What Do You Know About St. Dominic?

You won't find his statue in a backyard garden or with a bird bath in the front yard, either!

St. Dominic, a contemporary of St. Francis, is one of those saints that many people know of but know little about. The Order of Preachers, St. Dominic's enduring legacy to the Church and to the whole world, was finally established in 1216 and five years later, in 1221, St. Dominic went home to God. And yet, what St. Dominic left the Order of his vision for the mission of preaching for the salvation of souls was so well synthesized that nearly 800 years later the Order continues, united under the principle of unity--the Master of the Order--unchanged in the essentials

Recently we added two new books to our gift shoppe: Saint Dominic: the Grace of the Word by Fr. Guy Bedouelle, OP and Praying with Dominicans, by Fr. John Vidmar, OP.

The Grace of the Word is one of our favorite biographies of St. Dominic. It is more than a biography. It is a spiritual portrait of this great lover of God. St. Dominic left us very few writings and we have no sermons or homilies but through a careful and prayerful reading of what we do know of St. Dominic, especially through those who lived with him, we have the example of a man who was a giant of holiness with a heart filled with compassion.

Praying with Dominicans is really a wonderful little book. Unlike the other big Orders: Carmelites, Benedictines, etc. we Dominicans don't have a unique way of prayer other than that of the Gospel. Of course, the Rosary is a special legacy of Dominicans but even that is deeply Scriptural. Yet, there none of his se are special characteristics to how Dominicans pray, colored by our special charism and mission. Fr. John Vidmar, OP, presents a generous sampling of this rich spiritual tradition in the form prayers, meditations, poems, hymns, devotions, and reflections.

We are also happy to finally be able to offer an 8" statue of St. Dominic! The sculpting of this statue reminds us that St. Dominic was considered a second St. Paul. At his feet is the symbol of St. Dominic, a dog holding a flaming torch in his mouth. This is because when St. Dominic’s mother, Bl. Jane of Aza, was carrying St. Dominic she had a dream that her baby was a dog running through Europe inflaming it with the Gospel of Salvation.