The Dominican enters the Order of Friars Preachers to save his soul. He could have saved it outside the Order, but once he takes vows, must save it through the spirituality of the Order. …In practice, the Order’s spirituality means living the religious life as it is prescribed in the Rule of St. Augustine, the Constitutions, and the family customs which have developed over the centuries. If the Dominican lives these things established for him, he follows a spirituality that will lead him to salvation. (Father William A. Hinnebusch, O.P.)

The goal of the Order of Preachers is the salvation of souls—our own soul as well as the souls of others. For over 800 years, numerous Dominicans, faithful to the way of life established by St. Dominic, have achieved great holiness. The Order can boast of more than 70 canonized saints and 200 blesseds, including three Popes, two novices and a master Renaissance artist. The following is a selection of these holy men and women in whose footsteps we follow as members of the Order of Preachers.

St. Dominic

St. Agnes of Montepulciano

St. Albert the Great

St. Antoninus

St. Catherine of Siena

St. Hyacinth

St. John of Cologne

St. Juan Macias

St. Louis de Montfort

St. Margaret of Hungary

St. Margaret of Castello

St. Martin de Porres

St. Peter of Verona

St. Pius V

St. Rose of Lima

St. Thomas Aquinas

St. Vincent Ferrer

Bl. Diana d’Andalo

Bl. Henry Suso

Bl. Imelda Lambertini

Bl. Jane of Aza

Bl. John of Fiesole (Fra Angelico)

Bl. Jordan of Saxony

Bl. Pier Giorgio Frassati

Bl. Reginald of Orleans

Litany of Dominican Saints and Blesseds

St. Dominic embraced the same general elements of the Christian life shared by others in the Church, but blended them into a specific spirituality that is original, balanced, and unique. The spiritual life of the Friars Preachers draws from Sacred Scripture, bases itself on the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, the Sacraments, and the liturgy, incorporates principles of traditional asceticism, and drinks from the purest sources of Western mysticism and monasticism. (Father William A. Hinnebusch, O.P.)