Who We Are / Order of Preachers

St. Dominic

What can be said about a man who lived so long ago yet continues to inspire so many? Who held together in his life so many contradictions, and whose vision penetrated so far into the future that even today we are still discovering implications? His is a fascinating story.

Dominic was a strong leader who attracted many friars to his work, yet did not covet the power that comes with leadership. He trusted his brother-companions in ways that stunned his contemporaries in the monastic life, sending them off to the universities when they were only a handful in number. “They won’t come back,” he was told. They did.

He had a vision of government that has stood the test of time, and today’s Dominican governing body, the Chapter, continues to convene periodically, electing leaders and setting directions for the work of the community. So well did he inspire his brothers that within 200 years of his death, the saying, “What touches the lives of all must be decided by all”, became their motto. At the first chapter, Dominic tried to resign as the leader, so much did he trust his brothers to govern themselves well. They wouldn’t allow it, and he bowed to their will.

Dominic suffered failure and long delays in his attempt to found an Order of Preachers. A lesser man would have given up. He dealt with political maneuvering in Rome that nearly scuttled an important letter of permission for the friars to preach everywhere. In another case, a Pope favorable to his cause died before his influence could be of assistance, and he had to begin again with his successor. Wars interrupted and destroyed thriving foundations of friars. And always there was the obstacle of distance between his infant convents of friars and nuns and Rome where he pleaded his case to give them legitimacy in the Church. He traveled on foot. In spite of all of this, by the time of his death, 500 friars had spread as far as Hungary, Denmark and England.

He held together throughout his life many contradictions, learning from setbacks how to be flexible and creative. His humility was a safeguard against ambition, and his pleasing personality and powerful preaching won many battles for him. Today, tens of thousands of friars and brothers, religious sisters, nuns, and associates call him “Father Dominic.” His legacy lives on.