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1. Among the infidels and the schismatic peoples
Soon the friars preachers crossed the borders of Christian Europe and extended
their apostolic activity to the infidel peoples. In this way they realize the
living desire, which the Founder had not been able to satisfy."After we have
organized and formed our Order - Domenico had told Fra Paolo da Venezia - we
will go to the Cumans and preach to them the faith of Christ and we will win
them over to the Lord".
The first great expedition of missionaries takes place in 1221, in the general
chapter, with the Founder present. The chapter sends master Paul of Hungary,
prior of the Bolognese convent and professor of canon law, to Hungary together
with four brothers to praise the schismatics and the Cuman pagans.
Friar Solomon of Aarhus is sent to Denmark with some German friars. He brought
with him letters from Honorius III and Dominic for King Valdemar II and the
archbishop of Lund. The development of the Order in the Scandinavian countries
already allowed the foundation of a province in 1228. Friar Gliberto di Fresney
is sent to found the Order in England; while fra Giocinto Odrowaz with Henry of
Moravia was sent to Poland, where he founded the monasteries of Krakow (1223)
and Gdansk (1225) and carried out missionary activities among the pagans and
schismatics.
Immediately afterwards the preaching friars also went to Africa to win Muslims
to the faith. The Dominican mission in Tunis is very successful. Already in 1225
there is the first Dominican bishop in Morocco. Raimondo la Penafort, for some
years master general of the Order (1238-40), is remembered by contemporary
chronicles as an active "propagator of the faith among the Saracens".
The first preaching friars reserved particular attention to the schismatic
peoples of the Middle East. Perhaps the first missionaries were sent to Greece
as early as 1221. It is certain that already in 1228 lÓrdine underwent a notable
development in Greece and in the Holy Land, so much so as to justify the
foundation of a new province.
Leaving for mission territories is considered a privilege by the first preaching
friars. When the master Giordano of Saxony, in the general chapter, of 1230,
asks for missionaries for the Holy Land, all those present beg to be chosen
among the lucky ones. The same thing is repeated when Innocent IV asks the
provincial of France to send missionaries to the Tartars.
The activity carried out by the friars preachers among the peoples and the
clergy of the schismatic churches of the East is intense. Gregory IX in 1223
sent to Greece between Ugo and Fra Pietro di Sezana as his legates to negotiate
the question of union with the patriarch of the Greeks. Fra Filippo, provincial
of the Holy Land, in 1236, communicates to the Pontiff the successful conversion of the patriarch of the Eastern Jacobites, who has jurisdiction over seventy
provinces, from Persia to Armenia and to Chaldea; many old men and monks also
converted with him. Fra Filippo also communicates that, through the work of the
preaching friars, the Jacobite archbishop of Egypt and the Nestorian archbishop
of the East, whose jurisdiction extends from Syria to Phenicia, have returned to
the unity of the Roman Church.
Even among the schismatics of Russia the preaching friars soon achieved great
success. The same King Daniel asks Innocent IV to be able to keep two Domanicans with him in order to better educate himself in the faith (1246); he then returns to the Roman Church followed by various bishops and princes of the kingdom (1247).
The address of a letter with which Innocent IV grants various privileges to the
Dominican missionaries of the East and gives an idea of the breadth of the field
of action of these missionaries in 1253. The latter is in fact directed "to the
friars missionary preachers in the countries of the Saracens, the pagans, the
Greeks, the Bulgarians, the Cumans, the Ethiopians, the Syrians, the Iberians,
the Alans, the Gazarenes, the Goths, the Lycocians, the Ruthenians, the
Jacobites, the inhabitants of the Nile, the Georgians, of the Armenians,
Indians, Mossulotti, Tartars, Hungarians, and other unfaithful peoples of the
East and of any other region " (23 July 1253).
The missionary problem is practically felt by the master Umberto de Romans.
"Among the many desires of my soul - he wrote in a letter addressed to the whole
Order, in 1255 - this is not small: that, through the ministry of our Order, the
schismatics return to the unity of the Church and the name of Jesus Christ is
brought among the Jewish peoples, the Saracens, the pagans, the barbarians and
all peoples ". He then exhorts the friars to learn languages and asks for
volunteers, ready to leave for the territories, which border on the infidel
peoples, and "willing to endure any suffering for the faith". The invitation was
accepted by such a large number of religious that "it is not possible to send
them all".
The copious fruits collected by the friars preachers in the territories of the
Mission are remembered by the same master Umberto in a letter sent to the whole Order in 1256. After having expressed his joy for the great fervor and
generosity of the friars, who from the various provinces have answered his
invitation to leave as missionaries, he is pleased with the successes achieved
in the last two years. "Very many Cumans - he writes - have been baptized; the
Maronites, schismatics for a long time, have handed their books to our friars,
so that they may correct them in their judgment. We receive excellent news from
the friars who evangelize the Tartars. Authorities and admirable virtues, who
for more than 18 years have endured a very hard life among the Georgians, write
us letters full of charity and zeal... In Spain many Saracens have received
baptism. Many Prutenians have also abandoned pagnanism and they received the
grace of baptism ".
Naturally these abundant fruits are collected by the preaching friars not
without great sacrifices and, at times, not without bloodshed. In the same
letter Umberto de Romans communicates to the Order that in that year (1256) two friars had been killed for the faith by the pagans and two others had been
beheaded by the Saracens in the Holy Land.
2. Specialized schools for missionaries
The particular difficulties that the friars encounter in evancelizing non-
Christian populations soon make them feel the need to create specialized study
centers for the formation of religious who will have to dedicate themselves to
this apostolate. Above all, the study of languages is considered indispensable
in order to effectively exercise the apostolic ministry. Latin has now become
the language of the learned; national languages are developing. Their knowledge is a duty for those who wish to bring the Gospel message to all peoples. In all
convents the religious learn the langue of neighboring countries. As of this
date, special oriental language courses have already been established in the
province of the Holy Land.
Promoters of this cultural movement, in the Order, are particularly Raimondo da
Penafort and Umberto de Romans, zeal is enough, it is necessary to know the
language and everything that can manifest the mentality of the populations to be
converted. It is therefore necessary to create study centers in which special
courses are organized for the specific preparation of missionaries.
"Although it is necessary to deal with everything that refers to the salvation
of souls - scribe Umberto de Romans - it is necessary to dedicate oneself with
particular zeal to the pagan populations, the Saracens, the Jews, the heretics,
the schismatics and all those peoples who are outside the Church , so that with
our work and our concern they can set out on the path of safety. For this
reason, there must always be negotiations in the Order against their errors, so
that our friars have the necessary competence; it is also necessary that some
meadows more able to devote themselves to the study of Arabic, Hebrew, Greek and Barabara languages in specialized centers for these studies ".
Raimondo da Penafort, after having resigned as master general (1240), devoted
himself particularly to missionary problems. He is above all concerned with the
problem of the conversion of Muslims and Jews. At his suggestion, Tommaso
d’Aquino wrote the ‘Summa contra gentes’. Raimondo plans to create a center in
Africa for the knowledge of Arabs and their language. Tunis seems to him the
ideal city. A large commercial center, Tunis is also the liveliest intellectual
center in Africa. The Dominicans have been there since 1230. In 1250 Raimondo
founded a 'Studium arabicum' for the training of missionaries destined for the
Arab populations. Raymond Martin, a profound connoisseur of the Arab and Jewish world, is also part of the group of founding friars of the 'Studium'. Raimondo da Penafort was also responsible for the foundation of a center for knowledge of the world and oriental languages in Murcia in Spain.
These schools soon become centers of conversions as well. Maestro Umberto
himself, in a letter of 1256 addressed to the whole Order, is pleased with the
activity of the Arabic schools and the many conversions of Saracens. Alexander
IV is also interested in the mission of Tunis and orders the provincial of Spain
to send other missionaries there (June 27, 1256). Raimondo da Penafort, in 1258,
communicated to the Pontiff the successes of this mission and the pope confirmed
that he could send other missionaries there (July 15, 1258).
Other schools of culture and Arabic language are later founded in Spain, where
Dominicans are more easily in contact with Muslims. Arabic and Hebrew schools
are established in Barcellano, Valenza and Jativa. A school of oriental
languages was also founded in Caffa, an important Genoese colony, which soon
became one of the main centers of the Dominican Missions in the East.
3. The pilgrim friars and the Armenian congregation
At the beginning of 1300, the Dominican mission in the East took on such a
development that it is believed appropriate to give it autonomy. Thus was born
the 'Society of the pilgrim friars for Christ', which includes friars from
various provinces, under the guidance of a vicar general directly dependent on
the master of the Order. The missionary encirclement embraces a vast territory;
extends his apostolic activity to the countries that go from Poland to India.
Convents are founded in Turkey, Persia, Georgia, Armenia, India.
Particular development has the congregation in Armenia and Persia. There are
many conversions. Pope John XII himself congratulates the Master of the Order
for these successes.
When, for apostolic progress, the hierarchy was established in these regions
(April 1318), the six bishops' see and the archbishopric of Sulthanyen were
entrusted to the preaching friars. The first archbishop of this city is Franco
da Perugia, vicar general of the missionary congregation. Later, for more than a
century this episcopal chair will be entrusted to a Dominican. The six suffragan
seats will also have Dominican bishops for many years: a sign of the active
presence of Dominican missionaries in the region.
The conversion of many Armenian monks is due to pilgrim friars and in particular
to Fra Bartolomeo del Poggio, who went down in history as the apostle of the
Armenians. In 1330 Fra Bartolomeo converts the monk John of Kerna, who, in turn, becomes an apostle of the union. Soon many monks and entire monasteries are converted. Under the leadership of Abbot John, these converted monks undertake to bring the Armenian nation back to the unity of the Roman Church. Thus a new congregation of indigenous religious missionaries was born. In collaboration with these monks, the preaching friars translated numerous theological works of the Latins into Armenian, including the works of St. Thomas.
Enthusiastic about the ideal of St. Dominic, these monks adopt the Constitutions
and the liturgy of the preaching friars, wear the habit of the tertiaries and
ask to be aggregated to the Order (1340). Their deviation towards the Dominicans
is clearly expressed in a letter which Friar John of Kerna, having become head
of the congregation, addresses to his monks. "Since the friars preachers of St.
Dominic - he writes - are the authors of our conversion to the true faith and of
our monastic reform, and for this reason our congregation is founded on their
Ordine, we want the said friars to be gods for us fathers, founders and teachers
and may our Order pay them the greatest honors. We want nothing to be done with us, except after having listened to their advice and their decision. No general
chapter will be celebrated by us without the their intervention. We will do
everything possible to have some of them in each of our monasteries and that
they have the first place, since our fathers are healthy".
The presence of at least one Dominican in each monastery prepares the definitive
merger of the congregation with the Order. After a few years, Innocent VI
approved (January 31, 1356) the new missionary congregation and placed it under
the jurisdiction of the general master of the Dominicans. However, only in 1582
the general chapter definitively incorporated it into the Order.
Due to its Armenian and schismatic origin, this Dominican missionary
congregation makes a particular effort to bring the schismatic populations back
to the unity of faith and greatly contributes to the definitive return of the
Armenian church within the Roman Church.
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