Saint Dominic was born in Spain on August 8, 1170, and he died on August 6, 1221. He was named after Saint Dominic of Silos. In the earliest narrative source, by Jordan of Saxony, the parents of Saint Dominic are not named. His parents struggled to have children, and his mother had a religious vision saying she would have a baby.  A later source of the 13th century gives Saint Dominic’s parents’ names as Juana and Felix. Dominic’s mother, Joan of Aza, was beatified by Pope Leo XII in 1829. His older brother, Manés, was also beatified by Pope Gregory XVI in 1834. Saint Domic’s mother and brother were saints. Could he possibly not have been a saint?

Saint Dominic Biography

When he was 14 years old, Saint Dominic was sent to the Premonstratensian monastery of Santa María de La Vid and then transferred for further studies in the schools of Palencia. In Palencia, he devoted six years to the arts and four to theology. In 1191, when Spain was hit by famine, he was just a young man. He gave away his money and sold his clothes, furniture, and even precious manuscripts to feed the hungry. Dominic reportedly told his fellow students, “Would you have me study off these dead skins when men are dying of hunger?” That astonished them.

When he was 24 years old, Saint Dominic was ordained as a priest and joined the canonry of the Cathedral of Osma. In 1198, Don Martin de Bazan, the Bishop of Osma, having reformed the chapter, made Dominic the subprior of the chapter. Diego de Acebo succeeded Bazan as Bishop of Osma in 1201. In 1203 or 1204, Dominic accompanied Diego on a diplomatic mission for Alfonso VIII, King of Castile, to secure a bride in Denmark for crown prince Ferdinand.

Based on a Dominican tradition, in 1208 Saint Dominic experienced a vision of the Blessed Virgin Mary in the church at Prouille, during which she gave him a rosary. This gave rise to the title Our Lady of the Rosary. In 1215, Dominic, with six followers, moved into a house given to them by Peter Seila of Toulouse. There, he saw the need for a new type of organization to address the spiritual needs of the growing cities of the era, one that would combine dedication and systematic education, with more organizational flexibility than either monastic orders or the secular clergy.

1215 was the year of the Fourth Lateran Council. Saint Dominic went to Rome to secure the approval of Pope Innocent III to found his new order. He was granted written authority in December 1216 by the new pope, Honorius III, for him to form the Order of Preachers. In the winter of 1216–1217, at the house of Ugolino de’ Conti, Dominic first met William of Montferrat, who joined Dominic as a friar in the Order of Preachers and remained a close friend.

Saint Dominic died at the age of 51, exhausted with the austerities and labors of his career. He had reached Bologna, Italy, “weary and sick with a fever.” He lay on some sacking stretched upon the ground, and the brief time that remained to him was spent in exhorting his followers to have charity, to guard their humility, and to make their treasure out of poverty. He died at noon on August 6, 1221.

Saint Dominic Veneration

The feast of Saint Dominic is celebrated with great pomp and devotion in Malta. The Arca di San Domenico is a shrine containing the remains of Saint Dominic, located in the Basilica of San Domenico in Bologna. The following dates are all feasts dedicated to Saint Dominic observed by Catholics:

25 January – commemoration of the translation of relics to the Church
15 February – commemoration of the skull translation (1383)
24 May – commemoration of the first translation (1233)
5 June – commemoration of the second translation (1267)
3 July – commemoration of canonization anniversary (1234)
3 August – main commemoration (Australia)
4 August – commemoration by (Traditional Roman Catholics)
6 August – commemoration of the death anniversary
7 August – main commemoration (Diocese of Sosnowiec)
8 August – main commemoration
15 September – commemoration of the apparition of Saint Dominic in Soriano
25 September – commemoration of the apparition of Saint Dominic in Soriaano
11 November – commemoration of the third translation

Conclusion

The Dominicans are a famous religious order now with 5,747 Dominican friars, including 4,299 priests. The order is headed by the master of the order, who, as of 2022, is Gerard Timoner III. They most likely know the history of Saint Dominic; you should as well. There is a good chance one of the priests in your parish is Dominican.