devotional prayer society." The call is too great today, the need paramount, the understanding of preaching critical. This book reveals it all and liberates the centuries of lay calling.