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St. Dominic was the founder of the religious order that bears his name, the Dominicans. Dominican friars and sisters have the letters "O.P." at the end of their name, which means "Order of Preachers". Saints Thomas Aquinas, Catherine of Siena, Margaret of Castello, Rose of Lima, and Pope Pius V were all Dominicans.
But did you know the story behind St. Dominic and the Rosary?
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In 1208, St. Dominic was traveling through France and preaching against heresies. Growing discouraged at his lack of success, he retreated to the woods where he fasted and prayed for Divine help. After three days, the Blessed Virgin Mary appeared to him and told him that he would need to pray the Marian Psalter in order to be successful. The Marian Psalter was a prayer developed by Cistercian monks consisting of 150 Hail Mary’s, divided into groups of 10 by Our Fathers. It was not, however, meditative or one that could be preached. The Blessed Mother revealed to St. Dominic that certain mysteries — stories of Christ’s life — should be meditated on for each set of Hail Mary’s (also called “decades”). Meditating on these mysteries would then unlock them, and these mysteries could then in turn be preached against the heresies that were being spoken against Christ’s incarnation, life, death, resurrection, and ascension. This form of prayer would come to be called the Rosary: a “wreath of roses.” The Rosary is a gift from the Virgin Most Powerful to us, and it is a mighty weapon in spiritual warfare.
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The St. Dominic Prayer Journal contains a brief biography of St. Dominic, St. Dominic's Nine Ways of Prayer, a classical Dominican Novena to St. Dominic, prayers, quotes, classical artwork, and journal pages. It's $11.99, available here.
Our Other Dominican Prayer Journals:
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To Celebrate the Feast of St. Dominic, all ready-to-ship Rosaries are 15% off with the discount code DOMINIC22 though midnight, August 15th, the feast of the Assumption of Mary.
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It's interesting to watch re-runs of TV shows from ten or fifteen years ago, and compare them to today. Family structures, family interactions, words that are used... so much that was normal then would be found offensive in today's "woke" culture. (And I'm not talking about things like racism.) Some networks have even stopped airing episodes of shows—such as the "Diversity Day" episode of The Office—because some people find it offensive.
This is not to say that the shows from ten or fifteen years ago were morally wholesome, especially when compared to entertainment from decades earlier. The point I'm trying to make is the speed at which society and morality has descended to its current state. I'm afraid this is not just a matter of happenstance. This has been part of Satan's plan for centuries, a plan I describe in detail in Rebellion. Here's an excerpt:
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I love making Rosaries, I really do. Most important to me is to make them something that people want to hold. As I tell my kids: "An unprayed Rosary is just a bunch of beads in a drawer, and the first step to praying the Rosary is to hold it." There's something great about the feel and the sound of a good Rosary, and I aim to deliver that in every Rosary I make.
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My friend John was telling me that he lost his favorite pocket Rosary. Of course I offered to make him a new one. "Don't bother," he said. "I'm picky, and if I don't like it, then you're going to feel bad." I told him if he doesn't like it, he can give it to his oldest son, and before long we were talking specifics and debating the optimum spacing between beads.
This is what I made him: 6mm black dyed wood Aves with tight spacing, chromed fluted Paters, and a simple Crucifix and center. He took it with him on his family's trip to Lourdes this month. (A request: Please pray for his wife Liz, and for a miraculous cure for her cancer.)
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Generations Catholic bookstore referred Joan to me to fix her strung Rosary. It has her husband's name and all her kids' names in the decades, and she really wanted to take it to pray at her son's wedding. I don't make strung Rosaries, and I normally don't repair them, but repairing this Rosary in time for this special occasion was worth the exception.
It was broken where the large loop attaches to the center, requiring all five decades to be re-strung. I used 19-strand poly-coated steel wire, and double-knotted it to the center to relieve some of the stress that caused the failure. Praying for blessings on her son and his bride!
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Catholic Treehouse is proud to be a sponsor of the St. Michael Festival. Come bid on our Rosaries in the silent auction this Labor Day Weekend.
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One more thing...
There's much more planned for Catholic Treehouse in the coming months. Help us get the word out! Send this email to a friend, like us on Facebook, and most of all: please pray for us.
Christus Vincit!
- Mike
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