Lay Dominican Novitiate/ O.P. Notes
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| Saint Dominic praying by El Greco |
The great founder of the Ordo Praedicatorum (Dominicans) Holy Father Saint Dominic, teaches not only his spiritual children, but also all the faithful nine forms of prayer that include a certain, disciplined physical posture.
The manuscript containing the 9 ways of prayer was discovered in a German monastery basement, and was written by an anonymous author between 1260 and 1288, the source being Sister Cecilia of the Monastery of Saint Agnes at Bologna, Italy. (Sister Cecilia received her Dominican habit from Saint Dominic in Rome, and she witnessed the foundation of the monastery of San Sisto. In 1223 she went to Bologna with three other sisters. Sometime between 1272 and 1288, she dictated her reminiscences of Saint Dominic to Sister Angelica. Sister Cecilia remained a member of the Bolognese monastery until her death.)
The First Way of Prayer:
The Bow
(Humbling oneself before the altar of God)
The three forms of this gesture, according to the Dominican Tradition are: the simple bow of the head, a bow from the shoulders, and the profound bow from the waist.
