<p>Dominic de Guzman, born in Caleruega, Spain, around 1172, began his priestly life in Osma as a cathedral canon. In 1205, he and Bishop Diego of Osma were sent to the south of France to combat the Albigensian heresy. The Albigensians believed that all matter was evil, and all good resided solely in the spiritual realm. Dominic worked tirelessly to defend the truth of the Incarnation, the redemption of humankind through the Body and Blood of Christ, using his extensive knowledge and great skill as a preacher. He also felt that he should live the life of a beggar, as Jesus had instructed the apostles.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 4pt 0cm 0pt;">By 1216, Dominic had founded the Order of Preachers (Dominicans) and soon had houses in all the university cities in Europe. The priests were highly educated and could be sent where the need was greatest, fighting heresy and preaching the importance of the sacraments. Dominic himself walked from city to city, preaching and inviting vocations. He died at Bologna in 1221, but the order had already begun to flourish, having both the intellectual and popular appeal of the founder himself. He was canonized in 1234 and is a patron saint of the Dominican Republic (named after the Latin word for Sunday), astronomers, scientists, and falsely accused persons..<br /></p>
<p>©2011 <em>Living with Christ, </em>Novalis - Bayard Press Canada Inc., <strong>http://www.livingwithchrist.ca/</strong>. Reprinted with permission.</p>
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