Dominic was born in Spain in 1170 to a Spanish noble family. His father was the royal warden. His mother, Blessed Joan of Aza had a dream when she was pregnant with Dominic. In that vision, a dog leaped from her womb with a torch in its mouth. It seemed to be setting the world on fire! It is for this reason that depictions of St. Dominic many times will have a dog with him.
As a student, Dominic concentrated his studies on theology and art. In 1194 he joined Canons Regular of Saint Augustine in Osma and by 1201 he was the acting superior!
In 1203 Dominic joined Bishop Osma, Diego de Azevedo, on a trip to Denmark to escort arrange a marriage with the princess for Prince Ferdinand. The princess unfortunately died, Freed of their diplomatic duties, Dominic and Bishop Diego traveled to Rome. Here he found his true vocation! This reminds me very much of the verse in the bible, “All things work together for good.”
Pope Innocent III charged him with fighting against the Albigensian heresy. He was often threatened with violence but Dominic persisted. He was known for his preaching and converted many to the faith. He established the first Dominican house in France, The Monastery of Notre-Dame-de-Prouille. This remains the main home of the Dominican order today.
It was here in 1214 that it is said the Blessed mother appeared to Dominic and gave him the rosary to use in prayer for the conversion of sinners. Devotion to the rosary spread throughout Europe and became very popular with the faithful.
Dominic became famous for his work. In 1215 he received permission to form his own order from Pope Honorarius. Dominic developed their own rule of life that included penance and prayer.
In 1221, Dominic was on a trip when he became ill and died at the age of 51.
St. Dominic is usually shown with a dog, holding a book or lilies. Sometimes he is pictured with a star on his forehead because his grandmother saw a star on his head when he was baptized. He is the patron saint of astronomers, the Dominican Republic, and the wrongly accused innocent.
Ways to Celebrate!
- Pray the Rosary!
- St. Dominic recommended prayer before a crucifix. This might be a good day to visit church and pray or pray before the crucifix at home.
- Study the travels of St. Dominic. Where did he go? What are those places called today?
- It is said St. Dominic was born with a star on his forehead. Go outside and look at the stars this weekend!
- The dog is closely connected to this saint. Do something special for the doggy in your life on this feast day!
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How to Pray the Rosary
Free Downloadable Map of Europe to label while studying the life of St. Dominic.
Click here Life of Saint Dominic
His Feast Day was moved a lot!
How to Pray Better with St. Dominic!
From Father Lawrence Lew, OP on Flickr:
“Our most holy Father Saint Dominic, confessor and founder of the Order of Friars Preachers. He was most illustrious, being distinguished by nobility of birth, sanctity and learning. Until death he preserved without stain his virginity and by the singular grace of his merits he raised three persons from the dead. By his preaching he curbed heresies and established many persons in a religious and godly manner of life. On August 6, his soul soared to heaven, there to receive a reward commensurate with his extraordinary works. His feast, however, is celebrated on this day [8 August], by an ordinance of Pope Paul VI”.
Mr. Pete sees lots of people throughout the week as he travels to schools picking up musical instruments and dropping off repairs. Many of those people know that he is a church-going Catholic. One of his customers has started bringing him statues of saints and of the Blessed Mother that he finds at sales or antique stores. This neat statue of St. Dominic is one of those finds!
