Saint Dominic, 1170–1221

August 8

Saint Dominic was a very good speaker. He told people about Jesus. When he talked about God, people came from all over to listen. They wanted to be holy like Dominic. He said that hearing about God wasn’t enough. He said that if you want to be holy, you need to praise God and bless other people. He also said that it is more important to be good and do the right thing than to talk all the time.

Discuss: What good thing have you done today?

Saints do all kinds of good things to show how much they love God. Saint Dominic was a very good speaker. He told people about Jesus. When he talked about God, people came from all over to listen. They wanted to be holy like Dominic. He said that hearing about God wasn’t enough. He said that if you want to be holy, you need to praise God and bless other people. He also said that it is more important to be good and do the right thing than to talk all the time.

Saint Dominic founded the religious order called the Order of Preachers. They are also called the Dominicans, after him. Even today, Dominicans dedicate their lives to telling people the Good News, and they still live in community.

Dominic is often shown with a hound because his mother dreamed about a dog with a torch in its mouth who “seemed to set the earth on fire.” Saint Dominic’s motto was: “to praise, to bless, to preach.” He is the patron Saint of astronomers and astronomy.

Activity

Actions Speak Louder Than Words
Bodily/Kinesthetic

Explain to the child that Saint Dominic taught that it was more important to let your actions speak about good than to just say good things.

• Ask the child if they ever pray for someone. Ask whether it is best to pray in private and not tell anyone or tell everyone that you are praying for something. It is best to do it in private and not boast of goodness.
• Ask the child if they need to tell everyone when they go to Mass or just go. Just go.
• Ask the child if they need to tell everyone when they help their friend, or just help and be quiet. It is best to just help and not talk about your good behavior.

Remind them that Saint Dominic teaches us that we don’t need people to applaud our good behavior. We don’t need to talk about our good deeds. We should do the right thing all the time because God knows our ways. We can bless others by just helping quietly.