The Life of Saint Dominic
by Mr. Lawain McNeil, OP
Introduction
Jordan of Saxony, once said of his fellow friar, St. Dominic, “He was incessant in prayer, remarkable in compassion, fervent in shedding tears for his children, that is, in his zeal for souls, courageous in undertaking difficult things, strong in overcoming adversity.”[1] St. Dominic was a radiant beacon of Divine love and was an instrument of God’s grace that made him one of the most beloved and widely known saints.
He was born at a time when Christendom was giving new birth in theology, art, architecture, science, engineering, music and literature.[2] This period of time in the history “owes far more to the Catholic Church than most people—Catholics included—often realize. The Church, in fact, built Western civilization.”[3] St. Dominic, the simple mendicant friar, was one of the key players that impacted Western civilization in the preaching of the saving salvation of the Gospel. Even though the Church was flourishing in the arena of the arts and sciences, the Catholic Church was under attack from Islam in the East and heresies of the West. Urban II’s declaration of the Crusades sought to recapture Jerusalem from Muslim rule, unite the West by defending the East, and take up the Cross to stop the Islamic pogroms that were destroying Churches and annihilating her people.
In the West, Muslims at the time of Dominic occupied much of Spain. The Iberian Peninsula in the tenth century was mostly under the rule of Muslim Umayyad Caliphate, however Christian communities lived independently in the northern fringes of the Iberian Peninsula.[4] It is in this northern periphery that one of the greatest Catholic saints in the history of the Church was born.
Birth of Dominic
Dominic Felix de Guzman was born in the year 1170 to devout Catholic parents, Felix and Joanna (Joan) Guzman. He was born in the fertile area of the Castile region in the city of Caleruego. The Castile region was located in the northern part of the Iberian Peninsula.[5] Dominic’s parents were of Visigothic origin and belonged to noble stock. Dominic’s father Felix owned sizeable tracts of land in the Castille region. As a young man, Felix Guzman was an honorable soldier knight, fighting on behalf of the King of Castile and was the “royal warden of the village.”[6] Joan (or Jane) Guzman, Dominic’s mother, was the daughter of the Count of Aza and was known for her well-mannered nature.[7] Both parents were pious Catholics and lived a life of sanctity that influenced their three sons. Dominic’s mother was known for her acts of charity for the poor. Her holy life resulted in her beatification by Pope Leo XII in 1828. Like Louis and Zelie Martin, the parents of St. Therese of Lisieux, the profound holiness of the parents permeated the souls of their children, resulting in religious vocations and disciples of Jesus Christ. Felix and Joanna’s three sons would enter into the religious priestly life, giving their lives in service for Jesus the Church. Antonio, Dominic’s oldest brother, served as a Priest to the poor by working in hospice care. His other priest brother, Mannes, one of the first Dominican Friars, was a contemplative and preacher known for his holiness and high moral conduct.[8] Mannes would ‘play a conspicuous part in the history of the University of Paris’ as well as be a gifted preacher and orator. He was beatified by Pope Gregory XV in 1831.[9] God’s providential love would manifest itself in a special way on Felix and Joanna Guzman regarding the birth of their youngest son Dominic.
When Joanna was pregnant with Dominic, she had a vision in which the child she was carrying appeared under the image of a dog, who carried in its mouth a torch. With the torch in its mouth, the dog leapt from her womb and set fire to the whole world.[10] This vision greatly disturbed Joanna so she sought spiritual counsel by pilgrimaging to the Benedictine Abbey of Silos in order to pray at the tomb of Abbot Dominic (St. Dominic of Silos).[11] Jordan of Saxony writes of this vision:
This was to signify that her child would be an eminent preacher who, by “barking” sacred knowledge, would rouse to vigilance souls drowsy with sin, as well as scatter throughout the world the fire which the Lord Jesus Christ came to cast upon the earth.”[12]
Out of devotion to the holy Abbot, when Joanna gave birth to her son, she named him Dominic, which means ‘given to God’.[13] As always, those whose lives are marked by holiness receive special graces to live out the supernatural virtues. This was true in the life of Dominic. His Godmother reported that at Dominic’s baptism she saw a star “illuminating his brow and bathing the world in its brightness.” [14] The Coat of Arms of the Dominican Order as well as in artistic depictions of the holy saint, a dog with a torch in its mouth and an illuminated star are always illustrated.
Dominic’s early life was marked by great sanctity and the practice of penances. It has been recounted that at an early age that Dominic ‘preferred the floor to the bed’ as a sacrifice from bodily comfort.[15] When he reached elementary age, he was sent to live with his maternal uncle, the archpriest of Gumiel d’Izan, to receive a religious training and education.[16] It was under the care and study from his uncle that the seed that was planted in his soul by his holy parents (particularly his mother), took root and grew. He drank from the rich waters of Sacred Scripture, spending many sleepless nights in contemplation and prayer. At one particular Mass in which Dominic was serving, his uncle noticed that the young man broke out in laughter. Curious to find out what was so funny, his uncle asked Dominic for an explanation:
Very naïvely Dominic told him that he had seen two ladies speaking together excitedly. On the bench behind them, leaning his back on the memorable pillar, sat the devil, writing carefully on a parchment scroll whatever the ladies were saying. Not being able to unwind the scroll fast enough to keep pace with their animated conversation, the devil grabbed one end of the scroll with his fist, got a firm hold of the other end between his teeth, and pulled with all his might. The parchment suddenly tore apart, and the devil's head cracked against the pillar. "To see the devil hurting himself and unable to continue writing struck me funny. That is why I laughed during Mass."[17]
He proved to be a model student and disciple of Jesus. Unlike most boys who engaged in play, Dominic spent much time in prayer in front of the tabernacle, asking God to guide him and give him the necessary graces to live totally for Him. When his studies were completed with his uncle, he enrolled at the University of Palencia with the goal of entering the priesthood. It was here that he studied philosophy, theology, Latin, Rhetoric and canon law.[18] He was a model student and was admired by his teachers for the manner in which he executed his studies.[19] The vision of his mother and godmother were coming to fruition, Dominic grew not only in knowledge of all things religious, but his heart continued to grow in the imitation of Jesus Christ.
At Palencia, he began the penitential practice of abstaining from wine, the everyday drink of Spain. When a famine broke out in the city of Palencia, this disciple of Jesus, sold his personal belongings as well as his books and manuscripts that contained his personal study notes in order to feed the poor.[20]
Dominic Receives Holy Orders
In 1195, Dominic received Holy Orders and was called to serve the Cathedral Chapter of Osma. He made his profession according to the Rule of St. Augustine and served as the canon regular.[21] While at Osma, Dominic began the practice of night-watches in which he would spend the entire night in prayer. Due to his rapid growth in spiritual graces, he was named Subprior to the Bishop of Osma. In 1201, the Bishop of Osma died and was replaced by the Prior, Diego de Azevedo. It was common to replace the Prior with the Subprior, but Dominic pleaded to remain in his role. The vote was cast and the wishes of Dominic were fulfilled and he remained in his Subprior role. This pleased Bishop Diego since the Subprior could be appointed to various services on behalf of the Bishop.[22]
In 1203, Alfonso IX, the King of Castile, summoned the Bishop Diego for assistance in the arrangement of the marriage of his son to the daughter of a French lord.[23] Bishop Diego chose his Subprior Dominic to accompany and assist him on this journey. The first stop on their journey was in the French Languedoc region of Albi in the town of Toulouse. It was here that Dominic’s heart was moved to pity due to a great number of the Albigensian people who had embraced various heretical teachings. Dominic’s years of study and penitential practices prepared him to defend the Church’s teaching and to save souls from heretical belief.
In Toulouse, the innkeeper of the hotel in which he was staying had fallen away from the faith and was mired in the Albigensian heresy. Moved with pity, Dominic stayed up all night as he zealously defended the Church’s teaching and shared the immense wisdom that refuted the false heretical beliefs of this poor soul. By morning, the innkeeper was no longer “able to resist the wisdom and the spirit that spoke” and returned to the one true Church.[24] This event would mark the beginning of the Dominic’s apostolate of saving lost heretical souls.
The Albigensian heresy continued to gain momentum and was leading many away from the Catholic faith resulting in Pope Innocent III commissioning the Cistercian Order to combat the heresy through preaching. [25] Due to the minimal training in argumentation and their worldly ways of living , the Cistercian had limited success in the conversion of the Albigensians. Dominic and Bishop Diego urged the Cistercians to embrace a more penitential life.[26] Debate was one of the methods used by the Albigensians in the promoting the heretical propaganda. Due to the strict study and training that Dominic received at Palencia, he was well equipped to engage in argumentation with the heretics.
Through theological exposition coupled with their Christ like example of ascetical living, Bishop Diego and Dominic engaged the Albigensians in theological debate. In one particular disputation with the Albigensians, nearly two hundred souls returned to the Church through their teaching.[27] Given their ability to deliver cogent arguments regarding the theological truths of the one true, apostolic faith, Bishop Diego and Dominic produced fruits for the Kingdom and reinforced the faith of fellow Catholics.
The Famous Disputation at Fanjeaux
It was at Fanjeaux that God provided a miraculous sign of His divine truth in the presence of the Albigensians. It was common practice to write out one’s argument in the form of propositions. These written disputations would then be judged by a panel to determine a winner. At Fanjeaux, both sides issued their written arguments only to have the judges at an impasse regarding a winner. To settle this dispute, the Albigensians suggested that they throw the manuscripts into a fire to determine which teaching was the truth. The manuscript that would not burn would be considered the truth. When the books were tossed into the fire, the Albigensians books was immediately consumed while the texts of the holy priests leaped from the fire and remained unburned.[28] The judges threw the manuscript two more times into the flames—each time the book would leap from the fire remaining unburned.
Over the next few years Bishop Diego and Dominic with other mendicant priests, preached the Gospel to the Albigensians in the hopes of leading them back to Jesus Christ and the Church. In 1207, Pope Innocent III approved more missionaries in support of the work of converting the Albigensians. However, there was a setback when Bishop Diego died resulting in the Cistercians withdrawing from the work. Very few priests were left to preach the Gospel to the Albigensians, however, Dominic remained committed to the work of preaching the Gospel to those lost to this heresy. It was during this period that Dominic founded in Prouille a convent for women for the sole purpose of converting those from the Albigensian heresy.[29] It was at Prouille where he would form his base for preaching the Gospel.
In 1208, a Cistercian legate, Pierre de Castelanau, was assassinated by Raymond of Toulouse. The Pope responded by calling for a Crusade under the leadership of Simon de Montfort. Dominic did not participate in the Crusade with the sword but did the work of a preacher and lover of souls.
The religious fervor and holiness in which Dominic exhibited in his walk with Christ, attracted others to join his efforts to save souls from heresy. His ‘band of preachers’ soon set up a religious community of preachers in Toulouse. Here they practice living in common, sharing all things and living a life of poverty for the salvation of souls.
They were sustained out of the generosity of the Bishop of Toulouse, who committed proceeds from the offering to the poor on their behalf. The preaching and the apostolic defense of the faith of the diocese was entrusted to Dominic and his fellow preachers. [30] In 1215 at the Fourth Lateran Council, Dominic traveled to Rome to seek permission from Pope Innocent III for the approval of a new order and the approval to accept the revenues offered by the Bishop. Dominic wished to call this new order the Preachers. The Holy See instructed Dominic to adopt an ‘already approved rule’ and be assigned to a Church by the Bishop and return to Rome for final approval.[31] The order officially adopted the Rule of St. Augustine and was granted approval by Pope Honorius III on December 22, 1216.
Dominic Meets Francis of Assisi
In 1215 when Dominic traveled to Rome to petition Pope Innocent III, he spent time in prayer at the tomb of the Apostle Peter and Apostle Paul. While in prayer, Dominic had a vision in which the Blessed Virgin Mary appeared with her Son in which she introduced Him to two men. One of those men was Dominic and the other was someone he (Dominic) did not recognize. The Blessed Mother told Jesus that these two men would transform the world. The following day, he met Francis of Assisi and realized that this was the person in his vision that he did not recognize. Dominic declared to Francis, “Let us remain together and be partners.”[32] This did not denote that the orders should be merged, but rather to use their unique charisms to spread the Gospel to the world.
Over the next five years Dominic worked diligently in providing the proper intellectual training for his brothers so they could be effective in the teaching, preaching and defending of the Gospel. Observing the rule of the order, the brothers spent time in manual labor, prayer and study. Their call was to convert mankind through the preaching of the Gospel by living out their vocation in poverty and prayer.
Dominic established priories in Lombardy, France, Spain, Rome and sent his preacher brothers on missions to England, Germany, Hungary and Scandinavia. He established convents throughout Europe in an effort to share the Gospel with the world. He worked exhaustively to preach the Good News of Jesus and convert those who were lost in heresy or who had never heard the saving salvation message of Jesus.[33]
Dominic’s Death
Dominic died on August 6, 1221 at Bologna from dysentery and fever. His participation at Matins was his last community exercise with his fellow brothers. Brother Guala, a fellow friar, was dozing off at his monastery at Brescia, when he received a vision from God upon Dominic’s death. In this vision there was an opening in the heavens in which two shining ladders descended. Christ was standing on one ladder and the Blessed Mother on the other. In between the ladders at the bottom was a seat in which a hooded friar was sitting.
Jesus and the Blessed Mother slowly raised the ladder and the seat until the hooded friar was received into heaven in the midst of a choir of angels. This vision, Brother Guala later learned, happened at the time of Dominic’s death. [34]
The Rosary
The devotion of the Rosary is most often attributed to St. Dominic. Tradition teaches that the Rosary came to St. Dominic in a period of extraordinary prayer in which he prayed incessantly for three days and three nights for the conversion of the Albigensians. Exhausted from petitioning God, the Blessed Virgin appeared to him with three angels and gave him the gift of the Rosary as method of prayer and means to convert souls to Jesus Christ.[35]
Conclusion
On July 13, 1234 Pope Gregory IX canonized the beloved St. Dominic. He said of Saint Dominic:
“Thanks to the deep friendship he had for us when we were fulfilling a more modest office, we had proof of his sanctity in the admirable testimony of his life; and now competent witnesses have given us a full certification about the real character of the miracles about which many have spoken. Moreover, in union with the Lord’s flock given to our care, we are confident that, by God’s mercy, we can be aided by his suffrages, and that we who merited to enjoy the consolation of his very gracious friendship here on earth, may now have the benefit of his powerful patronage in heaven.” [36]
Numerous miracles and intercessions were attributed to him as proof of his saintly life. As he assured his brothers on his death bed that he would be of better use in death than in life, he continues to care for those on earth and intercedes for the salvation of souls. Dominic was an ascetic, mystic and an apostle who “took all into the arms of his love, wide as the church-door”, and reminds us that a life of charity, humility and poverty is a life that all should strive to live.[37]
Today is the Feast Day of St. Dominic.
St. Dominic pray for us.
Lord, let the holiness and teaching of Saint Dominic
come to the aid of your Church.
May he help us now with his prayers
as he once inspired people by his preaching.
Endnotes
[1] Jordan of Saxony, The Encyclical Letter of Jordan of Saxony, at OP Central, www.opcentral.org.
[2] Vidmar, John, OP, The Catholic Church Through the Ages, (Mahwah: Paulist Press, 2005), 119.
[3] Woods, Thomas, How the Catholic Church Built Western Civilization, (Washington: Regnery Publishing, 2005), 1.
[4] Blanning, T.C.W, The Central Middle Ages Europe 950-1130, (New York: Oxford University Press, 2006), 20.
[5] Wilms, Jerome, As The Morning Star: The Life of St. Dominic (Milwaukee: Mediatrix Press, 1956), 118.
[6] Vann, Father Joseph, Lives of Saints, (New York: JJ Crawley, 1954)
[7] Wilms, As The Morning Star: The Life of St. Dominic,147.
[8] Jordan of Saxony, The Libellus of Jordan of Saxony, at OP Central, www.opcentral.org.
[9] OP Central, www.opcentral.org
[10] Wilms, As The Morning Star: The Life of St. Dominic,158.
[11] Wilms, As The Morning Star: The Life of St. Dominic,158.
[12] Jordan of Saxony, The Libellus of Jordan of Saxony, at OP Central, www.opcentral.org.
[13] Wilms, As The Morning Star: The Life of St. Dominic,158.
[14] Wilms, As The Morning Star: The Life of St. Dominic,170.
[15] Jordan of Saxony, The Libellus of Jordan of Saxony
[16] VICAIRE, M. H. "Dominic, St." New Catholic Encyclopedia. 2nd ed. Vol. 4. Detroit: Gale, 2003. 828-829. Gale Virtual Reference Library.
[17] Wilms, As The Morning Star: The Life of St. Dominic,192.
[18] Wilms, As The Morning Star: The Life of St. Dominic,216.
[19] O'Connor, John Bonaventure. “St. Dominic.” The Catholic Encyclopedia. Vol. 5. New York: Robert Appleton Company, 1909.
[20] Jordan of Saxony, The Libellus of Jordan of Saxony, at OP Central, www.opcentral.org.
[21] Wilms, As The Morning Star: The Life of St. Dominic,301.
[22] Wilms, As The Morning Star: The Life of St. Dominic,337.
[23] Jordan of Saxony, The Libellus of Jordan of Saxony, at OP Central, www.opcentral.org.
[24] Jordan of Saxony, The Libellus of Jordan of Saxony, at OP Central, www.opcentral.org.
[25] Wilms, As The Morning Star: The Life of St. Dominic,455.
[26] O'Connor, John Bonaventure. The Catholic Encyclopedia.
[27] Wilms, As The Morning Star: The Life of St. Dominic,523.
[28] Jordan of Saxony, The Libellus of Jordan of Saxony, at OP Central, www.opcentral.org.
[29] O'Connor, John Bonaventure. The Catholic Encyclopedia.
[30] O'Connor, John Bonaventure. The Catholic Encyclopedia.
[31] Jordan of Saxony, The Libellus of Jordan of Saxony, at OP Central, www.opcentral.org.
[32] Wilms, As The Morning Star: The Life of St. Dominic,852.
[33] O'Connor, John Bonaventure. The Catholic Encyclopedia.
[34] Jordan of Saxony, The Libellus of Jordan of Saxony, at OP Central, www.opcentral.org.
[35] De Montfort, St. Louis, The Secret of the Rosary, (Rockford: Tan Books, 1993), 4
[36] Jordan of Saxony, The Libellus of Jordan of Saxony, at OP Central, www.opcentral.org.
[37] [1] Wilms, As The Morning Star: The Life of St. Dominic,1797.
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What a very moving experience to read of this illustrious, but humble and servanthood life! Thanks for sharing, Lawain!