ST.

DOMINIC GUZMAN, 800 YEARS DEAD; ALIVE AND PREACHING

by fr. Carmen Mele, O.P.

Twelve years after St. Dominic Guzman died in 1221, there was need to move his bones from their original tomb. The
friars who bear his name grew anxious when the appointed day for the “translation” approached. After St. Francis of
Assisi and St. Anthony of Padua were canonized within two years of their respective deaths, they were hoping the
Dominic’s veneration would soon be realized. They feared, however, repercussions if the exhumation of Dominic’s
corpse indicated foulness. Not only might Dominic’s cause for canonization have been stifled, but also the friars’
preaching might have been discredited.

The tomb was opened during a midnight ceremony. The Dominican Order’s procurator (head of temporal affairs) had
the honor of breaking through the cement vault and then removing the stones sealing the casket. When he did, a sweet,
pungent fragrance emerged from a small hole in the lid. All those who gathered – Church officials, townspeople as well
as Dominican friars – were overwhelmed. With a legacy of apostolic vigor, intense holiness, and miracles, the bouquet
clinched declaration of Dominic’s sanctity. Pope Gregory IX gave the official proclamation the following year.

The events surrounding Dominic’s canonization do not present the only instance of Dominican near envy of St. Francis’
legacy. We see “Il poverello” recognized as a universal saint and “another Christ” while Dominic is known, mostly by
historians, as a “vir ecclesiasticus,” a “man of the Church.” We note that Francis wrote extensive verse that is frequently
cited today while the only script from Dominic’s hand is a brief admonition he made to nuns. We watch no premiere
movies of our founder like Franco Zefirelli’s Brother Sun and Sister Moon featuring St. Francis. (However, in the 1960s a
sprightly French ballad about Dominic’s preaching did top record charts around the world!). We have yet to see a pope
call himself “Dominic.”

At times Dominicans have tried to match Francis' accomplishments with Dominic’s. Twenty years ago, Italian
Dominicans published cassette tapes of the “Fioretti” (little flowers, i.e., legends) of St. Dominic in imitation of the
famous “Fioretti di San Francesco.” But for the most part we have found consolation in another way. Dominic
possessed a unique array of qualities that not only bespeak greatness but have enabled us to become better preachers.
These characteristics fill us with both awe and gratitude that we have followed in his footsteps. We gladly call Francis,
like Dominic, “holy Father,” but we see in Dominic the quintessence for our way of life.

Dominic’s most characteristic quality was assuredly love of Christ. He normally spent the night uniting himself to Christ
in prayer, sometimes being found on the chapel floor as friars filed in for morning prayer. Much of that time was given
to meditation on the Savior’s preaching the ever-gracious Kingdom of God and its call to conversion. When Dominic
rose to begin the day, he united himself to Christ again by echoing his message. Walking barefoot, begging for bread,
and calling others to preach, he imitated Christ’s abandonment to Divine Providence.

Dominic’s care for others complimented his love of Christ. He loved people not simply because of Christ’s command or
because he saw Christ in them but from a natural compassion. As a schoolboy, he sold his parchments to buy food for
the hungry during a famine. Later, he offered to sell himself into slavery to ransom a prisoner.

Dominic’s concern for others ran deeper than meeting their material needs. He worried about their eternal salvation.
When he prayed at night, he could be heard asking, “God, what will become of sinners?” Once he spent a night
debating with an innkeeper who had fallen under the influence of the purist, Albigensian sect. By daylight, with his
mastery of argument and dominance of the gospels, Dominic convinced the man of the truth of Catholic teaching.

Dominic was truly a man of the Church. He saw himself as an apostle trained by the Master himself. (He always carried
either the Gospel of Matthew or the Letters of Paul with him.) He also felt part of the primitive apostolic community
whose daunting task was to preach the gospel to the world.

As a young priest he accompanied Diego, bishop of Osma in Spain, on an ecclesiastical mission to Denmark. When they
passed through southern France where the puritanical sect held the Church in contempt for its possessions, their hearts
hung heavy with compassion. They were saddened that scandal was depriving the people of Christ’s presence in the
sacraments. When they arrived in Scandinavia, they dreamed of venturing on into the pagan lands to the east to preach
the gospel. Gradually, Dominic’s vision became clear. He would start an order of preachers (the “Order of Friars
Preachers” is the official name of the Dominicans) who would win the minds of people with sound doctrine and their
hearts with absolute simplicity of lifestyle.

Besides having an appreciation for theology and a passion for preaching, Dominic possessed a genius for organization.
He did not author any books, but he did bequeath to his Dominican brothers a basic constitution that has served well for
eight hundred years. Because of its clarity and flexibility, the Dominicans have endured the upheavals of the centuries.
When other orders have splintered, Dominican friars have remained united. The Dominican constitution calls for
democratic election of superiors who become priors, the first among equal brothers. Whether from an egalitarianism or
simple humility, Dominic eschewed the title “abbot” and insisted being called Brother Dominic. Hence Dominicans are
“friars,” derived from the Latin word for brothers.

Both his concern for doctrine and his sense of organization led Dominic to send his friars to cities with great universities.
Paris, Bologna, and Oxford were sites of early Dominican communities. In short order Dominican friars became masters
of philosophy and theology. The order’s identification with these studies has created an impression that its friars are
overly intellectual. No doubt, some of us have become vain about intellectual achievement. A few might consider
themselves more as sons of Thomas Aquinas than of Dominic. Yet the Order has propagated saints esteemed for charity
like St. Martin de Porres and St. Rose of Lima.

As a final quality creating esteem among Dominicans, Dominic was known for his joyfulness. He was a happy, affable
human being. His successor as Master of the Order, Bl. Jordan of Saxony, wrote that he dedicated his nights praying to
God and his days sharing God’s mercy. Jordan continued by describing the effect of this binary operation: “All men were
swept into the embrace of his charity, and, in loving all, he was beloved by all.” (It is worth noting that Dominicans do
not use the term “general” for their major superior as if the order were an army but “master” (i.e., teacher) because we
see ourselves as perpetual students.)

It has been said that the accomplishments of Dominic’s followers have often been attributed to him. Nowhere is this
truer than in the legend that he received the rosary from the Virgin Mary. Without factual record of that occurrence,
Dominicans cannot give it historical credibility. But there is no shortage of testament to Dominicans promoting the
rosary. The Dominican friar Alain de la Roche originally divided the saying of 150 “Hail Marys” (the number of the
Psalms in Scripture) into three groups commemorating the divine mysteries of Jesus’ birth, death, and glorification. A
hundred years later in 1569, Pope St. Pius V, a Dominican, bestowed on the order the unique privilege of forming rosary
confraternities.

As noted, Dominic had an appreciation for study and the intellectual life. His legacy attracted to the Order a young man
in southern Italy named Thomas Aquinas. Thomas had the intellectual acumen and family prominence to become abbot
of the magnificent Benedictine monastery at Monte Cassino. But he desired to become a Dominican and had to
withstand considerable family pressure in that pursuit. His desire was likely kindled by more than the opportunity to
study. He also wanted to preach. As the Dominican motto prescribes, Thomas wanted to “contemplate and to hand
down to others the fruits of contemplation.” Another factor in Thomas’ decision to follow Dominic was the latter’s
option for radical poverty. Thomas later wrote that the foremost lesson of the crucified Christ is poverty.

Dominic did not intend the Order to be an all-male association. Before he received a papal charter for his friars, he
established a monastery of nuns. The women had come back to the Church after following the Albigensian heresy.
Rejected by their families, they looked to Dominic for support. Today there are nearly 200 Dominican monasteries
around the world with more than 2000 nuns praying for the friars’ preaching.

Nuns live in a cloistered monastery. Dominican sisters normally reside in convents, belong to autonomous
congregations, and serve in active ministries. Dominican tertiaries or lay Dominicans are men and women, married and
single, living a Dominican spirituality based on prayer, study, ministry, and community. They form the largest branch of
the Order and can also claim some of its most prestigious members. The incomparable Catherine of Siena, patroness of
Italy and Europe, was a tertiary although she wore a habit, much like her predecessor, the recently canonized Margaret
of Castello. Pier Giorgio Frassati lived in the first quarter of the twentieth century when he distinguished himself as a
social activist, patron of the poor, and mountaineer. Beatified in 1990, Pier Giorgio has been extolled as a model for
youth.

Inspired by their patron, Dominicans have long served both Church and society. Outstanding examples can be found in
each of the eight centuries since the Order’s foundation. In 1958, Fr. Dominque Pire, O.P., was awarded the Nobel Peace
Prize. I will conclude by dwelling on three whose achievements have been more recently acknowledged.

The Second Vatican Council looms as the most significant event for the Church in the modern era. It returned the Church
to its sources in Scripture and liturgy while broadening the path toward reconciliation with other Christian communities.
Many prelates steered the course from the tired ideas advanced in its preparation to a robust platform of renewal. But
no theologian played a more influential role in the development of conciliar doctrine than Dominican friar Yves Congar.

Ten years before the council, Yves was censured by Pope Pius XII for the revelations his scholarship produced. However,
at the expressed wish of Pope St. John XXIII he was invited to participate in council planning. During the council he
contributed significantly to the documents on the Church, ecumenism, revelation, missions, the priesthood, and the
Church in the modern world! Afterwards, Pope St. John Paul II recognized his accomplishments by awarding him a red
hat.

In 1983 Albert Nolan of South Africa was elected to succeed St. Dominic as Master of the Order. However, he refused to
accept the office because it meant leaving his country at the most crucial juncture in its history. Through most of the
twentieth century South Africa existed as a de jure aristocracy with minority Whites holding political power. In the
1970s and 1980s resistance was building inside the country by the African National Congress under Nelson Mandela.
Meanwhile, democracy was being promoted by theologians and preachers among whom Albert Nolan figured
substantially.

Albert is credited with having a major hand in the Kairos Document which gave a biblical and theological basis for
liberation. Receiving international attention, the document stimulated support for economic sanctions against the
White government. In 1990 the government, bowing to both domestic and international pressure, planned democratic
elections. The resultant Black government recognized Albert’s role by awarding him silver membership in the Order of
Luthuli – a distinction rarely bestowed on a White.

St. Dominic wore a beard because he wanted to become a missionary. He formed his friars to be an apostolic, i.e., a
missionary order. Few friars have fulfilled this role as valiantly as Pierre Claverie of Algeria. Ironically, Pierre had been
born and raised in the country where he later missioned. He lived the first part of his life as a colonist rather oblivious to
the Muslim majority. After university studies and joining the Dominicans in France, Pierre returned to Algeria. By then
the country had gained independence and experienced the exodus of French nationals.

Only after his return from France did Pierre learn Arabic and study the country’s dominant culture. Known for
promoting cross-cultural understanding, he was ordained bishop of Oran. When a civil war broke out in the country, the
remnant French population was targeted. Pierre braved much of the storm but was assassinated in 1996. John Paul II
declared him a martyr, and Pope Francis has beatified him. At his funeral the cathedral was filled with Muslim devotees.
“He was our bishop too,” they cried.

On his deathbed Dominic told his brothers that he would be of more use to them dead than alive. He meant that he
would pray for them in heaven. The friars did not want him to leave them, but after 800 years we see how effective his
prayers have been.