Stained glass window from St. Dominic’s Church in Washington, D.C. Photo by Fr. Lawrence Lew, O.P.

A Dominican friar who later became pope, Benedict XI (1240 – 1304) was born Nicholas Boccasina to poor parents in Treviso, Italy. As a child, he was placed in the care of an uncle who was a priest there. He proved highly intelligent, so his uncle taught him Latin and other clerical subjects. Benedict was elected master general of the Order in 1296 and was made a cardinal in 1298. He later became bishop of Ostia and as papal legate to Hungary attempted to settle the civil war there. Benedict supported Pope Bonafice VIII’s decree excommunicating Phillip IV, king of France. While William of Nogaret, Phillip’s councilor, imprisoned Boniface in the castle of Agnami in France, Benedict rallied papal forces to rescue him. On October 22, 1303, Benedict was elected pope but died after serving only eight months. He wrote a volume of sermons and commentary on the Gospel of Matthew, the psalms, and the Apocalypse.

The above excerpt is from Reflections of Dominican Spirituality: The Windows of St. Dominic Church, Washington, D.C. by Dr. Mary Moran.