Saint Dominic de Guzman:

Feast day : 08 August

Today the Church celebrates the feast of Saint Dominic de Guzman, a Castilian priest who lived during the period 1170 – 1221. He is the founder of the Order of Preachers, popularly called the Dominicans who were instrumental in defending the Church against the several heresies that were causing people to abandon their faith. In his fight against the heresies, he prayed fervently to the Blessed Virgin for her intercession. Legend has it that in 1214, in an apparition, the Blessed Virgin Mary appeared to Saint Dominic at the abbey in Prouille and gave him the Rosary. Saint Dominic is attributed to promoting the devotion to the Holy rosary which became the weapon to combat the heresies that were diverting people from the Church. He was canonized by Pope Gregory IX on 13 July 1234.

Early life:

Saint Dominic was born in Caleruega, Spain to parents of noble birth. Legend has it that before his birth, his mother made a pilgrimage to the Abbey at Silos and prayed for a child. During the pilgrimage, she dreamt that a dog carrying a torch in its mouth leaped out of her womb and appeared to be setting the whole world on fire. This vision was probably a sign of how powerful his words would be. His parents named him Dominic meaning the Lord’s dog in Latin. According to tradition, when he was baptised, his mother saw a star brightly shining from her son's chest and this miracle later contributed to him becoming the patron saint of astronomers. He had the privilege to a good education and excelled in all his studies. He was very virtuous and contributed generously to the poor. During the great famine in Spain in 1191, he sold all his books to help feed the poor and hungry. Three years later in 1194, he joined the Canons Regular, a Benedictine Order in Osma.

Vocational life:

In 1204, Saint Dominic alongwith his Bishop Diego de Acebo began a program in the south of France, to convert the Cathars, a Christian religious sect with gnostic and dualistic beliefs, which the Roman Catholic Church deemed heretical. Dominic concluded that only preachers who displayed real sanctity, humility and asceticism could win over the staunch Cathar believers. At that time, the Albigensian heresy was also flourishing. The heresy wrongly taught that all material things, including the human body itself were fundamentally evil.

Dominic wrote treatises explaining the problems with the heresy and had several debates with the heretics. When he debated with the heretics, they could not defend themselves. Many heretics threatened Dominic with violence. Despite the threats, Dominic travelled throughout the region, preaching and converting many back to Catholic faith and practice. In his fight against the heresies, he prayed fervently to the Blessed Virgin for her intercession. Legend has it that in 1214, in an apparition, the Blessed Virgin Mary appeared to Saint Dominic at the abbey in Prouille and gave him the Rosary. Saint Dominic is attributed to promoting the devotion to the Holy rosary which became the weapon to combat the heresies that were diverting people from the Church.

In 1206, Saint Dominic established a convent in Prouille which became the first Dominican House. The monastery remains till date as the Noter-Dame-de-Prouille Monastery. In July 1215, he was granted permission to form his own religious order alongwith six followers. The group followed a Rule of Life which included prayer penance and discipline. Dominic saw the need for a new type of organization to address the spiritual needs of the growing cities of the era, one that would combine dedication and systematic education, with more organizational flexibility than either monastic orders or the secular clergy. He subjected himself and his companions to the monastic rules of prayer and penance. The Order was confirmed on December 22, 1216. Pope Honorius called it the ‘The Order of the Preachers’ and elevated Dominic to the rank of “Master of the Sacred Palace”. The position has been occupied by Dominican Preachers since then. He also issued a Papal Bull, asking all the clergy across Europe to support the Order of Preachers.

The Pope gave Saint Dominic a new mission asking him to restore discipline in the religious orders for women in Rome. He gave an old church San Sisto which required renovation. Once complete, Dominic worked hard and persuaded many orders of nuns to relocate. But this left the Dominican with no place for their mission. The Pope rewarded Dominic with a new church, the Basilica of Santa Sabina in Rome, which is till date the headquarters of the Dominican Order.

Death and Canonization:

Saint Dominic fell ill with a fever in July 1221. He still insisted on being laid on the ground and in the last days exhorted his brothers to have charity and guard their spirit of humility and poverty. He died at the age of 51 on August 6 1221. His body was moved to a simple sarcophagus in 1233. He was canonized by Pope Gregory IX on July 13, 1234. In 1267, Saint Dominic’s remains were moved to the Shrine. His feast day is celebrated on August 8 and he is the patron saint of Astronomers and scientists.