Blessed John Dominici

Giovanni Dominici, OP (English: John Dominic c. 1355 – 10 June 1419) was an Italian Catholic prelate and Dominican who became a cardinal. His ideas had a profound influence on the art of Fra Angelico, who entered the Dominicans through him. Dominici originally encountered difficulties becoming a friar due to a speech impairment that his superiors believed would rule him ineligible for both profession and the priesthood. Despite this, Dominici became a noted theologian and preacher and was tireless in establishing monasteries and convents in cities such as Fiesole and Lucca. He attempted to resign his cardinalate in 1415 during the Council of Constance after he succeeded in convincing the pope to abdicate in order to end the Western Schism. The council refused to accept his resignation, though he had resigned from the archbishopric that he held. He spent the remainder of his life as a papal legate for Pope Martin V until he died in Buda. He had been first named as a Blessed since 1622 though he had not been recognized as such until he was beatified on 9 April 1832. Giovanni Dominici was born in Florence in c. 1355 to the poor but devout Domenico Dominici (a silk merchant) and Paola Zorzi. His father died while his mother was pregnant with Giovanni. In his childhood he spent hours in the Dominican-run Santa Maria Novella church. If someone needed to see him, his mother directed them to the church and said: "There he spends all his hours". It therefore stood to reason that in 1370 he sought admission into the order. But he suffered from a severe speech impairment which – combined with a lack of formal education – made the friars doubt his vocation to their order. They refused him admission a number of times until 1372 and even insisted that he should remain home to care for his mother. But his mother insisted that Dominici should follow his calling for it was not for her to stand against his religious calling.