St. Dominic of Silos

St. Dominic of Silos – December 20th

Dominic was a Spanish shepherd boy. In the many hours he spent alone with his sheep at the bottom of the Pyrenees Mountains, he learned to love prayer. Soon he became a monk and a very good one. Dominic was elected prior of his monastery and brought about many changes for the better. One day, however, King Garcia III of Navarre claimed that some of the monastery’s possessions were his. St. Dominic refused to give them to the King, for he did not think it was right to give the King what belonged to the Church.

This decision greatly angered the King and he ordered the Saint to leave his kingdom. Dominic and his monks were given a friendly welcome by another King, Ferdinand I of Castile. Ferdinand told them they could have an old monastery called St. Sebastian at Silos. This monastery was located in a lonely spot and was very run-down. But with Dominic as the abbot, it soon began to take on a new look. In fact, he made it one of the best known monasteries in all Spain.

St. Dominic worked many miracles to cure all kinds of sicknesses.

Many years after his death, Dominic appeared to a wife and mother, Blessed Joan of Aza. He told her that God would send her another son. When that son was born, Joan gratefully named him Dominic. And this son became the great St. Dominic, founder of the Dominican Order.

What can I do to help the Church? Even small offerings and service are of great help in the divine work of saving souls.

Sts. Cosmos and Damien

Sts. Cosmos and Damien - Patrons of Surgeons, Barbers, Doctors and Druggists - September 27th

These two Saints were twin brothers who were born in Arabia. They were very famous students of science and both became excellent doctors.

Cosmos and Damien saw in every patient a brother in Christ. For this reason, they showed great charity to all and treated their sicknesses to the best of their ability. Yet no matter how much care a patient required, neither Cosmas nor Damien ever accepted any money for their services. For this reason, they were called by a name in Greek which means, “the moneyless ones.”

Every chance they had, the two Saints told their patients about Jesus Christ, the Son of God, and because the people all loved these twin doctors, they listened to them willingly. Cosmos and Damien often brought health back to both the bodies and the souls of those who came to them for help.

When the persecution of Christians began in their city, the Saints were arrested at once, for they had never tried to hide their great love for the Christian Faith. They were tortured, but nothing could make them give up their belief in Christ. They had lived for Him and had brought so many souls to His love. So at last, they were put to death. These holy martyrs are named in the Canon, the most solemn part of the Mass.

Let us perform a work of mercy today-either spiritual or material.

St. Dominic

St. Dominic - Patron of Astronomers - August 4th

This famous founder of the Dominican Order was a Spaniard and the son of Blessed Joan of Aza. Her first two sons were already grown up when she asked Our Lord to send her another son. In a vision she received the happy news that the next son to be born to her would be a shinning light in the Church. That was Dominic.

The little boy left his mother when he was seven to begin school with his uncle, a priest. After years of study he became a priest himself and lived a quiet life of prayer and obedience with other virtuous priests. But God had other plans for Dominic: he was meant to found the Dominican Order of Preachers to preach the Faith and wipe out false teachings. It all began on a trip through southern France, where heresy called Albigensianism was doing great harm. St. Dominic felt such pity for the people who had joined it that he felt such pity for the people who had joined it that he felt inspired to help them.

St. Dominic’s Order of Preachers conquered that dangerous heresy with the weapons the Saint gave them: prayer, especially the holy Rosary of the Blessed Virgin, humility, mortification and preaching. Once when someone asked Dominic what book he used to prepare his sermons, which converted so many people, the Saint said, “The only book I use is the book of love.” He always prayed that he might be filled with a true love of neighbor and he urged his priests to be devoted to the study of the Bible and to prayer. No one did more than St. Dominic and his preachers to spread the beautiful practice of saying the Holy Rosary.

St. Dominic was a brilliant preacher, while St. Francis of Assisi was a humble beggar. Yet, they were close friends and with their two Orders of Dominicans and Franciscans, they made Christians everywhere holier. Once, in a vision, St. Dominic saw Our Blessed Mother praying to save the sinful world from being punished. She pointed two figures out to her Son; one St. Dominic recognized as himself. The other was St. Francis, but at that time, the two Saints did not know each other. Next day, in church, he saw a ragged beggar whom he recognized as the man in the vision. It was St. Francis. Dominic embraced him and said: “you are my companion, and must walk with me. For If we stay together, no power on earth will be able to resist us!”

We, too, will win all our difficulties with the Holy Rosary.

St. David I of Scotland

St. David I of Scotland – May 24th

David was the youngest son of St. Margaret, Queen of Scotland and her good husband, King Malcolm. He became king himself when he was about forty. Those who knew him well saw how little he wanted to accept the royal crown. But once he was King, he was a very good one.

St. David ruled his kingdom with great justice. He was very charitable to the poor and let all his subjects come to visit him whenever they desired. He gave everyone good example with his own love of prayer. Under this holy king, the people of Scotland united more closely into one nation and became better Christians.

King David established new dioceses and built many new monasteries. He gave much money to the Church during his rule of about twenty years.

Two days before he died, he received the last Sacraments and spent his time praying with those attending him. The next day, they urged his to rest, but he answered: "Let me think about the things of God, instead, so that my soul may be strengthened on his trip from exile to home," he said. "No one will be able to deliver me from His hand." So he kept on praying right up until be died.

When we are tempted to excuse our faults by saying, "Everyone else does it," let us remember that this excuse will not count when we go before God to be judged….

Sts. Nereus, Achilleus, Domitilla, and Pancreas

Sts. Nereus, Achilleus, Domitilla, and Pancreas - May 12th

Nereus and Achilleus were Roman soldiers. Out of fear, they carried the cruel commands of the Emperor, until suddenly they gave up this way of life. They were converted to the Christian Faith and left behind them their shields and bloody arrows forever. St. Peter baptized these two new followers of Jesus, who were soon accused of being Christians. Nereus and Achilleus both professed their Faith and again, but they absolutely refused to sacrifice to the false gods of the Romans. For this, they were at last beheaded.

Domitilla was a rich Roman girl who had made up her mind to belong only to Jesus. The young man who had hoped to marry her was furious at her decision. He accused her of being a Christian, and she was put in prison. There she suffered much. When she still would not give up her Faith, she was burned to death.

Pancras was a fourteen-year-old boy who left his rich home to go to Rome. There he was baptized by the Pope himself. Not long after that, he was arrested for being a Christian, but he refused to give up his Faith. In fact, with all the courage of a hero, he offered his head to the executioner to be cut off.

These four young martyrs could have had all the pleasures money can buy. Yet they did not hesitate to give up the joys of the world in order to win the happiness of Heaven, which is much greater and lasts forever.

Let us often think of the happiness which is waiting for us in Heaven. This thought will make it easier to keep God’s law all the time.

St. Dominic Savio

St. Dominic Savio - Patron of Choir Boys - March 9th


St. Dominic Savio was born in Italy in 1842. One day when he was just four, he disappeared and his good mother went looking for him. She found the little fellow in a corner praying with his hands joined and his head bowed. Already he knew all his prayers by heart. At five, he was an altar boy. When he was seven, he received his First Holy Communion. On that solemn day he chose a motto: "Death, but not sin!" And he kept it always.


"A teenager such as Dominic, who bravely struggled to keep his innocence from baptism to the end of his life, is really a saint," said Pope St. Pius X.


Yes, Dominic was an ordinary boy with an extraordinary love for God.


At the age of twelve, Dominic entered the school run by St. John Bosco. Don Bosco examined his first and at the end of the questions, Dominic asked, "What do you think of me?"


"I think you’re good material," answered the priest, with a big smile.


"Well, then," said Dominic, "you are a good tailor, so if the material is good, take me and make a new suit out of me for Our Lord!"


Everyone in the school soon saw from the way he prayed that this boy was different. He greatly loved all the boys and even though he was younger, he used to worry about them. He was afraid that they would lose the grace of God by sinning.


One day, a fellow brought a magazine full of bad pictures to school. In a minute, a group of boys had gathered around him to see it. "What’s up?" wondered Dominic and he, too, went to look. Just one peek was enough for him. He grabbed the magazine and tore it to pieces! "Poor us!" he cried in the meantime, "Did God give us eyes to look at such things as this? Aren’t you ashamed?"


"Oh, we ere just looking at these pictures for the fun of it," said one boy.


"Sure, for fun," answered Dominic, "and in the meantime you’re preparing yourselves to go to hell!"


"Oh, what’s so wrong about looking at these pictures anyway?" another fellow demanded.


Dominic had a ready answer. "If you don’t see anything wrong," he said sadly, "this is even worse. It means you’re used to looking at shameful things!"


No one said anything after that. They all realized that Dominic was right.


Another time he stopped a terrific stone-throwing fight between two angry boys. Holding up a little crucifix between them, he said, ‘Before you fight, look as this and say, ‘Jesus Christ was innocent and He died forgiving His murderers. I am a sinner, and I am going to hurt Him by not forgiving my enemies.’ Then you can start-and throw your first stone at me!"


The two boys were so ashamed of themselves that they made up and promised to go to confession, besides.


One day Dominic began to feel sick and was sent home to get better. There he grew worse, instead, and received the last Sacraments. He was only fifteen then but he did not fear death. In fact, he was overjoyed at the thought of going to Heaven. Just before he died, he tried to sit up. "Goodbye," he murmured to his good father. Suddenly his face lit up with a smile of great joy and happiness. "I am seeing such wonderful things!’ he exclaimed. Then he spoke no more, for he had gone to Heaven.


Let us make Dominic’s motto, "Death, but not sin" our motto, too.

St. Dositheus

St. Dositheus - February 21st

The Saint was the son of a Roman general, who gave him whatever he wanted. Dositheus was tall and handsome, he lived a life of fun in his rich house. He knew nothing about religion. One day he decided to go with some officers on a trip to Jerusalem. There he saw where Jesus had walked and preached and suffered. In one church he also saw a picture representing Hell.

“What is that?” he asked. When he found out, what torments the damned souls suffer there, he could not get it out of his mind. He began to pray and to live a holy life. His friends could not believe their eyes! “You are living like a monk in a monastery!” one said. Dositheus wondered what a monastery was. At last, to please him, they took him to the monastery where St. Seridon was the abbot. Dositheus asked to be allowed to enter, because he said he wanted to save his soul.

As a monk, Dositheus obeyed perfectly. He did whatever he was told and grew holier every day. Once, to test him, his director had him make a habit for himself and then told him to give it to another. Three or four times he did that. Yet St. Dositheus did not complain once.

Only five years did this young man live as a monk. When he was just twenty-two, he caught a very bad sickness, which soon took his life. He had not been able to do great penances either, because of his poor health. Yet, he became a Saint in that short time by obeying perfectly.

Let us try to imitate St. Dositheus by obeying quickly and cheerfully always. Whoever obeys is sure of doing what God wants.

St. Dorothy

St. Dorothy - Patroness of Gardners - February 6th


St. Dorothy was a young and beautiful girl who lived in the city of Caesarea. Both her father and mother died for the Faith. They left her a great deal of money, and Dorothy used it to help the poor people and prisoners. Everyone knew her and loved her for her modesty and piety. She was so beautiful and holy that many young men wanted to marry her. But she has given herself to God alone. So they called her, “The Bride of Christ.”


When Dorothy herself was put in prison for the Faith, the wicked governor sent two young girls named Crista and Callista to persuade her to deny Jesus. There girls had been Christians once. They had given up their Faith when the governor made them many promises and gave them gifts. But these girls could not change Dorothy. It was she who made them cry for their sin and encouraged them to die bravely for Jesus.


Furious, the governor tortured Dorothy, but she would not worship the gods of Rome. “I cannot worship them or the Emperors either,” she said. “I worship only the true God, the Creator of Heaven and earth.” At last, the governor gave up. The saint was getting the best of him, with her wise answers. So he condemned her to death by beheading.


When Dorothy was on her way to be beheaded, a young pagan made fun of her Faith. “Send me some roses and apples from the garden where you are going after you die,” he shouted. Then he laughed cruelly. But St. Dorothy promised that she would. As soon as she died, a child appeared to that pagan carrying three roses and three apples! Where could they have come from? It was not the season for apples and roses! The amazed man realized that the child was an angel come from God and that the flowers and fruit were sent from Heaven. He was converted right then. Soon afterwards, he, too, have his life for God.


Today let us pray especially for someone who is far away from God, so that he will return to our Heavenly Father.