St. Dominic Raises Dead Child

The following reflection is part of an ongoing series about the life of St. Dominic & the Order of Friars Preachers.

Dominic was one of the few of Christ’s servants graced with the special charism of healing, and many healing miracles were attributed to his intercession. While in Rome, Dominic often preached at the church of St. Mark, where he drew enthusiastic crowds of people from all ranks of life. Among those who came to hear him was Gutadona, a widow. One day, rather than miss Dominic’s preaching, she came to the church, leaving her only son at home dangerously ill. On her return she found that he had died. With her servants she carried the child’s lifeless body back to St. Mark’s and sought out Dominic. Dominic touched the child and raised him to life. As Christ had done, he told the woman not to tell anyone about the incident, but, as with those whom Christ had healed, the news spread rapidly. According to tradition, the story reached Honorius III, who ordered it to be announced from the pulpits of the city. Dominic implored him to rescind the order, saying that his sense of true humility would force him to leave the country. The pope, however, remained steadfast and commanded Dominic to accept the people’s veneration.

Fr. Lawrence Lew, O.P. (a member of the English Province) was invited by the Dominican Foundation to take pictures of some of the locations where our friars serve throughout the Northeast. During his time in Washington, D.C., Fr. Lew photographed the interior of the Church of St. Dominic. St. Dominic’s has been the church where our friars are ordained to the priesthood each May. Surrounding the church, is a collection of beautiful stained glass windows that chronicle the life of St. Dominic & the foundation of the Order of Preachers. Fr. Lew accomplished a great work by capturing the splendor of these windows, and in the process, the life of a towering saint.

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