From July 1 to July 17 of this year, I was given the
opportunity to be a pilgrim and to trace the footsteps
of Saint Dominic from Spain, to France, and to Italy. It
was like an experience of a son tracing the steps of his
father. Visiting and praying on the places that were once
touched by Dominic’s feet makes me feel the presence
of Dominic anew; it makes me wonder how he trod
these roads that led him to set the world on fire.
We began our pilgrimage where Dominic first saw the
light - in Caleuruega, in the region of Castille, Spain. We
also visited Gumiel de Izan, Burgo de Osma, Segovia,
and Madrid. Castille is not only the birth place of Dominic.
It is also where Dominic realized his vocation to the
priesthood. It was in the area of Palencia and Osma that
Dominic showed the virtue of generosity as he would
sell his parchment books to feed the hungry. In the Cathedral of Osma, he
would faithfully observe
the Rule of St. Augustine
as a canon regular. This
cathedral is the Spanish
church that struck me
most. Its beauty and
grandeur may move
many in astonishment,
but what amazed me is
the fact that in this place,
Dominic decided to leave
all these beautiful things
behind, including a
promising ecclesiastical
career (as the subprior
of the canonry). He left
these to dedicate himself fully to the preaching of Truth
beyond the Pyrenees.
Through a long bus ride that cut across the Pyrenees,
we traversed the Spanish-French border. Dominic surely
climbed the mountain range between Spain and France.
Upon crossing the Pyrenees, one would observe the
change of landscape and weather. Far from the warm
and dry weather of Spain, France is relatively cooler,
with lush green vegetation and green fields that graced
our way to Toulouse. We rested in Lourdes savoring
the cold water running from the spring in the grotto of
Our Lady. In the region of Laguedoc in Southwestern
France, we visited the places where Dominic first
encountered the heretics (Cathars and Albigensians)
and where he realized the need for preaching. In this
region, we visited Toulouse, Carcassonne, Prouilhe,
and Fanjeaux. It was in this place that Dominic met the
heretic innkeeper whom he converted to Catholicism by
patiently listening to him and answering his questions
about the Catholic faith. The most picturesque site I had
seen in France is the panoramic view of the Languedoc
region, particularly Prouilhe, seen from Fanjeux, on a
spot which the locals called “Le Seignadou” (in Occitan, “sign of God”). It was in Prouilhe that Dominic and
Diego founded the first community of sisters in 1206.
Dominic built the monastery through a sign from God -
Le Seignadou.
A whole day bus ride took us from France to Italy. It
brought us to the major cities: Rome, Siena, Florence,
and Bologna. These places are important in the
fulfillment of the vocation of Dominic as the Founder
of the Order. In the Eternal City, in the Lateran Basilica,
Dominic would receive from Honorius III the papal bulls
confirming the Order as a religious order (on December
22, 1216) and as having preaching as its principal
charism (on January 17, 1217).
In the course of this pilgrimage, I have asked myself,
800 years after the establishment of the Order, what
have we become? Are we merely museum keepers and
guardians of the treasures of the past? There were
thousands of Dominicans who have walked before us
and surely there will be thousands who will walk after
us, but with God’s providence, it is us - Dominicans of
today, who are blessed to celebrate this Jubilee. When
we look back to the past, it is not to gain pride of what
Dominic have achieved but to catch his fire, to be
inspired by his stories, and to renew our vocation. As
we celebrate this Jubilee, let Dominic be our inspiration
in setting ourselves on fire.
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