St. Dominic de Guzman was born in Spain in 1170.  He entered the religious life, and at the age of 25 he became the superior of the Canons Regular of Osma.  On a journey through France with his Bishop, he witnessed the toll various heresies had taken on that land.  He then dedicated his life to converting heretics and defending the Faith.  To accomplish this goal, he founded the Order of Friar Preachers.  He died at the age of 51, on August 6, 1221.The scene from St. Dominic’s life depicted in this window reportedly occurred in 1208.  While Dominic knelt in the little chapel of Notre Dame de la Prouille and implored the Mother of God to save the Church, Our Lady appeared to him with her Divine Son and presented him with the Rosary.

    Dominic is here seen on his knees, dressed in the habit of the religious society he founded, commonly known as the Dominicans.  His head has been tonsured according to the clerical tradition of his time.  In a purely decorative touch, two angels hover in the background, holding a diamond-patterned tapestry.  The dog which often accompanies Dominic in works of art is not seen here (this tradition comes from the Dominicans being called Domine canus - Latin for “Dogs of the Lord” – a play on the order’s name and a description of their zeal).

    The Rosary is a contemplative exercise, in which the devotee meditates on 15 sacred events (or mysteries) in the lives of Christ and His Mother.  Prayed on a string of beads, the devotion derives its name from the Latin word rosarius, meaning “garland of roses” (as we have already seen, the rose is often associated with Mary).  Various prayers are recited during the Rosary meditations, consisting basically of the Apostles’ Creed (a statement of the core beliefs of the Catholic Church), the Glory Be (praise to the Holy Trinity), the Lord’s Prayer, and the Angelic Salutation, better known as the Hail Mary (which praises Mary for her co-operation with God in our salvation, and seeks her prayers of intercession for us now and at the time of our death).

    While today there is a growing trend among Protestants to form “prayer circles,” in which members pray for each other’s needs, Catholics have always had this in the Communion of Saints.  The efficacy and validity of the Rosary and other prayers to Mary and the saints is rooted in this teaching of the Church.  Catholics believe that all the baptized are members of the Mystical Body of Christ, and are united in life as well as in death.  The faithful on Earth assist one another by their prayers and good works, and they are aided by the intercession of the saints in Heaven.  The prayers of both groups of faithful can assist the faithfully departed in Purgatory.  Mary, as Mother of God, Queen of Heaven, and Queen of All Saints, has a special place in this Communion.  Her merit as an intercessor is documented in the Bible: At the wedding feast at Cana, Christ performed His first miracle at her request {see John 2:1-12}.  She has interceeded for us ever since.
     In St. Dominic’s time, clerics and the learned often practiced the devotional exercises of praying the Liturgy of the Hours or reading the 150 Psalms.  With its 150 Hail Marys, the Rosary became known as “Our Lady’s Psalter”.  For the many illiterate people of that day the Rosary was an easily learned prayer that they could substitute for reading the Hours and the Psalms.  Yet, even in our age of high literacy rates, the Rosary remains the most popular Catholic devotion.  This may be because it is, in the words of Paul VI {Pope: 1963-1978}, “a compendium of the Gospels.”  Its recitation has also been requested by Our Lady herself in various apparitions, such as those to St. Marie Bernard “Bernadette” Soubirous {lived: 1844-1879; feast: April 16} at Lourdes in 1858 and to the Venerable Servants of God Jacinta {1910-1920} and Francisco Marto {1908-1919} at Fatima in 1917.  The 15 events meditated upon in the traditional Rosary are divided into three sets of mysteries: Joyful, Sorrowful, and Glorious.

    Of the five Joyful Mysteries, three are represented by windows here at St. Martin’s: the Annunciation, the Visitation, and the Nativity.  Two windows in this church depict the Temple in Jerusalem, the scene of the other two Joyful Mysteries: the Presentation of Jesus and the Finding of Jesus Among the Elders.

    Of the Sorrowful Mysteries, only the Crucifixion is depicted here in stained glass (this event is also depicted in the life-sized Crucifix below window 2S).  However, the Agony in the Garden is depicted in statuary between windows 2N and 3N, and on the side altar below this is a replica of the Crown of Thorns, which calls to mind the mystery of Jesus Crowned With Thorns.  The Carrying of the Cross can be seen in the Stations of the Cross (crafted in Munich, circa 1895) on the side walls.  The remaining Sorrowful Mystery, the Scourging at the Pillar, is not represented artistically in this church.

    None of the Glorious Mysteries are specifically depicted in the windows here, but in this Rosary window Mary wears a crown, calling to mind the 5th mystery, the Coronation of Mary as Queen of Heaven and Earth.  The Ascension of Jesus and the Assumption of Mary are depicted in the murals on each side of the sanctuary.  The Resurrection is depicted in a statue of the Risen Christ which adorns the church during the Easter season.  The 3rd mystery, the Descent of the Holy Spirit on Mary and the Apostles, is not represented artistically at St. Martin’s, but the Holy Spirit can be seen depicted in the form of a dove in the Annunciation window and on the canopy above the pulpit.

    In addition to these traditional 15 mysteries, Pope John Paul II has recently added another five, known as the Luminous Mysteries, or Mysteries of Light.  The 1st of these, the Baptism of Our Lord, is represented in art by the small sculpture atop the Baptismal font.  The 5th mystery, the Institution of the Eucharist, we have already seen represented in the Last Supper window.  The other three mysteries – the Wedding Feast at Cana, the Proclamation of the Kingdom, and the Transfiguration – are not depicted artistically in this church.
The Feast of St. Dominic is celebrated on August 4.  Many of the various mysteries of the Rosary have associated feasts or solemnities.  A commemorative feast honoring Mary as Our Lady of the Holy Rosary is celebrated on October 7, the anniversary of the naval victory at Lepanto in 1571, when the Christian fleet miraculously repulsed the superior Turkish fleet.  The Pontiff,  St. Pius V {Pope:1566-1572; Feast: May 5}, had asked the Christian world to pray the Rosary for the success of the expedition, and once achieved he established the feast to thank God and His Mother; he also inserted into the Litany of the Blessed Virgin a new title for Mary: Auxilium Christianorum – “Help of Christians”.

 

Hail Holy Queen enthroned above,
Hail Queen of mercy and of love,

Our life, our sweetness here below,
Our hope in sorrow and in woe,

To thee we cry, poor sons of Eve,
To thee we sigh, we mourn, we grieve,

This Earth is but a vale of tears,
A place of banishment, of fears,

Turn then, most gracious advocate,
Toward us thine eyes compassionate,

When our exile is complete,
Show us thy Son, our Jesus sweet,

O clement, gracious, Mother sweet,
O Virgin Mary, we entreat,

O gentle, loving, holy one,
Make us each day more like your Son.

        - Hermanus Contractus  (1013-1054)
          anonymous translation  (1884 hymnal)