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

Reginald of Orleans (1180 – 1220), a doctor of laws, was a prominent public figure and distinguished scholar before becoming a Dominican, having held the chair of canon law at the University of Paris. On his way to visit the Holy Land, Reginald stopped in Rome, where he was drawn to Dominic and his Order’s ideal. While there he fell dangerously ill with a high fever. Tradition has it that Mary appeared to him in a vision and healed him. She also showed him the white scapular that Dominic had adopted for his Order and anointed his feet with holy oil to make them ready to spread the Gospel. Reginald later received from Dominic the scapular, described in the Order’s vows as “the maternal pledge from heaven of the love of the Blessed Virgin Mary towards us.” Reginald’s example and eloquent preaching attracted many young men to the Dominican Order in Italy and later in Paris.

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