RESURRECTION MIRACLES PERFORMED BY LESSER-KNOWN DOMINICANS
Blessed James Salomoni, St. Agnes of Montepulciano, Bl. Constantius of Fabrino, Bl. Sadoc and Companions, Bl. Mark of Modena, Bl. Ceslas, Bl. Augustine of Bugella, Bl. Colomba of Rieti
"Jesus Christ, who hath destroyed death."
—2 Timothy 1:10
Here are some "lesser lights" in one order, that of the Dominicans—if any saint can be styled a "lesser light." Elsewhere in this book are told the stories of the Dominicans St. Dominic, St. Hyacinth, St. Vincent Ferrer, St. Louis Bertrand, St. Rose of Lima, and of Bl. John Tholomei, who raised his own sister.
This one admittedly selective chapter will illustrate how many death-to-life miracles have been credited to a single order alone. The greatest number of such miracles occurred, of course, in the lives of the great Dominican missionaries. Many times, those saints who were called to preach among great numbers of people, whether non-Catholics to be converted or lapsed Catholics to be renewed, possessed great miraculous powers, including that of recalling the dead to life. But there were also others with more limited performances.
The fact that the Dominicans seem to have the largest number of miracles may be nothing more than the result of the author's particular research sources. But this order does benefit from a long existence, dating from the days of St. Dominic himself (1170-1221)—a long time in which to perform miracles! Perhaps the long association of the Dominican Order with truth and great learning will augment, for some, the credibility of the miracles claimed for its members. The Dominicans are not so ancient that many miracles might be assigned to the legendary—but neither are they so recent that they have not had time to accumulate an army of saints.
With regard to intellectual endowments, two of the Dominican saints, Albert the Great and Thomas Aquinas, are virtually unrivaled in Christian history (except, of course, by St. Augustine). When "incredible" wonders have been accepted by and constitute a tradition for such learned men, among whom were many great doctors and preachers, one is persuaded to accept them.
The miracles of the lesser-known Dominicans listed here will primarily be limited to resurrection miracles. According to this author's research, neither Albert the Great nor Thomas Aquinas are reported to have revived the dead. But these saints were more of the intellectual and contemplative nature—although Albert, especially as a bishop who traveled often, did move much among the people.
Blessed James Salomoni, O.P. (of Salomonio) was born in Venice of rich and noble parents (c. 1231). He was also known as "of Forli," and died at the Dominican convent there in 1314. Once on a pilgrimage to Rome, when the sacristan with the keys could not be found to let him into the catacombs, Bl. James prayed and touched the iron bar which was fastened by a padlock. The gates instantly opened and he and his party were able to perform their subterranean devotions.
In one short biography of Bl. James Salomoni in a book of Dominican saints (as in most cases for the various saints given there), the chapter closes with the words: "He worked many miracles, both during his life and after his death." The following miracle was recorded only in a fuller account of his life. It proves the point that there are many miracles of the dead being raised that will never be heard of without exhaustive research, remarkable miracles though they may be.
The account of this miracle is as follows: The child Giacomino fell into the Montone River; when he was pulled out, doctors pronounced him dead. The agonized screams of the mother drew a number of people to the scene. Some suggested, "Let us take him to the tomb of Blessed James." They did so, and before the onlooking crowd the lifeless body of the boy came back to life. (Incidentally, Bl. James had a cancer for four years and is a patron of those suffering from this disease.)
St. Agnes of Montepulciano was born in 1268 in the town of Graciano Vecchio near Monte. She freed her convent of noises caused by the devils, dispossessed a man of an evil spirit by the Sign of the Cross and the recitation of the Athanasian Creed, and cured a man who was totally blind.
She was ordered to the Chianciano baths for her health, and while she was there a little child was playing by the waters. There was no one watching him at the time, and he fell in. Later he was found dead, floating on the surface. When his mother found her child dead she was in great grief.
St. Agnes took the little corpse in her arms, went to a place apart, and prayed alone there for a while. All the onlookers waited expectantly. Agnes finally returned with the small body and laid it at the feet of the mother. She took the tiny hand, raised the child from the ground alive, and presented him to his mother.
Agnes also knew the secrets of hearts. Showers of manna fell wherever she prayed. She fasted on bread and water for fifteen years, and slept on the ground. Her ecstacies were frequent, and she was seen to rise in the air to venerate the crucifix on a high wall; meditating on the crucifix flooded her soul with peace and with patience to endure sufferings with calm and courage. The Mother of God placed in her loving embrace the Infant Jesus. Angels brought her communion on several occasions.
This is the same St. Agnes who, when St. Catherine of Siena was about to stoop to kiss her foot in her coffin, raised it toward her fellow saint so Catherine did not need to bend over—one saint saluting another! St. Agnes' death (April 20, 1317, at age 49) was also followed by many other miracles. Her incorrupt body is preserved in the Church of Santa Maria Novella at Montepulciano, now a place of pilgrimage.
Blessed Constantius of Fabrino (1410) was born to the family named Servoli. As a child he prayed for his sister, then nine years old and suffering from an incurable malady; she was restored to perfect health. He had the gift of prophecy, worked many miracles, and is reported to have raised a young man who had been dead two days.
Relatives of the deceased, and others standing nearby, reviled Constantius when they heard him address the corpse: "In the Name of Jesus Christ, arise!" They were accusing him of tempting God—when suddenly the dead man arose! At this they all threw themselves at the feet of Constantius in terror and apology. He gently raised them up and rebuked them mildly: "Never despise the servants of God, and remember Our Lord's promise: 'He that believeth in me, the works that I do he also shall do, and greater than these shall he do.' "
That certainly is a proper answer with regard to many great miracles that seem so incredible to the lukewarm and narrow-minded. One might wish for more of the simplicity of little children—and their discernment—like that of the little children who ran through the streets when Bl. Constantius died on February 24, 1481, shouting, "The holy prior is dead! The holy prior is dead!"
When Bl. Sadoc and his companions were martyred in 1260 at the Dominican convent in Sandomir, Poland, a unique wonder occurred. Before the massacre, letters of gold appeared in the Divine Office book at the beginning of the martyrology passage that was to be read at the conclusion of matins and lauds. The inexplicable entry was: "At Sandomir, the passion of 49 martyrs."
Of course, "passion" signified suffering and death. The prior, Bl. Sadoc, counted his friars—49 in all! He interpreted the miraculous appearance of these words as a warning of death from the barbarous Tartars who were camped nearby. As the friars sang compline the following evening, a band of the Tartars, traitorously let in the city by some Russians, cut 48 of them to pieces.
One friar fled to the belfry; there he heard a wonderful sound. The mangled bodies of his 48 brethren, though dead, were chanting the sweet melody of the Salve Regina. From the midst of the bloody corpses of those ever-devoted children of Mary, those preachers of her holy Rosary, rose those dear words: "Hail Holy Queen, Mother of Mercy, our life, our sweetness, and our hope . . ." which are sung at eventide in monasteries and religious houses throughout the world.
Who can imagine the emotions of the 49th friar in the belfry as he heard the 48 dead martyrs chanting to their Blessed Mother! Already they were heroes and saints, welcomed into their reward in another and far more glorious world, even as their voices rose from bodies dead on the field of spiritual combat. Overwhelmed with that beauty, that heroism, and that message, the last friar regained his courage. He descended from the belfry and submitted to the swords of the barbarians; then there were 49 voices raised in singing the Salve Regina to the Mother of God. From this miraculous event began the Dominicans' custom of singing the Salve Regina at the deathbed of each of the Order's members.
Blessed Mark of Modena (d. 1498) was sent for by a woman who had just lost a son about three or four years of age. "Weep not," said Mark. "Your little one is in Heaven. Do not wish to have him back again, for you would lose him a second time, and in a more distressing manner."
The woman would not listen to Bl. Mark's words of warning, so he prayed. Then he took the child by the hand and cried out in a loud voice: "In the Name of Our Lord Jesus Christ, arise!"
The child immediately sat up, and Bl. Mark restored him to his mother. But the saint's prophetic words were fulfilled when, ten years later, still a mere youth, the boy died of the plague.
Blessed Ceslas (also spelled Ceslaus; 1184-1242) was kin to, probably a brother of, the great missionary of Poland and Euro-Asia, St. Hyacinth. Ceslas was born to the noble family of the Odrowatz in the family castle near Breslau in Silesia. At Rome with St. Hyacinth, he saw St. Dominic raise the nephew of Cardinal Stephen. They had been traveling with their uncle Yvo Odrovatz, Bishop of Cracow. Dominic made four of that party Dominicans.
Like his brother Hyacinth in a similar situation, Bl. Ceslas once crossed the stormy, swollen and raging River Oder on his mantle, landing a few minutes later on the opposite bank with both mantle and clothes perfectly dry.
Ceslas raised four dead, one of them a boy, the only son of his mother, who had drowned eight days earlier.
Blessed Augustine of Bugella (Biella; died 1493) was born of noble parents, the Fangi, in Piedmont. He had the gift of tears, and was often seen levitated in ecstasy. He worked numerous miracles, and was especially able to cast out devils. He once raised to life an infant who had died without Baptism.
We close this chapter with a saint who lived most of her life in the 15th century, dying just after the dawning of the 16th century—Blessed Colomba of Rieti (Umbria, Italy; 1468-1501). At her Baptism a dove hovered over her forehead, whence the name Colomba (dove). Like St. Catherine of Siena, Bl. Colomba undertook an amazing public apostolate of healing, converting sinners, peacemaking, and counselling people (including Pope Alexander VI). She also raised several dead persons to life. Among the other wonders that marked Colomba's life were ecstatic Communions, perpetual abstinence from food, and the immediate cessation of the plague in Perugia after Colomba got the people to dedicate the city to St. Dominic and St. Catherine.
Bl. Colomba was one of the purest souls in the Church in the 15th century. Her last words were directed to Our Lord: "Come, my Spouse, come. It is time." The relics of Bl. Colomba rest in the Church of St. Dominic in Perugia.
After glancing briefly at these "lesser lights" of Dominican holiness, one soon understands that they are not so "little" after all. This short survey of Dominican saints, along with more famous ones elsewhere in this book, could not possibly detail every miracle of the dead being restored to life by members of that order. But it does provide a fairly comprehensive overview.
It also indicates how many more miracles of the dead returning to life might be found in an exhaustive survey of all religious orders, especially the large and ancient ones like the great family of Franciscans, or those grouped around a certain Rule, like the rules of Sts. Basil, Augustine, Benedict or Bernard.
One must also take into consideration the humility and reticence of the saints. They often tried to hide many of their miracles. And although some miracles were quite public and soon became well-known, the more private miracles of charity, personal sympathy, or reward for the faith of a single individual petitioner were easier to hide, if only by requiring a pledge of silence from the recipient.