Happy Feast of St. Dominic!

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DS:   Today is the feast day of my spiritual father, St. Dominic de Guzman.  He founded the Order of Preachers in order to stop the Albigensian heresy that was infiltrating the Church and stealing souls away from God.  He began first with founding a cloister of women to serve his mission through intense prayer.  Ten years would pass before the fruits of that prayer came in the form of his first followers: monks who were given the permission to preach to the masses.  They proved to be highly successful, as the Albigensians returned to the Catholic church in droves.  (Also, do you know of any Albigensians today?)

flockdraw image by DS

St. Dominic was a chosen soul.  He was born with this special mission from the Almighty God.  His mother, Bl. Jane D'Aza had a dream while pregnant with Dominic.  She dreamed she gave birth to a dog, and this little dog carried a flame in his mouth.  As soon as he was free, he ran throughout the world, catching it on fire.  The symbolism of that dream was played out throughout Dominic's life.  The name Dominic is a play on the Latin phrase which means "Hound of God."  Another occurance of his birth, was a strange and mysterious light emanating from his forehead. From the beginning, he displayed intelligence and a desire to serve God with his life.  He was first a Canon Regular of the Diocese of Osma.  It was on a trip to Rome along with his Bishop Diego that he realized how terrible the heresy of Albigensians had grown, and how much he desired to save their souls.  With the permission of the Pope Innocent III, through the help of Bishop Diego, Dominic set about on his work to evangelize those fallen away from the Catholic church.

I love St. Dominic, his zeal and his love for the Church.  Today, his Order of Preachers extends throughout the world.  There are nuns in cloisters, active Sisters, monks, priests and Bishops who wear the precious habit of St. Dominic and carry out his mission, which is more than ever needed in today's world.

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