St Dominic of the Rosary

Saint Dominic was born c.1170 in Calaroga, Spain of noble parents. His mother was beatified in 1828 by Leo XII. His eldest brother was a priest who ministered to the sick. His younger brother a Friar Preacher and was beatified by Gregory XVI.

At about the age of 14 he entered the University of Palencia for ten years. During this time he sold his books to help the poor of Palencia, and twice he tried to sell himself into slavery to obtain money for the liberation of those who were held in captivity by the Moors. Dominic was still a student at Palencia when, the Bishop of Osma, called him to membership in the cathedral chapter for the purpose of assisting in its reform. Afterwards, in recognition of the part he had taken in converting this chapter, Dominic was appointed sub-prior of the reformed chapter. Later he became superior of the chapter with the title of prior. Here he spent 9 years in the contempative life scarcely venturing beyond the confines of the chapter house.

In 1203 he joined his bishop in a mission for the king which took him through Toulouse in the south of France. Here they witnessed the spiritual decay brought by the herisy of the time. And it was here that Dominic first thought of founding a religious order to counter heresy and spread the Gospel through preaching. Theological disputs played a prominent part in the propaganda of the heretics. The thorough training that Dominic had received at Palencia now proved of great value in his debates with the heretics. Unable to refute his arguments or counteract the influence of his preaching, they insulted and threatened him. Saint Dominic realized that the women converted from heresy needed protection against the evil influence of their own homes. He thus established a convent at Prouille in 1206. To this community, and afterwards to that of Saint Sixtus, at Rome, he gave the rule and constitutions which have ever since guided the nuns of the Second Order of Saint Dominic.

When the papal legate was murdered by the Albigensians in 1208, Pope Innocent III launched a crusade against them headed by Count Simon IV of Montfort which was to continue for the next seven years. During the crusade, St. Dominic was found following the Catholic army. After a town was taken over he would try to reconcile the heritics and revive the Catholic faith in that town. During a battle at Muret, Dominic knelt before the altar in the church of Saint-Jacques, praying for the triumph of the Catholic arms. So remarkable was the victory of the crusaders at Muret that Simon de Montfort regarded it as altogether miraculous, and piously attributed it to the prayers of Saint Dominic. In gratitude to God for this decisive victory, the crusader erected a chapel in the church of Saint-Jacques, which he dedicated, it is said, to Our Lady of the Rosary. It would appear, therefore, that the devotion of the Rosary, which tradition says was revealed to Saint Dominic, had come into general use about this time.

Between 1212 and 1215 he turned down three offers to be made Bishop. In 1214 he returned to Toulouse, France. His preaching and holiness caused a following to develop around him. In 1215 he founded the Order of Preachers (the Dominicans) whose mission was to fight heresy through the preaching of true doctorine. The order adopted the rule of St Augustine, and the pope confirmed the order with a Bull in 1216. With the help of Pope Honorius III, the order quickly grew throughout France, Spain, and Italy.

In 1217, after preaching in Rome and the papal court, he was given the title of Master of the Sacred Palace, or the Pope's Theologian. Since then, only members of the Dominican Order have held that position.

Saint Dominic, was asked to lead a preaching crusade in Lombardy, Italy where heresy had developed in alarming proportions. It is said that 100,000 unbelievers were converted by his preaching and miracles. During his preaching in Lombardy, in 1221 Saint Dominic instituted the Militia of Jesus Christ, or the third order, as it is commonly called, consisting of men and women living in the world, to protect the rights and property of the Church.

He died on August 8, 1221 in Bologna, Italy after suffering for three weeks with a fatal illness. He was canonized by Gregory IX on July 13, 1234. His feast day is August 8th. He is the patron saint of astronomers.



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