Our Lady of the Rosary
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- Written by David McGovern OP
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Today we celebrate the feast of Our Lady of the Rosary. It is a special feast for us 
as Dominicans as according to Catholic tradition, in the 13th century, Mary, the Mother of God appeared to our Holy Father St Dominic gave him the Rosary and asked him that instead of praying the psalms on the beads or knots, as was tradition in ancient times, the faithful pray the Hail Mary, Our Father and the Glory Be. St Dominic was able to succeed in his mission to preach the gospel not by preaching alone but with the help of the rosary. He had a gift from Our Lady to help and guide him.
Blessed John of Fiesole OP (Fra Angelico)
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- Written by Daragh McNally OP
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Bl John of Fiesole OP (Fra Angelico)
Feast Day: 18th February
According to the contemporaries of Fra Giovanni da Fiesole, popularly known as “Fra Angelico”, he often used to say- “Whoever does the work of Christ should always remain with Christ!”.
Blessed Reginald of Orleans OP
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- Written by James Cassidy OP
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Bl Reginald of Orleans OP
Feast Day: 12th February
The early years of every religious Order or movement are always characterised by great saints who light up the Church with the zeal and excitement of their discovery of a new way of following Christ. Blessed Reginald is one of the great early Dominicans who were acquainted with Dominic himself, and seemed to be given a share of the Founder's spirit.
Blessed Jordan of Saxony
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- Written by Patrick Desmond OP
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Bl Jordan of Saxony OP
Feast Day: 13th February
Mothers hid their sons when Master Jordan came to town…
These ten short words sum up in a humorous kind of way, the outstanding legacy of the successor of St. Dominic. It not only gives the impression that this new group of mendicant preachers had a clearly defined and essential role to play, challenging the infectious heresies so prevalent at the time (as was confirmed by Pope Honorius III in 1216 when he formally recognised the Order) but also that people were powerless to resist when confronted with it. Of Blessed Jordan we are told that that during his tenure as Master General, between 1222 and 1237, over 1000 novices joined the Dominicans, new convents were established and new provinces formed. Under his rule the Order continued to win many of the best men available, particularly in the Universities where many a Professor was seduced. With such a charming figure sweeping through the neighbourhood is it any wonder that mothers tried to keep their sons out of reach?
St Thomas Aquinas
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- Category: Dominican
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- Written by Matthew Martinez OP
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St Thomas Aquinas OP
Feast Day: 28 January
Saint Thomas Aquinas is one of the greatest saints of the Dominican Order, whose works have left an indelible mark on Catholic Theology to this day. Saint Thomas was born toward the end of the year 1226 between Naples and Rome, close to the little town of Aquino, of which his father was Count. Going against the wishes of his parents, who had high hopes that he would join the Benedictine Order and live a very comfortable life, Thomas decided to join the Order of Preachers in 1224. The Dominican Order was at this time relatively young and the Order's involvement with the great European universities allowed Thomas to avail himself of the intellectual renaissance taking place in Europe at the time. Having studied under another hugely influential Dominican saint, Albert the Great, Thomas was given the opportunity to think deeply about the world in which he lived and especially about the religious issues of the time. He arrived on the scene at a time when the great works of Aristotle were being re-discovered in Europe and there was much debate over the place of the Aristotelian corpus within the framework of Christian thought. In critically assessing the works of Aristotle available to him, Thomas showed how the insights which Aristotle exposed could be used within a Christian context.