The Order of Preachers

St. Dominic Establishes The Order of Preachers

The Order of Preachers came into existence through the courage and insight of St. Dominic de Guzman (1170-1221) founded the Order of Preachers, also known as the Dominicans. The world he knew was in turmoil; Europe's agrarian population was shifting to urban centers, creating waves of change that affected of of life, including economic and social relationships, politics and religious. His vision was to create a community of mendicant preachers - rooted in prayer, study, community and preaching - educated and ready to preach the Gospel of Jesus Christ throughout the world.

As a young priest, Dominic accompanied Diego, his bishop, on a diplomatic trip. While on this trip Dominic encountered the Albigensian heresy at Toulouse. He firmly believed that the primary reasons for the rapid rise of heresies was due to poor, ineffectual preaching combined with the inauthentic lifestyle Dominic founded a monastery of nuns at Prouille, and gathered about him friars whose lives would be examples of poverty and whose preaching would convert the Albigensian heretics back to the Christian faith. The numbers grew, and the new Order of Preachers began to take shape. The friars formed preaching communities, who would sing the Divine Office and send out preachers to the people. The brothers professed poverty both individually and corporately. A great emphasis was placed on the proper preparation for the preaching work, and friars were sent to the University of Paris and took a major hand in the development of other European universities. Great minds such as  St. Albert the Great and St Thomas Aquinas were soon attracted to the Order.

The Order Today

Nearly 800 years later you find Dominic's dream and charism alive in the forty-two Dominican provinces world-wide, with over 7,000 priests and brothers. Dominican priories and communities grouped into geographical provinces. In the United States, there are four Dominican Provinces:

   1. Province of Saint Martin de Porres(Southern United States)
   2. Province of Saint Joseph (Eastern United States)
   3. Province of Saint Albert the Great (Central United States)
   4. Province of the Most Holy Name (Western United States)

It is the province which is responsible for admitting, training and nurturing friars, and so a province builds up over time its own character and traditions. Although each province has its own unique personality and style, all of them share in the same Dominican legacy and tradition that has kept the order united and strong throughout our 800 year history. Click here to learn more about the Dominican Province of Saint Martin de Porres ministering in the Southern United States.