Saint Dominic, OP

Today in Philippine History (Philatelic Edition Series 3):

AUGUST 8, 1170

Saint Dominic, OP (Santo Domingo in Spanish), also known as Dominic de Guzman, was a Catholic priest who founded the Dominican Order. He is the patron saint of astronomers and natural scientists. 

St. Dominic was born in Caleruega, Kingdom of Castile, Spain on August 8, 1170. A priest-uncle trained him for the priesthood where he studied the arts and theology. He became a canon of the cathedral at Osma. 

When he journeyed France with a bishop, he came face to face with the Albigensian heresy at Languedoc. He felt the need for the Church to combat this heresy so he asked to be commissioned to be part of the preaching crusade against it. 

He later realized why the preaching crusade failed. The common people admired and followed the ascetical heroes of the Albigenses. They saw how the Catholic preachers traveled in horses and retinues, and stayed at the best inns, dined with the best food, and had servants. 

Together with three Cistercians, Dominic started preaching using the ideals of the gospel. He worked for 10 years and was successful with the ordinary people but not with the leaders. 

Soon, his fellow preachers became a community, and in the year 1215 Dominic founded a religious house at Toulouse. It was the beginning of the Order of Preachers or Dominicans. 

Dominic’s Order, was to organically link a life with God, study, and prayer in all forms, with a ministry of salvation to people by the word of God. His ideal: contemplata tradere: “to pass on the fruits of contemplation” or “to speak only of God or with God.” 

Dominic died in Bologna on August 6, 1221. He was canonized by Pope Gregory IX on July 13, 1234. 

Domingo de Salazar was the first Dominican to arrive in the Philippines as Bishop of Manila (1578-1594). The Domican Order arrived in the Philippines on July 22, 1587. 

(Design, concept, stamps and research: Richard Allan B. Uy) All rights reserved

Photo credit: wikipedia.org