Saint Dominic

"A man who governs his passions is master of the world. We must either rule them, or be ruled by them. It is better to be the hammer than the anvil."
- Saint Dominic (1170 - 1221)

Today is the feast day of Saint Dominic. Dominic was born in Castile, Spain in 1170 to devout Catholic parents. As a boy he was trained for the priesthood by his uncle who was a priest. When he got older, Dominic studied at the University of Palencia and was probably ordained there. In 1199, Dominic was appointed canon at Osma. On a journey with his bishop to France in 1203, Dominic preached against the Albigensians, a heretical group that believed that all matter was evil, and helped reform the Cistercians.  In 1208, a papal legate was murdered by the Albigensians and Pope Innocent III launched a crusade against them which lasted for seven years. Dominic followed behind the army and tried to convert the Albigensians, but this was not very successful. In 1214, Dominic and six others founded an order that was to be devoted to the conversion of the Albigensians. This order is known today as the Order of the Preachers or the Dominicans. The order was approved by the bishop of Toulouse in 1215, but was not approved by the pope until 1216. In the last years of his life, Dominic organized the order, traveled all over Italy, France, and Spain preaching and establishing new houses. The order was extremely successful because of the way that Dominic linked prayer, study, and ministry together. In 1220, Dominic convoked the first general council for the order in Bologna. The following year, Dominic became sick and was forced to return to Bologna from preaching in Hungary due to illness. Dominic died in Bologna, Italy on August 6, 1221. He was canonized in 1234, and is the patron saint of astronomers.  


Saint Dominic, pray for us!
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Quote, Picture, and Information About Saint Dominic Taken From:
http://historymedren.about.com/od/quotes/fl/Saint-Dominic-Quotations.htm

http://saints.sqpn.com/saint-dominic-de-guzman-gallery/

http://www.americancatholic.org/features/saints/saint.aspx?id=1101

http://www.catholic.org/saints/saint.php?saint_id=178