August 8: St. Dominic / Santo Domingo

The Universal Church celebrates today the feastday of St. Dominic de Guzman. As a young man, he discovered his vocation as a missionary to, as he said it, “the common people.” Pope Innocent III sent him to counteract what was called the Albigensian heresy in Southern France. That rampant heresy was caused, in the 12^th century, by the people’s ignorance, the clergy’s complicity in politics and money, and the Inquisition. St. Dominic founded an Order of Friars, unlike those known as “the seculars,” so they would not be compromised by the powers of their day. St. Dominic’s vision was to share the poor life of everyday people – in order to win them back to Christ through prayer and sound teaching.

Let us pray. "Lord our God, we thank you today for the example of St. Dominic, who studied and prayed that he might read the signs of the times and understand your plans so as to serve the poor better. Help us to better understand your plan of salvation and to draw the strength we need for carrying it out, especially through encountering you in prayer. We ask you this through Christ our Lord. Amen.”

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Holy Cross parish is proud to support Br. Anthony Martin, O.P. He grew up in our community, is an alumnus of our parish school, and is presently in priestly formation for the Western Province of the Order of Preachers (the Dominicans). Please keep Br. Anthony and his fellow Friars in your prayers.

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La Iglesia celebra hoy el día festivo de Santo Domingo de Guzmán, quien recibió intensa formación moral y cultural desde muy pequeño. Estudió Artes (Humanidades y Filosofía) y Teología. En 1191, concluida su carrera, vendió sus libros para aliviar a los pobres del hambre que asolaba Castilla y fue ordenado sacerdote. Por su exquisita formación, el Papa Inocencio III lo envió a contrarrestar la herejía de los albigenses y también fue embajador eclesiástico. Los viajes que conllevó esa función lo encontraron definitivamente con su vocación misionera. Y fue a partir de su anhelo de convertir a los cátaros herejes al catolicismo que fundó la Orden de Predicadores. Los frailes fundadores se propusieron mayor fidelidad al Evangelio que la que demostraban muchos ministros de su época y compartir la pobreza de los pobres para llevarlos a Cristo con oración y catequesis.