DOMINICANS
The history of the Order of Preachers
Saint Dominic was born in 1170. In his youth, he was educated by an uncle who was a priest. He then studied the arts and theology in Palencia.
From 1203 to 1204, he embarked on a diplomatic mission in northern Europe with Diego de Acebes (Bishop of Osma). During this trip, he discovered the pagan heresies occurring in the South of France. In 1206 during a second trip to Northern Europe, Diego and Dominic decided to stay in southern France to preach in poverty. He founded a long-term mission in Languedoc, in the south of France at the end of 1206.
In 1215, the group moved to Toulouse and adopted the rules of Saint Augustine. This was the creation of the order of preachers. In 1217, Saint Dominic dispersed the group of friars to preach in Spain, France and Italy. During the first years, the order organised itself and created provinces.
Saint Dominic died in 1221 in Bologna.
He was canonised by Pope Gregory IX in 1234.
The friars are also called Dominicans after Saint Dominic.
Saint Dominic initiated an original and difficult way of life that intimately combines presence with God and presence with people to evangelize. According to him, preachers must live in poverty, walk on foot and proclaim the Word as simply as possible, in a lively way, with patience and competence.
This lifestyle can be resumed in three elements :
– Living in community in convents living together the rhythm of the liturgy
– By their vow of obedience, they undertake to obey their superiors
– Evangelization, since convents are most often located in big cities so as to be close to the population. Thus, their primary mission is to preach. The latter can take many forms: the «classical» preaching found at Mass, the study of theology, philosophy and teaching, but also the chaplaincies and the media.
The Dominican knows that one does not understand if one does not love. Thus, to proclaim the Gospel, one must first open one’s heart. This is the path of holiness proper to the Dominicans.
The Dominican spirituality is composed of four pillars: prayer, study, community, and preaching.
St Dominic made study an essential part of the Holy preaching. Dominicans study to better understand the revelation of God through scripture, tradition and through the natural world.
Dominicans center their lives on Jesus Christ. Every day, they attend the holy mass and the liturgy of the hours. The Dominican way of life is a balance between contemplation and activity.
Dominicans live in communities, not just sharing a roof but living as brothers. Dominican community life is a place where simplicity is lived.
Finally, the Dominicans serve the church by preaching the name of Jesus Christ. Pope Honorius III authorized the order of preachers to preach everywhere from the beginning.