“To praise, to bless, to preach”.
The feast day of St. Dominic is celebrated on Tuesday, August 8. Known for his self-denial, apostolic zeal, and holiness, St. Dominic (Dominic de Guzman) was born in 1170 and ordained a priest at age 24. In 1216, St. Dominic established separate women’s, men’s and lay orders as the Order of Preachers, which later became known as the Dominicans.
The charism of the Dominicans is to proclaim the Word of God by preaching, teaching, and example while sustained by common life of prayer and study. Known as a joyful friar, St. Dominic conveyed enthusiasm for the Gospel. People came to St. Dominic because he offered them hope.
Along with establishment of the Order of Preachers, St. Dominic is associated with preaching on the daily devotion of praying the Holy Rosary. During the time of the Albigensian heresy, which believed that adultery, fornication, and suicide were praiseworthy and there is no heaven, no hell, and no defined moral code, St. Dominic went from town to town in Southern France preaching the TRUTH through the Word of God. Having little luck in converting the Albigenses, St. Dominic prayed fervently to Our Blessed Lady for direction and help. In Prouille, France, in 1208, The Blessed Virgin Mary appeared in an abbey to St. Dominic, instructing him in the prayers of the Angelic Psalter, to be later known as the Holy Rosary. The late Dominican Reginald Garrigou-Lagrange OP, who was a mentor and teacher of Pope St. John Paul II when he was a student at the Angelicum in Rome, stated: “Our Blessed Lady made known to St. Dominic a kind of preaching till then unknown which she said would be one of the most powerful weapons against future errors and in future difficulties.” That St. John Paul II was devoted to the Rosary his whole life is testament to the power of this devotion.
Just as the Dominican Order continues in these missions today, St. Dominic dedicated himself to preaching the Word of God through the pursuit of Truth in His Son, Jesus Christ and encouraged daily praying of the Rosary.
St. Anne’s was privileged to have the members of the Dominican Order minister here since soon after the founding of the parish; the effect of their steadfast devotion and love of our patroness continues today as we work to reestablish the Shrine as a place of pilgrimage, hope, and peace.
St. Dominic, pray for us.