Today we commemorate one of our cloistered Dominican nuns – Saint Agnes of Montepulciano. She is one of those saints who can seem unreal because of all the miracles and mystical experiences that are often relayed when discussing or summarizing her life. Yet these things do not make a person a saint. Our dear Saint Catherine of Siena wrote in a letter to Saint Agnes’ monastic community that Saint Agnes’ chief virtue was humility. How is this?
Read MoreIf you want inspiration for living feminine genius as a holy woman of strength, fortitude with gentleness, today’s Dominican saints give plenty to ponder. Blessed Diana and Cecilia were two of the first nuns of the Order of Preachers in Italy, and both of them faced difficult challenges in pursuing their vocation to give themselves completely to God as His bride.
Read MoreA Christian mystic is gifted by God with a state of soul raised to higher forms of prayer – to extraordinary heights of contemplation. St. Catherine de Ricci was a true mystic. God graced her with extraordinary favors in her prayer life, so much so that one might think she was too inapproachable in her daily life, yet this was not the case.
Read MoreHis mother was appalled by her young son’s choice of life vocation - he had the world at his fingertips and he would throw it away to be a poor friar?! His brothers scoffed, kidnapped him, and locked him in a tower of the family castle until he changed his mind. His sisters begged and cajoled, but the young man converted them to his way of thinking. Then his brothers decided to try a different approach. He was a young, vigorous man, after all. So they sent into his room a beautiful woman of ill repute to seduce him.
Read MoreOne day, a Dominican friar came to the monastery to preach to the Dominican nuns. The community invited him to stop the night and give them a second sermon the next day. The friar refused; he had work to do and could not spare the time. Leaving the parlor, he went in search of his horse and trap, for King Bela had evidently built a bridge from the mainland to the island. Margaret was very anxious for him to remain; when, however, she saw that he was determined to go, she made no comment but betook herself to prayer.
Read MoreThe mandarin, seeing that threats would be of no avail, tried to move Francis by a display of kindness. "If you do as I command," he said, "you will be great in my esteem and you will receive many favors and great riches." Father Francis simply replied simply: "I should prefer to lose a thousand lives if I had them, rather than to abandon even for an instant my God, Who is my only good, my happiness and my delight."
Read MoreThis Dominican saint found a new use for his cappa - sailing across the seas! Sound incredible, read on to learn more about this humble and saintly lawyer-turned-friar.
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