Dominic was born in eleventh century Spain to a poor family. He grew up doing the work of his father—shepherding—and he came to love the solitude and silence. He left the family and joined a monastery nearby and grew in holiness and stature. He was eventually elected abbot.

Following a dispute with the king over property, Dominic and two other monks were exiled. They established a new monastery in in another part of Spain, Silos, and was appointed abbot there. Many healings were reported there. Dominic restored the physical and spiritual foundations of life there and made it one of the most famous monasteries in Spain.

Miracles were attributed to Dominic in his work—it was said that there was not an illness that could not be cured through his intercession. There is even a story that has been passed down that a group of 300 Christians who were enslaved in north Africa were set free when they prayed in his name.

About 100 years after Dominic’s death, a young woman who experienced difficult pregnancies made a pilgrimage to his tomb. There Dominic of Silos appeared to her and assured her that she would bear another son. The woman was Joan of Aza, and the son she bore grew up to be the “other” Dominic—Dominic Guzman, the one who founded the Dominicans.

Dominic also rescued Christian slaves from the Moors. Dominic's shrine is noted for its place in the birth of Dominic de Guzman, the founder of the Order of Preachers.

St. Dominic of Silos is patron saint of prisoners, pregnant women, and shepherds.

Other Saints of the Day
1. Saint Philogonius of Antioch
2. Saint Macarius of Arabia
3. Saint Paul of Latra
4. Saint Attala of Strasbourg
5. Saint Dominic of Brescia

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