St. Dominic’s Life & Legacy

Setting the World on Fire with God’s Word

The mission of enlightening the world with the Word of God was a dominant theme in St. Dominic’s life from the earliest stages of his life.  Before he was born, his devout mother, Jane of Aza, “had a prophetic dream presaging his preaching in which Dominic, in the form of a black- and-white dog, was running with a lighted torch in his jaws, setting the world aflame.”[1]  Another sign appeared at his baptism.  “His godmother saw a bright, shining light, like a star, on his brow.  Dominic, then, was destined to be a light, one who would illumine those who sit in darkness.”[2]  Decades later, when Pope Honorius III approved Dominic’s founding of the Order of Preachers, he “declared St. Dominic to be a ‘true light of the world.’”[3]

That theme of being a light-bearer forms the basis of the feature film, Dominic, Light of the Church.  Throughout the movie, Dominic’s desire to clearly teach the word of God to all people is emphasized.  In fact, his founding of the Dominican order in 1216, grew out of Dominic’s efforts, along with his mentor, Bishop Diego of Osma, to bring the best preachers to France in order to counter the Albigensian heresy then being spread largely by the Cathari.  (Albigensians held a “dualistic belief . . . which maintained that God was responsible only for the spiritual world while Satan ruled the material world . . . Jesus had no real human form, matter having been created by the devil.  There were no positive values to marriage nor were there any material goods.")[4]

Another strong theme in Dominic, Light of the Church is that the ministry of St. Dominic and his followers would enlighten the Church throughout the world for many ages to come.  As noted in the credits at the end of the film, when Dominic died in 1221, “the Order of Preachers had only 8 Provinces and 60 religious communities.”[5]   However, St. Dominic who had always been confident that God was calling the new community to preach the Word of God far beyond France, promised his confreres, “Do not weep, my children . . . I shall be more useful to you where I am going than I have ever been in this life.”[6]  His prediction has proven to be prophetic.  “At the turn of the third millennium, the Order of Preachers had 6,000 friars; 4,000 contemplative nuns; 35,000 sisters in the apostolic life; and 80,000 lay members in around 60 countries.”[7]

St. Dominic has long been revered in the Church not only for founding the Dominican order but for the many virtues that he embodied.  “Three heroic virtues were especially evidenced throughout his entire life: mortification, in vigils, fasts, corporal penances, and the privations of mendicant poverty; prayer, often for whole nights in the church with intervals of sleep taken on the ground; above all, his love of neighbor, which he never separated from his love of the Church.”[8]  These aspects of St. Dominic’s character are convincingly demonstrated in the movie.  We see his great love and compassion for the common people, especially the poor and children.  We see his piety and tremendous charity even as a small boy.  (For example, he frequently slept on the floor as an act of penance, and helped his mother make and distribute bread for the poor.)  We see his fervor which was so great that it both inspired and elicited opposition from peers and superiors, such as when Dominic sold everything he owned in the seminary in order to buy food for the poor, even the books he needed for his studies.

Dominic, Light of the Church was produced by the Dominicans’ Provincial Media Board from the  Province of the Philippines.  Originally planned as a documentary it was reworked to be a feature film due to limited historical source material and dramatic concerns.  According to the media board’s head, Fr. Jeffrey Aytona, OP, “Sources telling us about St. Dominic and his times are really limited, or at least inaccessible . . . We initially thought we would retell his story through the documentary medium, but we eventually decided that a feature film would be more accessible to today’s audiences.”[9]

Given the limited budget available to the Dominicans, the film is surprisingly good in its quality of cinematography and acting.  Shot on location in Spain and France, Dominic, Light of the Church, features gorgeous scenery in the French and Spanish countryside as a backdrop for the journeys of St. Dominic’s itinerant, mendicant preachers.

One difficulty for many viewers may be the clarity of speech.  Although the movie is done in English, words are difficult to make out due to the actors’ heavy French and Spanish accents.  This problem is greatly alleviated, however, by English subtitles.  Another likely drawback is that extended scenes showing Dominic using a chain for self-flagellation, which leaves his back bruised and bloody, could be very off-putting or confusing to viewers not familiar with the practice’s history or Church teaching regarding it.  (For example, numerous questions arose in 2010 when a book by the postulator for the sainthood cause of St. John Paul II mentioned that the pope’s self-mortification practices had included flagellation.[10]  In response, Fr. Mihaly Szentmartoni from the Pontifical Gregorian University explained  "Flagellation and other disciplines for inflicting pain on the flesh -- chains, pebbles in one's shoes, etc. -- are used to demonstrate that the person is the master even of pain . . . (However) corporal penitence can become pathological . . . if it becomes an aim in itself . . . (or) in cases where it is self-punishment . . . "[11]  Therefore, according to Cardinal Georges Cottier, theologian of the papal household under St. John Paul, “Spiritual masters insist this practice must always be prudent and never without a spiritual guide.”[12]

Dominic, Light of the Church is periodically broadcast on the Eternal Word Television Network (EWTN).  It does not appear to be available for purchase on DVD at this time.  Although the movie was advertised to be available on DVD in 2012, all purchasing links that could be located seem to be broken.

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[1] Robert Feeney, “Why St. Dominic loved the Rosary,” Catholic Digest [serial online] 71 no. 12 (October 2007): 74, Available from: ATLA Catholic Periodical and Literature Index, Ipswich, MA, accessed February 28, 2016, http://eds.b.ebscohost.com/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?sid=c53a4075-25d8-4dc1-902b-5e034ed2ce23%40sessionmgr120&vid=15&hid=114.

[2] Ibid.

[3] Ibid., 80.

[4] J. M. Powell, "Albigensians," New Catholic Encyclopedia, 2nd ed. Vol. 1 (Detroit: Gale, 2003): 229-231, Gale Virtual Reference Library, accessed February 24, 2016, http://go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?id=GALE%7CCX3407700287&v=2.1&u=23009&it=r&p=GVRL&sw=w&asid=030541e41f3e0afc14a6ec2a3713230a

[5] Christopher Jeffrey Aytona, OP, Dominic, Light of the Church, directed by Fr. Melchor Saria, OP (2011; Philippines: Office for Social Communication of the Dominican Institute of Preaching), Film.

[6] Feeney, “Why St. Dominic loved the Rosary,” 80.

[7] Eldric Paul A. Peredo, “Saint Dominic carries the torch anew in international film,” Dominican Monastery Of Our Lady Of The Rosary, December 31, 2010, accessed February 20, 2016, http://summitdominicans.org/blog/2011/01/saint-dominic-carries-the-torch-anew-in-international-film

[8] M. H. Vicaire, "Dominic, St.," New Catholic Encyclopedia, 2nd ed. Vol. 4 (Detroit: Gale, 2003): 829, Gale Virtual Reference Library, accessed February 27, 2016, http://go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?id=GALE%7CCX3407703336&v=2.1&u=23009&it=r&p=GVRL&sw=w&asid=d9bd0a98c00984aa84fd6821e31cc556

[9] Peredo, “Saint Dominic carries the torch anew.”

[10] Cindy Wooden, “Self-mortification must be moderate, monitored,” National Catholic Reporter, February 5, 2010, accessed February 23, 2016, http://ncronline.org/news/vatican/self-mortification-must-be-moderate-monitored

[11] Ibid.

[12] Ibid.

Bibliography

Aytona, Christopher Jeffrey, OP. Dominic, Light of the Church. Directed by Fr. Melchor Saria, OP. 2011. Philippines: Office for Social Communication of the Dominican Institute of Preaching. Film.

Feeney, Robert. “Why St. Dominic loved the Rosary.” Catholic Digest [serial online] 71 no. 12 (October 2007): 74-80. Available from: ATLA Catholic Periodical and Literature Index, Ipswich, MA. Accessed February 28, 2016. http://eds.b.ebscohost.com/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?sid=c53a4075-25d8-4dc1-902b-5e034ed2ce23%40sessionmgr120&vid=15&hid=114.

Peredo, Eldric Paul A. “Saint Dominic carries the torch anew in international film.” Dominican Monastery Of Our Lady Of The Rosary. December 31, 2010. Accessed February 20, 2016. http://summitdominicans.org/blog/2011/01/saint-dominic-carries-the-torch-anew-in-international-film

Powell, J. M. "Albigensians." New Catholic Encyclopedia, 2nd ed. Vol. 1 (Detroit: Gale, 2003): 229-231. Gale Virtual Reference Library. Accessed February 24, 2016. http://go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?id=GALE%7CCX3407700287&v=2.1&u=23009&it=r&p=GVRL&sw=w&asid=030541e41f3e0afc14a6ec2a3713230a

Vicaire, M. H. "Dominic, St." New Catholic Encyclopedia, 2nd ed. Vol. 4 (Detroit: Gale, 2003): 828-829. Gale Virtual Reference Library. Accessed February 27, 2016, http://go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?id=GALE%7CCX3407703336&v=2.1&u=23009&it=r&p=GVRL&sw=w&asid=d9bd0a98c00984aa84fd6821e31cc556

Wooden, Cindy. “Self-mortification must be moderate, monitored.” National Catholic Reporter. February 5, 2010. Accessed February 23, 2016. http://ncronline.org/news/vatican/self-mortification-must-be-moderate-monitored