In the year 1000, Saint Dominic was born in Cañas, Navarre, Spain. A peasant by birth, he was raised as a shepherd until he entered the Benedictine monastery in Navarre. When Dominic refused to surrender the monastery estates to the King of Navarre, he was forced to move out of the house with two other monks.

The king welcomed him when he ran away to Old Castile. Then he went to the nearly run-down monastery of San Sebastian in Silos.

Dominic, who had been elected abbot, quickly restored the monastery's finances, structure, and charitable endeavors while also revitalizing its spirit. Dominic was well-known for his ability to perform healing miracles through prayer and for his efforts to free Christian prisoners held on the moors.

On December 10, 1073, he passed away in Silos, Spain. A young woman who suffered from difficult pregnancies made a trip to Dominic's tomb around a century after his death. She was visited by Dominic of Silos, who assured her that she would have another son. The mother was Joan of Aza, and the child she gave birth to was Dominic Guzman, the man who started the Dominicans, also known as the "other" Dominic.

For hundreds of years following that, whenever a queen of Spain was in labor, the staff used by Saint Dominic of Silos was transported to the royal palace. The practice was discontinued in 1931.

St. Dominic’s feast day is celebrated on December 20. He is revered as the patron against rabies, rabid dogs, insects and captives. He is also the patron saint of pregnant women, prisoners and shepherds.

Other Saints of the Day
Saint Ammon
Saint Zephyrinus
Saint Julius
Saint Peter Thi
Saint Ursicinus