Dominic, priest (1170–1221)

Biography

He studied Theology in Palencia and was named canon of the Church of Osma. With his preaching and exemplary life he successfully combated the Albigensian heresy. With his companions who joined him in this enterprise, he founded the Order of Preachers. The preaching brothers received enthusiastic acceptance among the people, and resistance among some members of the clergy, who saw the complete renunciation of the world of these men and the children of Saint Francis, as a constant reproach against their own way of living. Dominic sent his brothers in all directions: to Madrid, Paris, Rome, etc. with absolute confidence in the support of Divine Providence. The founding of sixty monasteries is the fruit of these four years: in Italy, Austria, Hungary and several Eastern countries. Of course, along with the growth in the number of new foundations and with the distance from the first monastery, efforts to quietly moderate the principle of poverty also grew. In the light of a constant interior renewal, the spirit of penitence shone in his life. Dominic used to remain kneeling for long hours before the Blessed Sacrament, while his brothers had already retired to rest, and he punished his exhausted body with rigorous disciplines for the sins of others. The effect that his sermons had and the power of his personality would have been impossible without that constant conversation with God. The saint's work was almost organized when Dominic died on August 6, 1221. Only thirteen years later he was canonized.