dominican saints

Gratitude is the keynote of today’s anniversary, the Anniversary of the deceased friends and benefactors of our Order. Ever since the foundation of the Order by St. Dominic eight centuries ago, thousands of the faithful souls have made sacrifices that the Order of Preachers might carry out the apostolic work of the salvation of souls, and the Order will never forget its debt of gratitude to these loyal hearts.

No wonder that kings and princes vied with one another in assisting the growth of the Dominicans apostolate! No wonder that those who were not blessed with temporal goods gave their time and labor that the work of salvation might be carried on! These benefactors of the Order, rich or poor, knew that, when they had passed from this life, the spiritual rewards would more than compensate them for the sacrifices they made that the work of Dominic might flourish.

The Office of the Dead is also prayed should be prayed on this particular day. Should the anniversary fall on Sunday, the Office may be postponed till Monday. (The New Dominican Tertiaries’ Manual, 1935.)

In his treatise In symbolum apostolorum, St. Thomas Aquinas reminds us of our duty in charity to work toward the release of these poor souls in Purgatory: “Christ went down into hell to set free those that were his own. We, too, therefore, should go down there to help our own. For those who are in purgatory are themselves unable to do anything, and therefore we ought to help them. Truly he would be a harsh man indeed who failed to come to the aid of a kinsman who lay in prison, here on earth. How much more harsh, then, the man who will not aid the friend who is in purgatory, for there is no comparison between the pains there and the pains of this world. Have pity on me, have pity on me, at least you my friends, because the hand of the Lord hath touched me (Job xix, 21).”