The Dominican Order celebrates its anniversary on December 22nd.

December 22, 1216, was the blessed day when Pope Honorius III approved the Order of Saint Dominic as the Order of Preachers.

From the beginning, this day was celebrated as a feast in honor of Mary to thank her for her intercession and to invoke her patronage over the Dominican Order. Following the recent liturgical reform, this feast was moved to May 8th.

We ask our visitors to kindly pray for the Dominicans according to the prayers inspired by heaven to a monk and later approved by the Pope and inserted into the missal.

It is not necessary to say them at Mass. They can also be read directly on the video.

Thank you for your great generosity.

We recommend them from today until Epiphany.

Here is the story and the prayers:

“There was in Tuscany a Cistercian monk from the monastery of San Galgano near Siena, a man of great simplicity, who because of his fame for sanctity was often summoned by the Roman Curia. The Lord had revealed many things to him and had often appeared to him.

It happened that two of our brothers came to his monastery and asked him to pray for them and for the entire Order of Preachers. Now, as he was praying that night after matins, and, simple and devout as he was, not knowing how best to pray for the brothers, it seemed to him that the Lord appeared to him and said: ‘Brother James, take these prayers and with them pray for the Friars Preachers.'”

At the same time there lived in the Cistercian abbey of St Galganus, near Siena, a monk named James, a man of great simplicity and piety, and worthy of credit, on which account he was often summoned to the court of Rome: very marvellous, too, are the accounts given of his visions and revelations while he was saying mass. Having a very special love and devotion for the Order on account of its fruitful labours, he was often heard to declare he wished all his brethren the world over were one with ours in preaching the gospel. It chanced that some of our religious, after preaching at St Galganus, with great profit of souls, besought him to offer up a special prayer for the Order. During the next night, as he was praying with more fervour than usual, entreating our Lord to reveal the most fitting prayers he could use for the Order, it was revealed that he should say the following in the holy mass. They were given him by our Lord Jesus Christ in person, with these injunctions:’ Brother James, take these prayers, and so continue to pray for the Order of Preachers.’

COLLECT.  Enlighten, O Lord, the hearts of thy servants with the unction of the Holy Ghost, bestow upon them the gift of burning eloquence, and grant increase of merit to such as preach thy word, through Christ our Lord. 

SECRET (at the Offertory). Grant, we beseech thee, O Lord, the gift of winning speech to thy servants, and whilst thou sanctifiest these offerings made unto thee, visit their souls with thy saving presence, through Christ our Lord. 

POSTCOMMUNION (after communion).Keep thy servants, O Lord, who have partaken of the body and blood of thy only-begotten Son, and shed the fulness of thy saving grace upon all who preach thy word, through Christ our Lord. 

These prayers were approved of by the Pope, who had them inserted in the Missal (Geraldo di Frachet, Vitae fratrum, 42).

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