Category Archives: Dominican Saints

Dominican Saints, Faith, patron saints, Saint of the Day, Spirituality

Prayers, Quips and Quotes: St. Thomas Aquinas, Feast Day January 28

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St. Thomas Aquinas

Prayers, Quips and Quotes: St. Thomas Aquinas,

Feast Day January 28

The feast day of St. Thomas Aquinas is celebrated on Jan. 28.  He is the patron saint of students and universities and a Doctor of the Church.    He was ordained as a Dominican Priest.

St. Thomas was born in Roccasecca, Sicily in 1225. His parents were from Italian nobility. St. Thomas was well educated. He was raised in a Benedictine monastery at Monte Casino. He finished his studies at Naples.

Against his families wishes he joined the Dominicans, also known as the Order of Preachers and was ordained a priest.  His brothers followed careers in the military. In an attempt to end his desires to become a Dominican, his brothers hired a prostitute to seduce him. According to legend, two angels appeared to Thomas to strengthen him and increase his determination to remain celibate. He thus became known as the “Angelic Doctor”.

While he was still a student, St. Thomas was given the nickname “the dumb ox” due to his large size and silent nature. However, he was actually quite gifted and intelligent. He is considered one of the most influential theologians in the history of the Church.

After he was ordained a priest, Pope Urban IV called him to Rome where he was appointed to teach. St. Thomas turned down an offer from Pope Clement IV to be the Archbishop of Naples.

St. Thomas published many books. He also wrote many hymns which are still sung today. One of St. Thomas most famous works, Summas Theologica was never completed. He fell ill and died before he could finish it in 1274.

St. Thomas was declared a Doctor of the Church by Pope Pius V.   He is the patron saint of students and universities.

 

O Lord my God, make me submissive without protest,
poor without discouragement, chaste without regret,
patient without complaint, humble without posturing,
cheerful without frivolity, mature without gloom,
and quick witted without flippancy.

Quote of St. Thomas Aquinas

St. Thomas Aquinas

January is the Month of the Holy Name.

 

 

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Dominican Saints, Faith, Saint of the Day

Prayers, Quips and Quotes: St. Margaret of Hungary, Feast Day January 18

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St.Margaret of Hungary

 

St. Margaret of Hungary was the daughter of King Bela IV of Hungary. Her grandfather was the Byzantine emperor. Her parents pledged their child to God and Margaret was placed in a Dominican convent.

Her father arranged a marriage for her to King Ottokar II of Bohemia, but she refused to cooperate. At the age of 18 she took her vows as a Dominican Nun. She lived in the Convent of the Blessed Virgin on an island on the Danube.

St. Margaret  wanted no special treatment because of her noble birth. She performed the same work as the other nuns in the convent. St. Margaret spent many hours in prayer and fasting. She died before reaching the age of 30 in the year 1271. Many miracles of healing are attributed to her.

 

“Jesus,

whom I know as my redeemer,

cannot be less than God.”

St. Athanasius; Feast day May 2

 

January is the Month of the Holy Name

 

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Dominican Saints, Faith, patron saints, Saint of the Day

Prayers, Quips and Quotes: St. Raymond of Penyafort, Feast Day January 7

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St. Raymond of Penyafort

The feast day of St. Raymond is celebrated on January 7.  He is the patron saint of canon lawyers.

St. Raymond was born in Spain in 1174.  He was related to the King of Aragon. After becoming a well-known teacher, he decided to join the Order of Preachers, also known as the Dominicans.

Thousands of Muslims are believed to have been converted to Christianity by his influence. St. Raymond had a great devotion to the Blessed Virgin. He founded the Order of Our Lady of Ransom. The order devoted itself to helping Christians who had been captured by the Moors during the crusades.

St. Raymond compiled Church decisions and decrees for the Pope. His collection filled five books. He is the patron saint of canon lawyers.
For two years Raymond was the leader of the Dominicans. After he resigned the position, he devoted himself to what he loved most; praising God and preaching about him to the people.

St. Raymond died in the year 1275 at the age of 100.

 

“We can do no great things;

only small things with great love.”

Quote of St.Teresa of Calcutta; Feast day Sept. 5

January is the Month of the Holy Name

 

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Dominican, Dominican Saints, Martyr, Saint of the Day

Prayers, Quips and Quotes: St. John Alcober, Feast Day December 30

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Dominican Martyrs

The feast day of St. John Alcober is celebrated on December 30.  He was a Dominican Priest, a missionary to China and a Martyr of the Church.

St. John Alcober was born in Granada.in 1694.  He entered the Order of Preachers, also known as the Dominicans, in 1709. When marooned for a time on Lorca, he became popular there as a preacher. He reached China in 1728 where he was a missionary for sixteen years. His ministry was done in secret. St. John is considered one of the Martyrs of China.

He, along with Francis Serrano and Father Francis Diaz, was tortured to disclose the location of Bishop Pere Sans Jorda and Father Joachim Royo, who surrendered to stop the torture.

St. John Alcober, St. Francis Serrano, St. Joachim Royo, and St. Francis Diaz were all martyred on October 18, 1739.

 

“The prayer of a good innocent,

and obedient child is like dew

from heaven falling upon

his whole family.”

Quote of St. John XXIII; Feast Day October 11

 

December is the Month of the Divine Infancy

 

Dominican Saints, Faith, Martyr

Prayers, Quips and Quotes: St. Thomas De and Companions, Feast Day December 19

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Japanese Martyrs

 

The feast day of St. Thomas De and Companions is celebrated on December 19.

St. Thomas was a tailor in Vietnam who entered the Dominican Order as a tertiary.  He was arrested and charged with giving aid and shelter to foreign missionaries.  He was strangled at the age of 26.

The companions of St. Thomas De were Dominic Uy, Augustine Moi, Xavier May and Francis Man.

Augustine was also a Dominican tertiary.  He was a day laborer.  He refused to trample a crucifix when he was ordered to do so.  He was strangled.

Francis Xavier was a native catechist and was also strangled.

Francis Man was a Dominican Tertiary working as a catechist when arrested.

St. Thomas De and Companions were among the 117 Vietnamese martyrs canonized by Pope John Paul II in 1988.

“Faith lifts the staggering soul on one side;

Hope supports it on the other;

Experience says it must be

and Love says…Let it be.

Quote of St. Elizabeth Ann Seton;  Feast Day January 4

 

December is the Month of the Divine Infancy

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Doctor of the Church, Dominican, Dominican Saints, Faith, Saint of the Day

Prayers, Quips and Quotes: St. Albert the Great, Feast Day Nov. 15

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St. Albert the Great
St. Albert the Great

The feast day of St. Albert the Great is celebrated on November 15.  He is the patron saint of scientists and philosophers.

St. Albert the Great was born in Germany.   After experiencing an encounter with the Virgin Mary he was inspired to join the Dominican Order also known as the Order of Preachers.

St. Albert was well educated and respected for his knowledge of science and theology, He received his doctorate from the University of Paris in 1245.  He studied and commented on the works of Aristotle.   Eventually, he became a professor of theology the the University of Paris. He became bishop of Regenburg in 1260. Because he refused to ride a horse and traveled entirely by foot he became known as “boots the bishop”). St. Thomas Aquinas was one of his students, later becoming a good friend.

St. Albert was a prolific writer. His writings are compiled in 38 volumes. He wrote about many subjects including philosophy, geography, astronomy, law and love.

St. Albert became well known as a mediator of disputes.  He became ill and died on November 15, 1280.

St. Albert was canonized by Pope Pius XI in 1931 and declared a Doctor of the Church.

Three years after his death his body was discovered to be incorrupt.  However, when his grave was opened centuries later, only a skeleton was found.  His relics are found in St. Andreas Church in Cologne.

 

It is by the path of love, which is charity,

that God draws near to man, and man to God.

But where charity is not found, God cannot dwell.

If, then, we possess charity, we possess God,

for God is Charity.

Quote of St. Albert the Great

 

November is the Month of the Holy Souls

 

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