House of Dominic
House Color: Orange
Feast Day: August 8
Symbol: The Torch
When St. Dominic's mother, Blessed Jane, was pregnant, she had a dream in which she gave birth to a black and white dog who set the world ablaze with a flaming torch in its mouth. Her dream prefigured the Order of Preachers, a contemplative, apostolic, mendicant order founded to renew and transform the culture through community life and apostolic preaching.
Crest:
House of Dominic's orange color signifies the flame so often associated with Saint Dominic. The motto "Ignis Caritatis," the "fire of charity," is a phrase from the Veni Creator that Dominic loved singing while traveling on foot. The torch, poised above the Dominican shield, bears an eight-point star, an attribute associated with St. Dominic and a reminder of his devotion to Mary under the title Ave Maris Stella ("Hail, Star of the Ocean").
When speaking about Saint Dominic's life of charity, Blessed Jordan said, "He gave his day to his neighbor but his nights to God."
Saint Dominic, pray for us!
A statue of Saint Dominic de Guzman is located in the rotunda outside the library.