St. Francis and St. Dominic 2012

St. Francis and St. Dominic are both great saints who are kind of misunderstood. We might think of St. Francis primarily as a proto-hippie, preaching to birds and petting wolves, and while he did these things, he also received the stigmata as a sign of his love for the crucified Christ. We might think of St. Dominic as more the \”establishment\” type, rooting out heretics and preaching against sin, and while he did these things, he is also known as the \”joyful friar\” who went on his travels through Europe singing hymns. When we look beneath the surface, we see the connection between them, and we see why the Church needs them both. They are two types of holiness for the faithful to imitate, both mendicant friars, both determined to change the Church and the world through a return to Gospel living. They accomplished their tasks in very different ways, and yet there was a common thread running through both their lives, a love of evangelical poverty, a desire for martyrdom, love and respect for the Pope…the list goes on. Here at our monastery we have several statues of St. Francis in addition to a few of St. Dominic (it\’s easier to find a statue of St. Francis, since he\’s infinitely more popular than St. Dominic) and we gladly honor him as our \”Holy Father St. Francis\”. May he intercede for all the Franciscans–and Dominicans–today and every day!