From Dominican Promises to the Cross of Christ: The Path of Blessed Dina Bélanger
The story of Blessed Dina Bélanger reveals how God gently leads a soul from one “yes” to the next, until life itself becomes a continual offering. As a young woman, Dina entered the Third Order Dominicans. It is no accident that St. Catherine of Siena became Dina’s model, for she was fiery in her love for truth, bold in her contemplation, and steadfast in her surrender. Through Catherine’s intercession, Dina began to taste the sweetness of contemplation, discovering that prayer was not only her refuge, but her mission.
This first consecration in the Dominican family prepared her heart for a more radical gift of self. In time, God invited her further, and Dina entered the Religious of Jesus and Mary (RJM). There she received a new name: Marie of Saint Cecilia of Rome. Saint Cecilia, patroness of music and purity, became the echo of Dina’s soul—her life, like a hidden melody, was sung in the silence of prayer and in the offering of suffering.
Her path was not easy. Illness confined her, weakened her body, and seemed to silence her outward activity. Yet in truth, it was here that her vocation reached its fullness. As the Catechism teaches, “By his passion and death on the cross Christ has given a new meaning to suffering: it can henceforth configure us to him and unite us with his redemptive Passion” (CCC 1505). Dina embraced this mystery, uniting her own pain to the suffering of Christ, allowing her life to become intercession for the Church and the world.
The life of holiness is never a straight line. At times, it feels as though we stumble or move backward; other times, God’s silence can make us doubt our progress. Yet, when seen in the light of faith, the spiritual journey is more like the growth of a flower: hidden roots, slow budding, and patient waiting, until little by little it blossoms into beauty. This is evident in the lives of the saints and, in a particular way, in Blessed Dina Bélanger. What began with her Dominican promises flowered into consecrated life with the Religious of Jesus and Mary (RJM), and reached its fullness in her final union with Christ through illness and suffering.
So it is with each of us. God takes every small “yes,” even the faltering ones, and weaves them into a path of union with Him. Our part is to remain faithful in prayer, to accept both strength and weakness as His gift, and to trust that He is always leading us toward the flowering of love.
Blessed Dina, pray for us.
© 2025, Lawain McNeil, Mission Surrender, LLC.
Sure enjoy your devos!