Dominican Saints and Blesseds

Giovanni Battista Tiepolo. The Virgin Appearing to Dominican Saints (detail). Wikimedia Commons, commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Giovanni_Battista_Tiepolo_-The_Virgin_Appearing_to_Dominican_Saints(detail)_-_WGA22283.jpg.

ST. DOMINIC – St. Dominic was a Castillian priest and canon, who was born in 1170.  While on a mission with his bishop, Diego, he encountered Cathar heretics. Dominic and Bishop Diego started a mission in the south of France to convert them back to the Church.  In 1215, Dominic sought approval of Pope Innocent III to formally start a religious order dedicated to preaching against heresy.  He dedicated his remaining years to helping administer and grow his nascent order.  He died on August 6, 1221 and was canonized in 1234.

ST ALBERT THE GREAT – Albert was born somewhere around the year 1197 in Bavaria.  He was educated at the University of Padua and joined the Dominican Order in the 1220’s.  He would later teach at the University of Paris, where he found his most famous student, St. Thomas Aquinas.  He briefly served as a bishop and was then charged with preaching the Eighth Crusade. He was a scientist, philosopher, theologian, writer, and diplomat.  He died in 1280, beatified in 1622, and canonized in 1931.

ST THOMAS AQUINAS – Thomas was born in 1225 in Sicily. He began studies in Naples.  There, he was introduced to the Dominicans and decided to join them. His family resisted, and he was imprisoned by them for almost a year, until he escaped.  After joining the Dominicans, he went to Paris and studied under St. Albert.  His classmates called him “dumb ox” because he didn’t say much, but he would become a gifted theologian and wrote many important works, including the Summa Theologiae.  A mystical vision shortly before his death caused him to stop writing more, saying that all he had written seemed as if straw.  He died March 7, 1274 was canonized in 1323, and declared a doctor of the church in 1567.

ST. CATHERINE OF SIENA – Catherine was born in 1347 in Siena.  She dedicated her life to God at an early age, having received numerous mystical visions from an early age.  Her parents’ wanted her to marry, but she resisted, eventually becoming a Dominican tertiary, continuing to live at home though she never married.  She experienced a “mystical marriage” to Jesus, and devoted herself to acts of charity around Siena.  She would later travel parts of Italy, advocating for clergy reform and had dictated many letters (Catherine herself was illiterate).  She also received the Stigmata. She also served as a diplomat.  She died on April 29, 1380, was canonized in 1461, and named a doctor of the Church in 1970.

ST. MARTIN DE PORRES – Martin was born in 1579 in Peru, the illegitimate son of a Spanish noble and a freed slave.  He was apprenticed to a barber-surgeon after his mother was unable to support him.  While under Peruvian law he couldn’t formally join a religious order, he was eventually allowed to take vows in the Third Order and later became a lay brother.  He became well known for his works among the poor and later a healer at an infirmary.  He was known to have performed several miraculous cures.  He died on November 3, 1639 and was canonized in 1962.

ST. ROSE OF LIMA – Rose was born in Peru in 1586.  Growing up, she began fasting and abstaining from meat at a young age and rejected all suitors.  Her father gave her a room in the house, which she rarely left, except to attend church.  Forbidden by her father from becoming a nun, she entered the Third Order and slept only a couple hours a night to better devote herself to prayer.  She also sold lace and embroidery to the poor. She died on August 24, 1617 and was canonized in 1671.

ST PIER GIORGIO FRASSATI – The Order’s newest saint, Pier was born in 1901 in Turin.  From a young age, he showed a generosity to help others, including giving his shoes to a mother and child who showed up to his family’s house begging. He had a fondness for practical jokes and was dedicated to social action, including opposing fascism. He entered the Third Order in 1922.  He developed a reputation and a mountaineer and athlete. He died of tuberculosis on July 4, 1925, was beatified in 1990, and his canonization is scheduled for September 7, 2025.

What is the Charism of a Lay Dominican?

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“Be who God meant you to be, and you will set the world on fire.” 

- St. Catherine of Siena, Lay Dominican and Doctor of the Church 

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The Dominican Order rests on a foundation over eight centuries old, anchored in the Sacred Tradition of our Church and our shared spiritual life. 

1. Prayer 

To pray is to commune with God through the Holy Spirit. For Dominicans, this includes the Liturgy of the Hours and a deep devotion to our Mother Mary through the Rosary. Prayer guides us back to what is Holy. 

2. Study 

We believe we are called to lifelong learning: of Scripture, theology, Church teachings, and more. We study through books, media, and discussions - not simply on an academic level, but to grow closer to God and take what we learned back to our community. Our studies prepare us to pass on the Gospel not in fear or ignorance, but in clarity and love. 

3. Community 

Our humanity has a universal need for community and connection. This need is honored as Lay Dominicans when we gather monthly and for special occasions to pray, learn, and grow in our faith together in a supportive environment. In these gatherings, you can find diversity in background, culture, education, and family dynamics - but also a shared joy for charity and community. We encourage each other through the seasons of life, walking together in a path we strive towards Christ. 

4. Preaching 

Every Dominican is a preacher - but how do we define it? Preaching isn’t only from an altar or through a homily. It can also be through a life of service, or in parish ministry, or teaching, etc. Or simply being ready to answer when we are genuinely asked, “What do you believe?” 

“Preach the Gospel at all times, and if necessary, use words.”

- commonly attributed to St. Francis of Assisi 

So how do we live out these pillars, as charisms, as Lay Dominicans? 

We walk with one foot in the Order and one foot in the everyday world - as singles, married people, parents, professionals. We live a Dominican spirituality but within an ever-changing society. 

We support each other in local chapters, like our Holy Rosary Chapter in the Province of St. Albert the Great, not just during monthly gatherings, but through the actions of daily life: when we implement the four pillars, with our charisms, in our community - we are choosing love and mercy. We recognize the inherent dignity of every person we come across as an opportunity to be instruments of Jesus’ love by seeing Him in our fellow creations. 

Jesus once said: 

“Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and not feed you, or thirsty and not give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and not invite you in, or needing clothes and not clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and not go to visit you?’ 

And he will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.’” - Matthew 25:44-45 

We believe that to be Dominican is to serve with intention - and that service can be through various forms, depending on your vocation and the charisms the Holy Spirit has given you. But no matter what, at the root, is: 

Truth spoken with love. 

To love God through loving others. 

And to remember that God does not call the qualified - He qualifies the called.

By Katharina Locke

How Do I Become a Lay Dominican?

Called by the Holy Spirit, many seek to become a Lay Dominican, so that they can follow the examples of Saint Dominic, Saint Catherine of Sienna, and many other Dominican saints. Many seek to live lives of contemplation and mission, informed by the spiritual tradition of the Dominican Order. Still more seek out the Dominican Laity for community, accountability, and obedience to a Rule that orients you toward virtue, the proclamation of truth, the defense of justice and freedom, and the proclamation of the Gospel for the salvation of souls. The process to become a Lay Dominican takes years to complete. Here's the typical process:

Initial Steps:

• Contact a local Dominican Lay Fraternity.

• Attend a few meetings and events to learn about Dominican spirituality and charism.

• Meet with current members and/or the religious assistant (usually a Dominican friar).

• Once you have completed these initial steps, you will be invited to Formation.

Formation Period: The formation typically involves several stages over 4-5 years:

• Inquiry Formation - A six month period of formation in preparation for Reception that includes learning about St Dominic and the Four Pillars of Dominican Life. At Reception, you formally and publicly enter into the Order and Fraternity, receive the White Scapular, and assume a Dominican patron saint. At this point, you are only making a commitment to participating in formation. You can discern out at any time.

• Candidacy Formation - A one year period of formation in preparation for making First Profession, including learning about the Rule, Dominican history, spirituality, and practices. At First Profession, also called Temporary Profession, you formally and publicly make a promise to follow the Rule of the Lay Fraternities of Saint Dominic for three years. 

Temporary Profession Formation - A three year period of formation where you undertake a deeper study of Dominican saints, theology, and Dominican Spirituality in preparation for making Perpetual Profession. At Perpetual Profession, sometimes called Final Profession, you formally and publicly make a promise to follow the Rule of the Lay Fraternities of Saint Dominic for the rest of your life.