Who Are The Dominicans?
Dominic de Guzman was a 13th century Spanish priest who believed that preaching should make a connection between the Word of God (Scripture) and the world in which we live. Dominic founded the Order of Preachers (Dominicans), which today consists of friars, sisters, nuns and lay Dominicans and associates in over 100 countries around the world. All Dominicans base their lives on prayer, study, ministry and community, which they refer to as the four pillars of Dominican life.
Learn more about the Dominicans and Dominican Spirituality at www.domlife.org.
Fr. R. B. Williams, O.P.'s "Word to the Wise"
Please be sure to keep up with Fr. R. B.'s daily reflections on the scripture readings from each day at his website: http://www.rbwords.com/
Saint Catherine of Siena
Catherine Benincasa was born in Siena, Italy in 1347. At the age of 16 she became part of the mantellata, a group of lay Dominican women. She nursed the sick and spent many hours in prayer and meditation. Catherine was sought after for her spiritual advice and was quite vocal about the need for spiritual and political reform in the Church and in her native Italy. She was one of the first women to write in Italian and nearly 400 of her letters to bishops, kings and Popes survive. Her spiritual autobiography entitled The Dialogue is considered a classic of Western Spirituality.
She died in 1380 and April 29 is observed as her feastday.
A Note on Spelling of the Saint’s Name
The most common American spelling of the Saint’s name is with an “e;” Catherine. There are various stories about the origin of the spelling used by the College, St. Catharine with an “a,” but none of them can be confirmed for certain. It may have been characteristic in the region, as the historic church St. Catharine of Siena in Cincinnati uses the same spelling. St. Catharine College of Cambridge University uses the spelling, but in that case the Saint honored is Saint Catharine of Alexandria, martyred in 307 A.D. She was often called the Patron Saint of philosophy, science and learning. Another figure, the Dominican scholar Albertus Magnus is also referred to sometimes as the Patron Saint of science.
St. Catharine College Pin
Often times you will see St. Dominic pictured with a dog at his side. Almost always the dog will have a torch in his mouth. This comes from a story that is supposed to have happened during the time of Dominic’s Mother’s pregnancy. His Mother, Jane, had a dream and in the dream she saw a dog with a torch running across the world igniting everything that it touched……..it was setting the world on fire. Truth or myth, what we know is that Dominic had a passion to preach the truth of God’s mercy and love wherever people gathered.
The other symbol that is used in Christian art of Dominic is a star. This comes from the story that is told about his baptism. His godmother is said to have seen a bright star shining on Dominic’s forehead at the time of his baptism. The year 1931 refers to the year the college began.
All of these, the torch, the star and the date, are depicted on a shield. In the time of St. Dominic, in the 13th century, it was customary for a family to have a shield on which to display symbols that had meaning for that particular family. The shield is done in purple and gold, the official colors of St. Catharine College.
A child once said that a legend is ‘when the outside words might not be true but the inside words are true.’ So the inner truth of these myths or legends that Dominicans hold dear is that we are all called to spread the Word of God throughout the world so that it will bring light where there may be darkness and always, be receivers and givers of God’s mercy and love.
The Dominican Charism (pronounced care-ism)
For nearly 800 years the motto of the Dominican Order has been Contemplare et Contemplata Aliis Tradere. Translated from the Latin it means ‘to contemplate truth and share with others the fruits of this contemplation’. Concretely Dominicans identify four pillars: prayer, study, ministry and community, which are foundational to the mission of any Dominican school.
First Friday Conversations That Really Matter are typically held during the first Friday of each month from 1 until 2 pm on the St. Catharine College campus. Previous topics have included "How do I discern God's will for me in my life," "How might I define my own spiritual path," and "How might each of us continue to spread the fire that was originally set ablaze by St. Catharine of Siena?"
The next Conversation is scheduled for June 6.
Please contact Sr. Mary Louise Edwards at medwards@sccky.edu or Dr. Don Giles at dgiles@sccky.edu for more information.
