Dominican saints and blesseds – Page 5

Blessed Lucy Brocadelli of Narni

God of holiness, You wonderfully adorned Blessed Lucy with the marks of the passion of Your and with the gifts of virginity and patience. With the help of her prayers may we never be conquered by adversity or the allurements of the world.

The collect for the Mass noted above speaks of volumes of this beautiful woman. Blessed Lucy was born in 1476, died in 1544 and beatified in 1710. She was a stigmatist, that is, she bore the wounds of Christ’s in her body. A review of Blessed Lucy’s life is noted here and more can be found here.

Saint Louis Bertrand

Proclaim the glory of the Lord among the nations; God’s marvelous deeds to all the peoples; great is the Lord and worthy of all praise.

Almighty and merciful God, as You filled the heart of Saint Louis Bertrand with reverent fear of Your name, inflame our hearts with that same divine fire. With both love and reverence may we too serve You faithfully.

Saint Juan Macias

Come, you whom my Father has blessed, says the Lord; I was ill and you comforted me. I tell you, anything you did for one of these you did for me.

Just and merciful God, Your love prompted our brother Juan Macias to become the servant of all. By his example and prayers draw us into the mystery of Your goodness so that we, too, may serve our sisters and brothers.

For more info on Saint Juan Macias see this site…

Blessed Catherine Racconigi

O Lord, our hope, You enriched Blessed Catherine with an abundance of heavenly gifts and filled her heart with You alone. With the help of her prayers may Christ be fastened to our hearts as He was fastened to the cross for our salvation.

As early as 5 years old Catherine had a relationship with God to the point of having profound mystical experiences. Catherine knew she was being drawn to the Lord as his spouse and who gave her His heart. The Blessed Mother gave Catherine a wedding ring which could only seen by Catherine herself as was similar to that of Saint Catherine of Siena. The Lord gave Catherine the grace (and burden) of the stigmata which was invisible and unknown to others except by her confessor.

Family opposition to Catherine’s desire to enter a monastery, she instead became a tertiary (a third order Dominican); The mystical experiences were well-known to the others which the devil used to strike division among the faithful, even to the point of the Dominican friars sending her away. But sanctity won out in the end.

Born in Piedmont, Italy in 1487 and died in 1574. Catherine was beatified by Pope Pius VII in 1810.

What can we learn from Blessed Catherine? For me, Catherine demonstrates that we need to take seriously the religious experience and desires of the heart. God speaks to children as clearly and profoundly as He does to adults. This is the same insight Sofia Caveletti and Maria Montesorri had when they began the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd.

Saint Rose of Lima

Come, bride of Christ, and receive the crown, which the Lord has prepared for you for ever.

O God, for love of You our sister Rose gave up everything to devote herself to a life of penance. By the help of her prayers may we imitate her selfless way of life on earth and enjoy the fullness of Your blessings in heaven.

The amazing things happen through the saints. A case in point, Rose, after reading of St Catherine began a deeper life of penance and of faith. She cut her hair, began wearing penitential clothing and more time in a period of prayer and fasting. Rose took a vow of virginity in an effort to unite herself more closely to the Lord.

At 20 Rose took the Dominican habit and lived a more intense life of penance in reparation for offenses against God, especially in matters of idolatry that was found in Peru, he home and for the souls in purgatory.

Rose was born 20 April 1586 and died on August 30, 1617. Clement IX beatified Rose in 1667 and Pope Clement X canonized Rose in 1671. Rose is the first American saint, that is, she is the first saint of the Americas.

Blessed Jordan of Pisa

God of holiness, by the integrity of his life and gentle manner You made Blessed Jordan a fitting minister to preach the gospel. By following his example may we generously strive to serve You through service to our neighbor and so gain the fruit of an everlasting reward.

Blessed Mannes de Guzman

Priests of God, bless the Lord; praise God, all you that are holy and humble of heart.

Loving God, You chose to associate Blessed Mannes with his brother Dominic in the work of preaching. May we follow their example and remain ever fervent in proclaiming the gospel of salvation.

Blessed Mannes is an older brother of Saint Dominic, founder of the Order of Preachers. Mannes was known as a humble man who lived his life in self-sacrifice for the preaching of the gospel and salvation of souls. He was sent by his brother to start a Dominincan Priory in Paris and then to Madrid. He worked with the contemplative nuns and was a famous preacher. Mannes was beatified by Pope Gregory XVI who also instructed that a set of proper texts for a Mass and Divine Office be written in Mannes’ honor. His feast day was listed as July 30th but it is celebrated today in the Dominican Order.

A biography of Blessed Mannes can be read here.

Saint Hyacinth of Poland

Proclaim the glory of the Lord among the nations, God’s marvelous deeds to all the peoples; great is the Lord and worthy of all praise.

Loving God, You gave Saint Hyacinth the grace to preach, the he might draw the peoples of many nations to the light of truth. By Your power bring forth good works in our lives, that all may be moved to give You glory.

The Dominican friar and priest honored today is known in Poland as the Apostle to Poland (or “to the North”). Hyacinth was born in 1185, joined the Order of Preachers in 1219 after meeting Saint Dominic becoming the first to receive the habit; he died on the Assumption feast in 1257. Prior to meeting the Order Hyacinth took earned the Doctor of Law and Divinity degree from the University of Bologna. His vocation was preaching as an itinerant missionary who had a special devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary. Hyacinth was canonized by Clement VIII in 1594.

Culturally, the name Hyacinth is translated as Jacek (in Polish) and Jacinto (in Spanish and Portugese).

Saint Dominic de Guzman

The Lord opened his mouth in the assembly, and filled him with the spirit of wisdom and understanding, and clothed him in a robe of glory.

God of truth, You gave Your Church a new light in the life and preaching of our father Dominic. Give us the help we need to support our preaching by holy and simple lives.

Blessed Cecilia’s description of Saint Dominic is how we know what he looked liked. And we have to be grateful for ancient chroniclers! They not only feed our curiosity but they show us concrete expressions of how God works through humanity … Descriptions like this one help us imagine what a person 8 centuries looked which helps to connect more closely to his reality. Blessed Cecilia wrote:

“This was St Dominic’s appearance. He was of
middle height and slender figure, of handsome and somewhat ruddy countenance,
his hair and beard of auburn, and with lustrous eyes. From out his forehead and
between his eye brows a radiant light shone forth, which drew everyone to
revere and love him. He was always joyous and cheerful, except when moved to
compassion at anyone’s sorrows. His hands were beautiful and tapering; his
voice was clear, noble, and musical; he was never bald, but kept his religious
tonsure entire, mingled here and there with a few grey hairs.” (From the
Legend of St. Dominic by Bl. Cecilia Cesarini)

A blessed feast of Saint Dominic, the great light to the Church!

Blessed Adrian Fortescue

O God, You specially strengthened Blessed Adrian with a wonderful spirit of holiness and courage. Hear the prayers of Your people and from his renowned example may we learn to be obedient to You rather than to human authority.

Blessed Adrian’s collect for Mass tells his story: he was a lay Dominican (i.e., a third order member), a husband and a martyr. Blessed Adrian was known for his piety, sanity, and ethical life. A cousin of the famed Anne Boleyn, Adrian (1476-1539) opposed Henry VIII’s divorce from Catherine. Twice married (Anne Stoner, Adrian’s first wife died), he raised two daughters; history shows us that 12 years after the death of Stoner he married Anne Rede who bore three sons.

Adrian Fortescue served England as a Knight of the Bath (given the honor in 1503) and as a Knight of St. John in 1532 (seen in his Malta cape here) and Oxford’s Justice of the Peace. Refusing to take the Oath of Supremacy which supported Henry’s break with the Roman Church, at 62 years of age, Adrian was thrown in the Tower of London without formal charges and condemned by Parliament without trial and beheaded with Thomas Dinglay in 1539. The date of his death is disputed. Pope Leo XIII beatified Adrian on May 13, 1895.

On the liturgical calendar prayed by the Dominicans, today is the liturgical memorial of Blessed Adrian Fortescue; in some places you’ll see his feast day listed as July 9.