Dominican Saints
The Order of St Dominic is a path that has been followed by countless Dominicans throughout the 800 years and in every continent. The Order has more than seventy canonised saints and two hundred blessed. Some of our saints in whose footsteps we follow as members of the Order of Preachers include St Thomas Aquinas, St Catherine of Siena and Fra Angelico.
St. Catherine of Siena
Born in Siena in 1347, Catherine was the twenty third of twenty five children. Catherine realised at a very young age, God’s call to give herself totally to him. Having known the Dominican Friars from childhood, she herself felt drawn to the Dominican life. At the age of 16 or 17 she joined a group of Dominican laywomen who lived in their homes while dedicating their lives to prayer and active works of charity. Though Catherine’s family at first, opposed her wishes and the sisters… Read More
St. Dominic
The Dominican tradition has its origin in the life and ministry of St Dominic de Guzman (1172-1221). His charismatic vision of a way of responding to the needs of the Church in the thirteenth century led to the establishment of the Order of Preachers, popularly known as the Dominicans. St Dominic completed his theological studies at Palencia in 1196 and became a Canon Regular, a member of a community of priests following the Rule of St Augustine… Read More
St. Thomas Aquinas
The study and teaching of St Thomas Aquinas have been a priceless gift to the Church. Born in Naples in 1225, Thomas was a son of Italian nobility. While a student at the University of Naples, Thomas met the Dominican Friars and received the habit. Thomas’ family, preferring him to have the powerful position of abbot of the Benedictine Abbey of Monte Cassino, rather than the life of a begging friar in a humble new order, kidnapped and imprisoned him until he would change his mind…Read More
Fra Angelico
John of Fiesole, known as Fra Angelico was a Dominican painter in the mid fifteenth century, known for the beauty of his paintings and the holiness of his priestly life. Given the name Guido at baptism this saint was born in Florence, at the end of the fourteenth century. Having entered the Dominican convent in Fiesole, he was given the name Brother Giovanni. After ordination, he held various responsibilities, one of which was the prior of the convent in Fiesole… Read More
St. Agnes of Montepulciano
The Dominican story begins in the early years of the 13th century. It goes back to a preacher and a dream. The preacher was Dominic Guzman from Spain, and the dream was to be a follower of Jesus Christ by preaching the good news of salvation. To this end, Dominic started a preaching movement in southern France where he saw many people lost in untruth as a result of the Cathar (Albigensian) heresy. Among the first people to join him were some women whom he had converted… Read More
Juan Macias was born to a very poor family in Spain in 1585. Orphaned when he was four, he and his younger sister were brought up by an uncle who hired out Juan as a shepherd when he was still a child. In the time spent with his sheep, he developed a love for the rosary. A casual meeting with a Dominican friar sowed a tiny seed of a wild idea that he might one day be a Dominican. A more prosperous farmer for whom he worked must have seen possibilities in the young man because… Read More