Saint Dominic was born around 1170 in Caleruega, in the Kingdom of Castile in Spain. Educated first under the guidance of a priest-uncle, he later studied the arts and theology at Palencia before being ordained to the priesthood.
Dominic became a canon at the cathedral of Osma, joining a community of priests seeking to live a common life inspired by the early Christians described in the Acts of the Apostles. His life at this stage was centred on prayer, study and contemplation. He might well have remained within this quiet pattern of religious life had a journey with his bishop not changed its direction completely.
Travelling through southern France with Bishop Diego of Osma, Dominic encountered the Cathar movement, often referred to at the time as the Albigensian heresy, which had become particularly influential in the region of Languedoc.
Cathar teaching presented a profound challenge to the Christian understanding of creation. It was based upon a dualistic view of reality, seeing the spiritual world as good and the material world as evil. This led its followers to reject central Christian beliefs, including the Incarnation of Christ and the sacraments. Its most committed members lived lives of severe asceticism, and their apparent simplicity and self-denial attracted considerable admiration.
Dominic recognised that the Church’s efforts to respond were struggling partly because of the contrast between the austere lives of the Cathar preachers and the way some Catholic preachers travelled and lived.
His response was not simply to preach more loudly, but to preach differently.
Dominic and several companions began travelling on foot, embracing poverty and simplicity and preaching the Gospel through both their words and the witness of their lives. For around ten years, Dominic devoted himself to this missionary work, combining intense prayer and contemplation with active preaching.
Gradually, a community of preachers formed around him. In 1215, Dominic established a religious community at Toulouse which became the foundation of the Order of Preachers, better known today as the Dominicans. The Order received papal confirmation the following year.
At the heart of Dominic’s vision was the conviction that contemplation and active ministry should not be separated. Prayer, study and a deep relationship with God were to nourish the preacher, who would then share with others what had been received in contemplation.
This Dominican ideal would later be expressed in the phrase contemplata aliis tradere — to hand on to others the fruits of contemplation.
Saint Dominic spent the remainder of his life travelling, preaching and establishing communities of friars dedicated to this mission. He died in Bologna on 6 August 1221 and was canonised by Pope Gregory IX in 1234.
His legacy continues through the Dominican family throughout the world: a life rooted in prayer and study, but always directed towards proclaiming the truth of the Gospel to others.
