15/08/2026
15 AUGUST 1217 | ST. DOMINIC DISPERSES THE FIRST FRIARS PREACHERS
When St. Dominic returned to Toulouse from Rome in May 1217, he was joyfully welcomed by his brethren, who became apprehensive when their founder eventually announced his intention of dispersing the newly-established Order to the different countries in Europe.
St. Dominic summoned his sixteen brethren to Prouille on the Solemnity of the Assumption in 1217 with the purpose of immediately scattering โseedsโ of the Order in pursuit of the apostolic mission. We can readily understand the anxiety of the little band of preachers when they heard that, only within eight months since their confirmation as an Order (by Pope Honorius III on 22 December1216), they were already to be dispersed for study and preaching.
Some friends of St. Dominic tried to dissuade him, which included Fulk of Toulouse, the Archbishop of Narbonne, Simon de Montfort, and even some of his own brethren. John of Navarre even resisted almost to the point of rebellion and expressed his unwillingness to set off in such condition. But Dominic was inexorable and believed that their vocation was not only confined to one place, but to all nations; not for themselves alone, but for the Church and the world. โThe seed will fructify if it is sown; it will but molder if you hoard it up.โ
He then considerately provided his brethren moments to reflect if they could submit themselves to such vocation, with the alternative of leaving the Order. But his followers had too profound a veneration for his person and character to oppose him, and soon yielded the point. The event showed how entirely such resolution was guided by the Holy Spirit.
Just before the act of dispersion took place, St. Dominic again manifested that spirit of Christian democracy, which is a prominent feature of his Order. He realized the necessity of a superior who would rule in his absence, or in the event of his death. Instead of arbitrarily appointing such a superior from among those who most fully shared his views, as he could have done, he ordered an election of their leader. The choice fell upon Matthew of France, who assumed the title of โAbbotโ. This designation was permanently discontinued at the death of its sole bearer in 1220.
When Dominic had concluded his address, the sixteen brethren knelt before him and made their solemn vows in his hands, binding themselves to the three obligations of the religious state; for until then they had been bound to him by no other tie than their own will. The nuns of Prouille, in like manner, all made their profession on the same day, adding the fourth vow of enclosure. With a parting exhortation to be faithful to their glorious mission, St. Dominic dismissed his brethren without a single doubt. He placed his trust in God and dispersed the first Preachers. Pope Honorius III commended the universal mission of the Dominicans to all bishops in 1218.
Seven brothers, divided into two groups, were destined for Paris, the university city and capital of theological thought:
FIRST GROUP TO PARIS
1. Matthew of France promoted the Order in his home country and was designated as the superior of the group.
2. Bertrand was a constant companion of St. Dominic in his journeys, and a most faithful imitator of his life and austerities.
3. John of Navarre, who was described by M.H. Vicaire as โenfant terribleโ, was deeply sincere and a realist, not hiding his faults.
4. Lawrence the Englishman was one of the pilgrims whom St. Dominic saved from death.
SECOND GROUP TO PARIS
1. Bl. Mannes, a blood brother of St. Dominic, was a man of great contemplation, zealous for souls, and illustrious for sanctity; he was the only one of the sixteen who has received the solemn beatification of the Church.
2. Michael of Fabra, a Spaniard of noble descent, was the first lecturer on Theology in the Order; he was the confessor to King James of Aragon in his expeditions to Majorca and Valencia, where he was to found a convent of Preachers.
3. Odier/ Oderic of Normandy was a lay-brother who was known and reverenced for his perfection of sanctity.
FOUR BROTHERS SENT TO SPAIN:
1. Peter of Madrid was a faithful follower of St. Dominic but there are no extant sources about the particulars of his life.
2. Suero Gomez, a Portuguese of noble birth, was a virtuous founder of the Order in Portugal.
3. Dominic the Little, was a man of small stature, but of exceptional humility and generosity; of little knowledge but magnificent virtue.
4. Michael de Uzero was to establish the Order in Spain.
TWO BROTHERS REMAINED IN THE CONVENT OF ST. ROMAIN IN TOULOUSE:
1. Peter Seila, who may be said โto have received the Order rather than the Order receiving himโ for the Order was lodged in his house, established the Order in Toulouse.
2. Thomas, who received a special gift of preaching from God.
TWO BROTHERS MINISTERED TO THE NUNS IN PROUILLE:
1. Noel of Prouille was the superior in Prouille, and was one of the first missionaries against the Albigensian heresy during the time of Diego of Azevedo.
2. William de Claret was the administrator in Prouille.
TWO BROTHERS WERE SENT TO ROME:
1. St. Dominic crossed the Alps on foot for the fourth time, on his way to Rome in October 1217, to preach.
2. Stephen of Metz, who accompanied St. Dominic in Rome, was a Belgian who was a man of abstinence and of burning zeal for the eternal salvation of his neighbor.
Dominicโs plan was to establish near the worldโs great universities centers of sacred preaching, communities whose members would be devoted to study, teaching, and preaching, as well as prayer. Since the dispersal of the brethren, there were houses of the Order all over Europe and the numbers would continue to grow, for vocations came in great abundance.
By the time of the founderโs dies natalis four years later, on 06 August 1221, the Order had 62 Priories; and twenty-five years later its members numbered 35,000.
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Text prepared by Fr. Louie Coronel, OP
