Saint Dominic
Feast day: August 8
Saint Dominic, priest and founder of the Order of Preachers, who lived poor, prayed and preached (08/08)
Who is he?
Saint Dominic was a Spanish priest, the founder of the Order of Preachers, usually called the Dominicans. The members of the order live poor, pray, study God’s Word, and then go out to preach to everyone.
Life story
Dominic was born around 1170 in the village of Caleruega, Spain. His mother, Joan, was later declared Blessed by the Church. According to tradition, before he was born, she dreamed of a dog carrying a torch that lit up the whole world, like his preaching later on.
While he was studying in Palencia, a famine struck. Dominic sold even his precious books and used the money to help the poor. His brothers later told how he could not bear to sit studying over his books while people were dying of hunger.
He became a priest, then traveled with his bishop through the south of France. There, many people had followed a heresy, that is, a false teaching, which said that the body and all material things were evil. One night, he stayed at an inn whose owner followed that heresy. Dominic sat and talked with him all night, gently explaining the faith. By morning, the innkeeper had come back to the Church.
He understood that to bring people back to God, preachers must live poor like Jesus, pray a lot and study carefully. So he founded the Order of Preachers, which Pope Honorius III approved in 1216. He sent his brothers to the big cities to study and teach. He died in Bologna, Italy, on 6 August 1221, and was canonized in 1234.
Why is he a saint?
Saint Dominic loved God and loved people. He did not use harsh words with those who had gone astray, but patiently explained and prayed for them. According to tradition, he prayed very faithfully to Mary, and his spiritual children spread the Rosary everywhere.
A lesson for you
- Study your catechism hard, so you understand your faith and can answer when your friends ask.
- When a friend has wrong ideas about God, gently explain and pray for them; don’t argue.
- Share what you have with people in need, just as Saint Dominic sold his books to help the hungry.
Identifying marks
- A black-and-white dog holding a torch, beside a globe: according to tradition, before he was born, his mother dreamed of a dog carrying a torch that set the whole world alight, like his preaching later on.
- A small star on his forehead: according to tradition, when he was baptized, people saw a bright star on his forehead, a sign that he would bring light to others.
- A Rosary: according to tradition, he eagerly encouraged prayer to Mary; his spiritual children spread the Rosary everywhere.
- A white lily and a book: the lily is a sign of a pure life; the book is God’s Word, which he studied and preached.
- A white habit and a black cloak: the habit of the Order of Preachers (the Dominicans).
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