Saint Dominic and the dog with a blazing torch

Saint Dominic, whose feast day we remember today, August 8, is associated with a unique symbolism: a dog with a torch in its mouth. It is often seen beside him when he is portrayed in art, standing guard at his feet. To understand the reason behind this, we look back to the time before his birth.

Jane, Dominic’s mother, dreamt of a black and white dog carrying a torch that illuminated the world and set the world on fire. It symbolized the future of her son – the holy man who became one of the greatest preachers the Church has ever known.

Jane gave birth to Dominic on August 8, 1170, in Castile, the north-central region of Spain. Despite their lack of financial wealth, his father Felix assured that all his children receive proper religious education and be raised according to Catholic values.

This upbringing attracted Dominic to religious life. Sometime in 1196, he joined the Canons Regular, a religious community attached to the cathedral of Osma.

A few years later, he became assistant to the superior. This mission opened his eyes to the growing problem of the Church at the time: the number of the clergy was dwindling, but the population of the faithful steadily grew – an alarming crisis of faith.

To address the problem, he sought the approval of the pope to create his own order, one focused on teaching and educating. In 1216, Dominic officially founded the Order of Preachers in France, adopting the Rule of Saint Augustine centered on divine office, monastic life, and religious poverty.

They are fondly called “Dominicans” by the people, a play on the Latin words “Domini canes,” which means “dogs of the Lord.” It harkens back to his mother’s dream, which perfectly predicted Dominic’s future: he became a ferocious bringer of the light of Christ to all corners of the world.

Dominic placed two principal houses near the Universities of Parish and Bologna, which formed their own schools of theology. This signaled the beginning of the order's mission in shaping Catholic university studies.

In 1220, the first general chapter of the Dominicans was held in Bologna, which saw the order adopting a system of democratic representative government.

They returned to Bologna in 1221 for their second general chapter, where the Dominicans first divided geographically into provinces.

After several weeks of illness, Dominic died in Bologna on August 6, 1221.

Dominic is forever remembered, not just by the Order of Preachers but the entire Church, for his firmness of command, clarity of vision, and vast theological knowledge.

Above all, he is exalted as one of the greatest saints for his gentleness in leadership and noble heart for preaching. He was elevated not through his own words, but by putting the focus on the transformative Word of God.