Dominican Order

• Motto: Laudare, Benediceere, Praedicare ("To Praise, To Bless, To Preach")

• Formation: 1215
• Founder: Dominic, who was canonized as St. Dominic in 1234 CE

The Dominican Order is one of the orders of the Roman Catholic Church. It was founded in 1215 by Dominic, a priest of the Spanish diocese of Osma. Dominic established the Order, one of the oldest and largest in the Roman Catholic Church, to stop heresy. The order later played a key role, along with the Jesuits, in the investigation and prosecution of heretics during the Inquisition, which was started in 1208 by Pope Innocent to combat heresy. Yet neither the Dominicans nor the Jesuits used military force and destruction to achieve their ends.

Initially, the Order's primary task was to stop the spread of Catharism, which was a religious sect in the Languedoc region of France. The beliefs of Catharists were considered heretical and went against the beliefs and teachings of the Roman Catholic Church.

History

In the thirteenth century, medieval Christianity was unable to provide support and a model for Christian values and Christian life in parts of Western Europe, notably southern France and Italy. Some believers could not relate to the lavish lifestyle of the Church's clergy and sought a more simple way of life. At the same time, an old medieval way of thinking, which rejected the traditional doctrines of the medieval Church, resurfaced. Its followers were called the Manichees, or Albigensians. The Christian Church viewed these people as heretics.

During this time, the priest Dominic was on a mission with a bishop to convert the Albigensians of southern France. He founded a convent where some of the converts could live and preach. He also adopted a life of poverty so that the Albigensians would see that, in contrast to some of the Christian clergy, he lived simply and not lavishly. His embrace of a life of poverty inspired a Dominican vow that all later adherents to the Order adopted. In 1215 Dominic received approval from a local bishop to establish the Order. Dominic made a settlement in Toulouse the following year.

The early followers of the Dominican Order were known as the Friars Preachers. The Order strayed from other Roman Catholic orders in which mostly bishops, not converts, taught Christianity. Several of the new converts were sent to Paris for theological study so that they could ably preach the Christian doctrine and faith. Dominican houses were soon opened in Paris and Bologna, as well as in Oxford and other towns that held universities. Many Dominicans became intellectual leaders during this era.

St. Dominic also realized that women could be led away from heresy and could be used to help convert others to Roman Catholicism. He helped to establish Dominican convents for nuns, who lived together in an enclosed community and took vows of poverty and penance. He also helped to set up a convent in 1206 at Prouille. Several years later, he started a convent in Rome, where a number of nuns were already living but were not housed together.

Eventually, the Dominican Order spread into western and northern Europe and overseas, where Spain had colonies and possessions. The Order even extended missionary work into the Holy Lands but began to decline in the fourteenth century. The Order regained strength but endured periods of decline in the sixteenth century, eighteenth century, and mid-nineteenth century. In the 2010s, about 6,500 Dominican friars were living and preaching across more than one hundred countries. An estimated 4,000 nuns, 35,000 sisters active in the church, and 100,000 lay members were also part of the Order, according to the English Province of the Dominican Friars.

Beliefs and Practices

The foundation for the Order's beliefs and practices was influenced by Francis of Assisi, who had established the Franciscan Order in 1209. St. Dominic met with Francis of Assisi between 1216 and 1220, and the two men established a set of customs and embraced St. Augustine's life as a model for the rule of life. Subsequently, Pope Innocent III gave the Order his final approval.

The Dominican Order is led by the Master of the Order, and since its founding, it has held two central beliefs: the goodness of creation and the prominence of reason. Members of the Order take vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience and do not usually eat meat. They do not earn any wages; neither do they earn money that derives from farming, thus setting them apart from the residents of many monasteries.

Dominicans believe that they should fully imitate the early Christian apostles by spreading the Gospel, by living among the people, and by living poorly and humbly. They live by the mottoes "to share with others the fruits of our contemplation" and "preaching and the salvation of people." Above all else, they practice strict discipline and rigorous intellectual thought and theology. Thomas Aquinas became one of the most prominent Dominican scholars.

The Dominicans are not a monastic order; they do not live separately from the population; and they do not live in a monastery or single establishment. They are friars. In the Roman Catholic Church, friars can be sent to the Order's houses anywhere.

Dominicans wear white gowns with a white belt. On top of their gowns is a long strip of cloth. On top of these garments, Dominican friars wear black cloaks and a hood. Each part of the friar's uniform has a meaning. White is symbolic of the purity of life, whereas the black part of the clothing shows penance.

The rosary, a Roman Catholic devotional tool that is a string of prayer beads, became widely used by the Dominican Order. Its popularity took a few centuries to develop, but the rosary was first promoted by the Dominicans. According to tradition, it is widely believed by Roman Catholics that the Virgin Mary gave the rosary to St. Dominic.

Dominic's Feast Day is celebrated on August 8. This date remembers the day on which St. Dominic and Francis of Assisi met. The friars of both Orders go to Mass together on this day and enjoy a feast together.

Bibliography

Arnold, Tyler. "Over Three Thousand Catholics Celebrate Rosary with Dominican Order at Pilgrimage in Washington, DC." The Catholic World Report, 30 Sept. 2024, www.catholicworldreport.com/2024/09/30/over-3000-catholics-celebrate-rosary-with-dominican-order-at-pilgrimage-in-washington-dc/. Accessed 28 Oct. 2024.

Barker, Sir Ernest. The Dominican Order and Convocation: A Study of the Growth of Representation in the Church During the Thirteenth Century. Oxford: Oxford UP, 2010. Print.

Collinge, William J. Historical Dictionary of Catholicism. 2nd ed. Plymouth: Scarecrow Press, 2012. Print.

Hinnebusch, William A. Dominican Spirituality: Principles and Practice. Eugene: Wipf and Stock, 2014. Print.

Kennedy, Trinita, ed. Sanctity Pictured: The Art of the Dominican and Franciscan Orders in Renaissance Italy. London: Frist Center for the Visual Arts; Nashville: Philip Wilson Publishers, 2014. Print.

Melton, J. Gordon, and Martin Baumann, eds. Religions of the World: A Comprehensive Encyclopedia of Beliefs and Practices. Santa Barbara: ABC-CLIO, 2010. Print.

Pegg, Mark Gregory. A Most Holy War: The Albigensian Crusade and the Battle for Christendom. Oxford: Oxford UP, 2008. Print.

Wagner, Fr. Walter. Dominican Life: A Commentary on the Rule of Saint Augustine. Summit: The Dominican Nuns, 2012. Print.