Founder
of the Order of
Preachers, commonly known as the Dominican Order; born at
Calaroga, in Old Castile,
c. 1170; died 6 August, 1221. His parents, Felix Guzman and
Joanna of Aza, undoubtedly belonged to the nobility of Spain, though probably
neither was connected with the reigning house of Castile, as some of the saint's biographers
assert. Of Felix Guzman, personally, little is known, except that he was in
every sense the worthy head of a family of saints. To nobility of
blood Joanna of Aza added a nobility of soul which so enshrined
her in the popular veneration that in 1828 she was solemnly beatified by Leo XII. The example of
such parents
was not without its effect upon their children. Not only Saint Dominic but also
his brothers, Antonio and Manes, were distinguished for their extraordinary sanctity. Antonio, the
eldest, became a secular
priest and, having distributed his patrimony to the poor, entered a hospital where he spent
his life ministering to the sick. Manes, following in the footsteps of Dominic,
became a Friar Preacher, and was beatified by Gregory XVI.
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