Saint of the day for December 20: story of San Domenico di Silos

(c.1000 - December 20, 1073)

History of San Domenico di Silos

He is not the founder of the Dominicans we honor today, but there is a touching story that connects both Dominicans.

Our saint today, Domenico di Silos, was born in Spain around the year XNUMX from a peasant family. As a boy he spent time in the fields, where he welcomed solitude. He became a Benedictine priest and served in numerous leadership positions. Following a dispute with the king over the property, Dominic and two other monks were exiled. They established a new monastery in what initially seemed unpromising. Under Domenico's leadership, however, it became one of the most famous houses in Spain. Many healings were reported there.

About 100 years after Dominic's death, a young woman who had had difficult pregnancies made a pilgrimage to his grave. There Domenico di Silos appeared to her and assured her that she would give birth to another son. The woman was Giovanna d'Aza and the son she had grew up to become the “other” Domenico, Dominic Guzman, the one who founded the Dominicans.

For hundreds of years thereafter, the staff used by St. Dominic of Silos were brought to the royal palace whenever a queen of Spain was in labor. That practice ended in 1931.

Reflection

The link between Saint Dominic of Silos and the Saint Dominic who founded the Dominican Order brings to mind the film Six Degrees of Separation: it seems that we are all connected. God's providential care can unite people in mysterious ways, but everything points to his love for each of us.