Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.  Mt 5:8

Today we celebrate the Feast of All the Saints of the Dominican Order. 

We come together as one Dominican Family today to celebrate not only Our Saints, but also our many Blesseds, Holy Friars, Nuns, Sisters, and Laity who have lived over the past 800 or so years.

We are so privileged to celebrate them as they provide us with an example by which we follow in our religious lives, by their wonderous fellowship in their communion and in their much-needed aid to us by their intercessions to God on our behalf.  We celebrate all of those Dominicans who were faithful in their lives lived with great prayer, silence, and penance, those who have educated thousands of souls, and Third Order members who have sanctified the world.

We celebrate in thanks to God on this important feast day for our Order and turn to the examples of our Saints, their lives, and their intercessions for us to that they may guide us on our spiritual journey.

Our Spiritual Father, Saint Dominic left us a wonderous legacy of teaching and preaching by word and example of how we should live our lives.  It is, then, joyous and encouraging that so many of our Dominican brothers and sisters have been beatified and canonized.

How fitting that the Gospel appointed for today includes these words spoken by Our Lord:

…..but those who are deemed worthy to attain to the coming age
and to the resurrection of the dead  neither marry nor are given in marriage.  They can no longer die, for they are like angels; and they are the children of God because they are the ones who will rise. That the dead will rise even Moses made known in the passage about the bush,
when he called out ‘Lord,’ the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob; and he is not God of the dead, but of the living,
for to him all are alive.”   (Lk 24: 34-38)

Let us pray then in the example we have been taught to ask our dear saints to intercede for us, and to thank our God for all the saints of our Dominican Order and for the fruits of our order to be pleasing in his sight by joining in the Dominican Order Litany of Saints:

God, the heavenly Father have mercy on us.

God, the Son, Redeemer of the world have mercy on us.

God, the Holy Spirit have mercy on us.

Holy Trinity, one God have mercy on us.

Holy Mary pray for us.

Saint Mary Magdalen pray for us.

Holy Father Dominic pray for us.

Holy Father Dominic pray for us.

Holy Father Augustine pray for us.

Holy Father Francis pray for us.

Blessed Jane of Aza pray for us.

Blessed Reginald pray for us.

Blessed Bertrand pray for us.

Blessed Mannes pray for us.

Blessed Diana pray for us.

Blessed Jordan of Saxony pray for us.

Blessed John of Salerno pray for us.

Blessed William and Companions pray for us.

Blessed Ceslaus pray for us.

Blessed Isnard pray for us.

Blessed Guala pray for us.

Blessed Peter Gonzalezpray for us.

Saint Zdislava pray for us.

Saint Peter of Verona pray for us.

Blessed Nicholas pray for us.

Saint Hyacinth pray for us.

Blessed Gonsalvo pray for us.

Blessed Sadoc and Companions pray for us.

Blessed Giles pray for us.

Saint Margaret of Hungary pray for us.

Blessed Batholomew of Vincenza pray for us.

Saint Thomas Aquinas pray for us.

Saint Raymond of Penyafort pray for us.

Blessed Innocent V pray for us.

Blessed Albert of Bergamo pray for us.

Saint Albert the Great pray for us.

Blessed John of Vercelli pray for us.

Blessed Ambrose pray for us.

Blessed Cecilia pray for us.

Blessed Benvenuta pray for us.

Blessed James of Varazze pray for us.

Blessed James of Bevagna pray for us.

Blessed Jane of Orvieto pray for us.

Blessed Jordan of Pisa pray for us.

Saint Emily pray for us.

Blessed James Salomonio pray for us.

Saint Agnes of Montepulciano pray for us.

Blessed Simon pray for us.

Blessed Margaret of Castello pray for us.

Blessed Augustine Kazotic pray for us.

Blessed James Benefatti pray for us.

Blessed Imelda pray for us.

Blessed Dalmatius pray for us.

Blessed Margaret Ebner pray for us.

Blessed Villana pray for us.

Blessed Peter Ruffia pray for us.

Blessed Henry pray for us.

Blessed Sibyllina pray for us.

Blessed Anthony of Pavonio pray for us.

Saint Catherine of Siena pray for us.

Blessed Marcolino pray for us.

Blessed Raymond of Capua pray for us.

Blessed Andrew Franchi pray for us.

Saint Vincent Ferrer pray for us.

Blessed Clara pray for us.

Blessed John Dominic pray for us.

Blessed Alvarez pray for us.

Blessed Maria pray for us.

Blessed Peter of Castello pray for us.

Blessed Andrew Abellon pray for us.

Blessed Stephen pray for us.

Blessed Peter Geremia pray for us.

Blessed John of Fiesole pray for us.

Blessed Lawrence of Ripafratta pray for us.

Blessed Anthony della Chiesa pray for us.

Saint Antoninus pray for us.

Blessed Anthony Neyrot pray for us.

Blessed Margaret of Savoy pray for us.

Blessed Bartholomew of Cerverio pray for us.

Blessed Matthew pray for us.

Blessed Constantius pray for us.

Blessed Christopher pray for us.

Blessed Damian pray for us.

Blessed Andrew of Peschiera pray for us.

Blessed Bernard pray for us.

Blessed Jane of Portugal pray for us.

Blessed James of Ulm pray for us.

Blessed Augustine of Biella pray for us.

Blessed Aimo pray for us.

Blessed Sebastian pray for us.

Blessed Mark pray for us.

Blessed Columba pray for us.

Blessed Magdalen pray for us.

Blessed Osanna of Mantua pray for us.

Blessed John Liccio pray for us.

Blessed Dominic Spadafora pray for us.

Blessed Stephana pray for us.

Saint Adrian pray for us.

Blessed Lucy pray for us.

Blessed Catherine Racconigi pray for us.

Blessed Osanna of Kotor pray for us.

Saint Pius V pray for us.

Saint John of Cologne pray for us.

Blessed Maria Bartholomew pray for us.

Saint Louis Bertrand pray for us.

Saint Catherine de Ricci pray for us.

Blessed Robert pray for us.

Blessed Alphonsus and Companions pray for us.

Saint Rose pray for us.

Saint Dominic Ibanez and Companions pray for us.

Blessed Agnes of Jesus pray for us.

Saint Lawrence Ruiz and Companions pray for us.

Saint Martin de Porres pray for us.

Blessed Peter Higgins pray for us.

Blessed Francis de Capillas pray for us.

Saint Juan Macias pray for us.

Blessed Terence pray for us.

Blessed Ann of the Angels pray for us.

Blessed Francis de Posadas pray for us.

Saint Louis de Montfort pray for us.

Blessed Francis Gil pray for us.

Saint Matteo pray for us.

Blessed Peter Sanz and Companions pray for us.

Saint Vincent Liem pray for us.

Saint Hyacinth Castaneda pray for us.

Blessed Marie pray for us.

Blessed George pray for us.

Blessed Catherine Jarrige pray for us.

Saint Ignatius and Companions pray for us.

Saint Dominic An-Kham and Companions pray for us.

Saint Joseph Khang and Companions pray for us.

Saint Francis Coll pray for us.

Blessed Hyacinthe Cormier pray for us.

Blessed Pier Giorgio pray for us.

Blessed Bartolo pray for us.

Blessed Michael Czartoryski pray for us.

Blessed Julia Rodzinska pray for us.

Sister Dollie Wilkinson, pray for us.

All holy Dominican brothers and sisters pray for us.

 Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world, spare us, O Lord.

Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world, graciously hear us, O Lord.

Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world, have mercy on us.

Let us pray.–

God, source of all holiness, you have enriched your Church

with many gifts in the saints of the Order of Preachers.

By following the example of our brothers and sisters,

may we come to enjoy their company

for ever in the Kingdom of our Lord Jesus Christ,

Your Son, who lives and reigns with You

and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.

Amen.