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Overview and History

Unified in Christ

Saint Dominic wanted a family at the service of the Church to preach Jesus Christ and His mercy to sinners. We are united by the same charism of prayer, study, common life and preaching.

Discover the Dominican Family

We belong to the Dominican family: brothers, nuns, congregations of sisters of apostolic life, lay people in fraternity, youth groups, secular institutes and secular priests in fraternity.

Friars

Nuns

Apostolic Sisters

Priestly Fraternities

Lay Fraternities

Dominican Youth

Secular Institutes

A Historical Overview

A Journey of 800 Years

The Dominican Family, is a great spiritual family, born eight centuries ago in the heart of Dominic and according to his founding charism. It is still alive and active in the Church and in today’s world. It carries all the richness of its past and a renewed freedom to recreate the truth of mercy in the service of future humanity, at this beginning of the third millennium.

The Holy Preaching

1206 – 1207

The Dominican family originated from the “holy preaching” inaugurated by St. Dominic in Montpellier. It was a mission of evangelical renewal born on the threshold of the 13th century.

Prouilhe (1207)

The first achievement was the monastery of Prouilhe, the “first fruit” of Dominic’s preaching in Fanjeaux.

Public Meetings

Public organized meetings in Montreal and Pamiers allowed dissidents to hear the Church’s voice without political pressure.

A "Humble Minister"

Dominic called himself the “humble minister of the holy preaching,” multiplying offerings for the “Converted Ladies of Prouilhe.”

Rooted in the People

1214 – 1250

From its earliest days, the Order grew as a family where the founder’s charism shone through every component of God’s people—friars, nuns, and laity alike

The First Families

Early converts like Ermengarde Godoline and Sanç Gasc gave themselves to the Order to benefit from the community’s prayers.

Jacobins Chapel

Families returning to the Church in Toulouse asked to be buried in the Jacobins chapel, under construction since 1250.

Arnaud Bernard Hospice

In 1214, the first brothers helped care for the sick at this hospice during 20 years of war

Charity in Times of Crisis

1348 – 1417

During the Great Plague and the Great Western Schism, the Order provided a “new impetus” for a collapsing Church, fulfilling the vision of Pope Innocent III.

St. Catherine of Siena

She manifested the “truth of charity” in service to both the Church and the City.

Straightening the Walls

The vision of the Church being straightened by Dominic and Francis was realized through active service.

Spiritual Continuity

Since the 19th century, many congregations of apostolic sisters have shared in Catherine’s unique spirituality.

The New World & Universal Mercy

1579 – 1639

The charism crossed the oceans, finding new expression in the first saints of the Americas and a deep commitment to the poorest.

St. Rose of Lima

1586-1617

The first saint of the New World, she provided a “new beginning” through a life of dedicated prayer.

St. Martin de Porres

1579-1639

He defined the Order’s mission through profound charity shown to the most marginalized.

Creativity of Charity

The teaching and action of the Order deployed across ages, driven by the “creativity of charity” among brothers and sisters.

The Third Millennium

1901 – Today

Eight centuries later, the Dominican Family remains a spiritual force, carrying the richness of its past with a renewed freedom to serve future humanity.

20th Century Witnesses

The “exuberant youthfulness” of Pier Giorgio Frassati and the political maturity of Giorgio La Pira.

Global Presence

The mission is active today across five continents through friars, nuns, sisters, and Dominican fraternities.

The Truth of Mercy

At the beginning of the third millennium, the Order continues to recreate the “truth of mercy” in a changing world.

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