Special Character Report: Saint Dominic
By Special Character Prefects | Posted: Wednesday August 7, 2024
A reflection from our Special Character Prefects Charlotte and Beatrice
Hello everyone
Welcome back to term 3 everyone! Hope you all had a relaxing holiday break.
Today we are celebrating St Dominic’s Day. St. Dominic is a patron saint of the Dominican Republic and of astronomers. Saint Dominic was born in Caleruega, Spain in 1170. It is known that Dominic was well educated, mainly concentrating on theology and the arts. He was known as an exemplary student by his professors. In 1191, a famine left many people desolate and homeless across Spain. Dominic sold everything he had, including his furniture and clothes and bought food for the poor. When he sold his manuscripts, required for study, he replied, "Would you have me study from these dead skins when people are dying of hunger?"
St Dominic started the Order of Friars Preachers also known as the Dominican order. Many centuries after St Dominic died, in 1871 ten Dominican Sisters from Sion Hill, Dublin, arrived in Dunedin. Four days later they opened a high school, St Dominic’s College, which became part of our school once Kavanagh College, now Trinity Catholic College. The Foundress, Mother Gabriel Gill, challenged both her Sisters and herself with the mantra “Are you prepared to do for God what the miners do for gold?” By 1929 there were 120 Sisters in Otago and Southland serving a number of Schools and Colleges.
Today we celebrate with a mass lead by our school chaplin Father Hook, together the other Primary schools in dunedin founded by the Dominican Sisters; St Joseph’s, Sacred Heart and St Mary’s Kaikorai. Followed by a barbecue lunch and some fun games for our primary schools.
Prayer
May God the Father, who made us, bless us. May God the Son, who redeemed us, send healing into our midst.
May God the Holy Spirit, who gives us life, move within us.
May God give us eyes to see to God, ears to hear God, and hands to bring God’s work into the world.
May we walk with God and preach the word of God to all.
May the angel of peace watch over us and lead us at last by God's grace to the eternal Kingdom.
Amen
Have an amazing weekend!
Charlotte and Beatrice
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