The shepherds

  The simple hasten eagerly to see the newborn king lying in a
manger; they find him and acknowledge him; they adore and rejoice and
mingle their artless praises with the heavenly hymns. These men and
women are the first stones of the ecclesiastical structure: they are
the first members of the new Church, and the Shepherd of shepherds at
his very birth hired them, men skilled in feeding flocks, to care for
his own sheepfold. Because he had determined that he would later on
buy a great flock for himself with his own blood, from the outset he
hired shepherds to whom he might afterward entrust the care of his
sheepfold. How the Virgin rejoiced at the devotion of these simple
folk! How delighted and gladdened she was by their praises! For by his
own announcement God had begun to make known to human beings the
mystery of divine condescension which had occurred in her womb for
their salvation.
--Thomas of Villanova, O.S.A.

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21 December – Blessed Dominic Spadafora OP

Memorial
21 December
3 October on some calendars

(1450-1521)

Dominican Priest, renowned Preacher. He was a noted
evangelist and attracted countless to the Dominican fold while also
converting the hearts of others who led dissolute lives. His body is
incorrupt.

Dominic was born in Sicily, of an old and noble family. His father was
Baron of Miletto, and members of the family were connected with the
nobility of Venice and Palermo. As a child, Dominic attended school in
the Convent of St Rita in Palerno, which had been founded some years
before by Blessed Peter Geremia. He studied in Perugia after moving
there in 1477 and was later sent to Padua where he earned his
Bachelor’s degree on 23 June 1479 and shortly thereafter, was ordained
to the Priesthood. In Venice on 7 June 1487 he was granted his
Master’s degree in theological studies after a public dissertation
alongside 11 other candidates. He joined the Order of Preachers at the
convent of Santa Zita in Palermo after returning there, where, for
some time he lived quietly conducting classes for the brethren and the
secular clergy.

He participated at the General Chapter of the order in Venice in 1487.
He was supposed to be assigned to a convent in Messina in 1487 but the
Father General of the order, Gioacchino Torriani, decided to have him
as his collaborator in Rome. Also in 1487 he participated in the
General Chapter in Le Mans in the Kingdom of France.

Blessed Dominic became a noted preacher and evangelist and won the
hearts of converts that had led dissolute lives – such an example of
holiness also prompted countless others to join the Dominican fold as
religious themselves. He was known for his intense devotion to the
passion of Jesus Christ. Amidst this activity he also taught
theological studies in the Sicilian area.

He founded the convent of Madonna delle Grazie – that housed a
miraculous image of the Madonna – in 1491 in Monte Cerignone and
served for the remainder of his life as its first superior. This came
about when the faithful of the area wanted to enhance the small chapel
and thus the Master General of the Dominicans sent for Spadaforo to
oversee its renovation. The priest arrived there in the town on 15
September 1491 and set off on foot to Rome in 1492 to receive papal
approval for this work. At this point Pope Innocent VII died and Pope
Alexander VI was elected in a chain of events that postponed their
meeting until 22 February 1493 when papal permission was granted. He
returned with the decree of approval in 1493 and began construction of
the church in 1494. The work concluded in 1498. The Bishop Marco
Vigerio della Rovere consecrated the new church on 16 July 1498.

What we have considered to be the usual virtues of a Dominican friar
were practised faithfully by Dominic Spadafora. He spent most of his
Dominican life in the Convent of Our Lady of Grace, directing
societies and confraternities, zealous for regular observance and
scrupulously exact in his own behaviour.

Dominic Spadafora died in 1521 aged 71, after the celebration of Mass.
He had revealed earlier to the community that he knew he was about to
die. He attended all religious exercises up to the hour of his death
and he died as every Dominican hopes he will – the community was
around him, singing the “Salve Regina.”

Blessed Dominic’s remains were exhumed in 1545 and were deemed to be incorrupt. His remains were relocated on 3 October 1677.  His remains
were relocated once more on 4 April 2005 to the Chiesa della
Santissima Trinità. He was Beatified by Pope Benedict XV in 1921 after
the pontiff confirmed the late priest’s ‘cultus’.

from Anastpaul 2019


Saint Quote:
What toil we must endure, what fatigue, while we are attempting to
climb hills and the summits of mountains! What, that we may ascend to
heaven! If you consider the promised reward, what you endure is less. Immortality is given to the one who perseveres; everlasting life is
offered; the Lord promises His Kingdom.
--St. Cyprian of Carthage

Bible Quote:
And Jesus saith to him: The foxes have holes, and the birds of the air
nests; but the Son of man hath not where to lay his head.  (Matthew
8:20)  DRB


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A Prayer before reading the Bible

Our Father, who art in heaven,
sacred is Your Word.
Your kingdom come,
Your Words be heard on earth as they are in heaven.
Give us today Your Sacred Word.
Forgive our neglect of it in the past
as we forgive those who neglect us.
Lead us toward an encounter with You
each time we delve into the Scriptures.
For Your presence, Your power,
and Your glory
are ever present among us
now and forever.

Amen.

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