On the Feast of St. Dominic

St. Dominic de Guzman,
known as

St. Dominic of the Rosary,

Founder of the great Dominican Order

“One day, through the Rosary and the Scapular, Our Lady will save the world.”
~ St. Dominic de Guzman

Click to find...

* Life of St. Dominic from the Catholic Encyclopedia

* Sermon by St. Vincent Ferrer on the Feast of St. Dominic

* From St. Louis de Montfort in the Secret of the Rosary, on St. Dominic

* The Nine Ways of Prayer of St. Dominic

St. Dominic is the patron saint of astronomers, scientists, the Philippines, and the Dominican Republic.

Symbols of St. Dominic

Dog with Torch - According to the Golden Legend St. Dominic's mother while pregnant dreamed that she would give birth to a dog who would hold a torch in its mouth and would "burn the world." It has been suggested that the dog represents a pun on Dominicanus, the word for a Dominican friar, and domini canis, "dog of the Lord." At any rate, a dog is often shown at the saint's feet holding a torch in its mouth, as at left.

Star on Forehead - The Legend also relates that when St. Dominic was a baby his godmother saw a star on his forehead during the baptism, so another common attribute is a star either on the forehead or above the head (example).

Rosary - St. Dominic is commonly depicted carrying a rosary, having been the recipient of the sacramental from the hands of the Blessed Mother.

Lilies - Yet another attribute is a lily or stalk of lilies, referring to St. Dominic's notable chastity.

Book and Staff - Finally, we often see St. Dominic with a book and a staff, a reference to a vision recounted in the Golden Legend in which Peter and Paul give him these items and urge him to take them into the world and preach.

The words "Bury me under the feet of my brothers" - spoken by St Dominic at his death. - His friars had taken Dominic to a local Benedictine abbey, where they hoped he might rest more comfortably. Since death was approaching, the Benedictine superior intimated that he would be very pleased to bury Dominic in the abbey; the holy man would be given a prominent grave that would accommodate the numerous pilgrims who could be expected to visit his final resting place. When he caught wind of this, however, Dominic ordered his friars to take him home to their own priory. There, after his death, they were to place his body in an unmarked grave beneath the flooring of the house. “Bury me under the feet of my brothers,” he commanded them.

Appropriate for a coloring page, only for the size of a bookmark, perhaps, as the quality is not ideal for bigger.

A man who governs his passions is master of his world. We must either command them or be enslaved by them. It is better to be a hammer than an anvil.

-- St. Dominic de Guzman

Prayer to St. Dominic

O glorious Saint Dominic, thou who wast a model of mortification and purity, by punishing

thy innocent body with scourges, with fastings and with watchings, and by keeping inviolate the lily of thy virginity, obtain for us the grace to practice penance with a generous heart and to keep unspotted the purity of our bodies and our hearts.

Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory be.

O great Saint, who, inflamed with divine love, didst find thy delight in prayer and intimate union with God; obtain for us to be faithful in our daily prayers, to love our Lord ardently, and to observe His commandments with ever increasing fidelity.

Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory be.

O glorious Saint Dominic, who, being filled with zeal for the salvation of souls, didst preach the Gospel in season and out of season and didst establish the Order of Friars Preachers to labor for the conversion of heretics and poor sinners, pray thou to God for us, that He may grant us to love all our brethren sincerely and to cooperate always, by our prayers and good works, in their sanctification and eternal salvation.

Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory be.


V. Pray for us, Saint Dominic,
R. That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.

Let us pray:

Grant, we beseech Thee, Almighty God, that we who are weighed down by the burden of our sins may be raised up by the patronage of blessed Dominic Thy Confessor. Through Christ our Lord. Amen

(Indulgence of 300 days once a day)

But, the best prayer in honor of St. Dominic, bar none, is the rosary of the Blessed Virgin Mary!

Happy Name Day to all the Dominics out there, but especially to our own Dominic Alan!