Dominic and Dominicans

stjohnstmarkchurchburyThursday, August 8, 2019

Preacher: Keith Trivasse | Series: St Dominic | There are two great founders of religious orders in the late-twelfth and early-thirteenth centuries. We are very aware of Francis. We enjoy the whimsy of him preaching to the birds; we enjoy the charismatic nature of his ministry. At his death he left an Order of several thousand friars and a rather vague Rule of Life that caused chaos during the early to mid-thirteenth century.

The other founder, Dominic, we are less aware of. He is not a charismatic figure. Instead he is more of a bureaucrat with a dream.  Bon Dominic Guzman, of an ancient Spanish family, born in 1170, Dominic joined the Augustinian friars in Spain and quickly rose up their ranks becoming prior in 1201. In 1204 he went, with his bishop on a trip to Denmark. On the way they passed through southern France and there Dominic encountered the Albigensian heretics. The Albigensians believed that the flesh was wrong, evil, contaminating. Only the spirit was good for the spirit was God. Flesh and spirit were in permanent conflict. They believed that senior members of their sect could die by committing suicide by starvation. The flesh is truly, ultimately punished in the endure. Dominic saw the Church trying to combat this heresy. The Church’s preacher lined up with many servers and fantastic vestments and tried to preach the poverty of the gospel whilst being rich.

Dominic knew that most parish clergy were unable to preach at all, and many were barely literate. Dominic saw that there needed to be two things. Firstly, the Church’s preachers should be in effect barefoot, that is possession-less and poor. Secondly, the Church’s preachers should be literate and educated so that they might be able to speak wisely.

Dominic gathered around him a number of disciples who vowed a vow of poverty and vowed to go out to preach to the world. Then Dominic put these disciples through a school and had them educated. They did go out to preach. They did not find it easy but by the grace of God and by Dominic’s good sense they managed to speak words of wisdom.

The Dominican Order was thus founded and it rapidly spread. There emerged a number of houses in southern France, struggling against the Albigensians. In this country many houses were formed in seats of learning and in the newly-emerging towns. It became a matter of status that a town should have its own Dominican priory. The Dominicans did vow to keep holy poverty and to preach to the world. The Dominicans founded their own schools, including up to university level. The Dominicans were and are a learned Order.

They learned from their preaching that telling simple stories and simple morals are probably the most effective forms of communication. Numerous compilations of pious stories were made and published to help the preacher speak meaningfully to his audience. I mentioned “his” audience because the preachers were male. There were also women Dominicans. They vowed to keep holy poverty to act charitably to their neighbours. The sisters eventually became soul friends to the pious and cared for the sick.

The Dominican Order was one of two Orders that helped in the renewal of the Church in the thirteenth century. They became renowned as preachers, teachers and intellectuals. It is not for nothing that the greatest medieval theologian was a Dominican: Thomas Aquinas.