Today we celebrate the feast of the Patronage of Mary over the whole Dominican Order.  This feast celebrates Mary more as Mother than of benefactor.  As the Gospel relates, Jesus said to the Apostle John, “Behold your Mother.”  The motherhood of Mary for the whole Church is established in these few words by Jesus.

The special relationship with the order can be traced back to an early tale of St. Dominic.  Deep in prayer, our Holy Father Dominic saw three women, the central woman of great dignity and beauty.  She was carrying an aspergillum and blessing rows of Dominicans kneeling in rows along her path.  This vision disappeared and another one was granted.  Dominic saw our Lord and the Blessed Virgin sitting on thrones in heaven.  The sight was gloriously wonderful and Dominic hesitated to approach, but both Our Lady and Jesus insisted.  In the vision Jesus showed all the religious who were in heaven, yet Dominic did not see a single one of his own order and he began to weep.  Asked why he was weeping, Dominic replied that although he saw many members of religious orders in heaven, he did not see any of the Order of Preachers.  Our Lady instructed Dominic to come closer and as he did Our Lady opened her mantle and under her arms and stretching out to a great distance were tens of thousands of Dominicans.

Ever since then, the already strong devotion to our Lady was strengthened by an act of consecration.  Each year on this festival of her patronage Dominicans join in renewing their devotion to this most clement, most loving and most gracious woman of faith, the Mother of our Savior and our Mother too.