Jordan of Saxony, OP (referred to in Latin as Jordanis, also known as de Alamania; c. 1190 – 1237), was a German Catholic priest and one of the first leaders of the Dominican Order. His feast day is February 13.
Blessed Jordan of Saxony O.P. | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Master General of the Order of Preachers | |
| Born | c. 1190 Borgberge near Dassel, Duchy of Saxony, Holy Roman Empire |
| Died | 1237 Levantine Sea, near Acre |
| Venerated in | Roman Catholic Church |
| Beatified | 10 May 1826, Saint Peter's Basilica, Papal States by Pope Leo XII (cultus confirmed) |
| Feast | 13 February |
| Patronage | Vocations to the Dominican Order Faculty of Engineering University of Santo Tomas Manila, Philippines |
Jordan of Saxony | |
|---|---|
| Nationality | German |
| Alma mater | University of Paris |
| Scientific career | |
| Institutions | University of Paris |
| Doctoral advisor | Reginald of Orleans |
| Doctoral students | Albertus Magnus |
Life
editJordan belonged to the noble German family of the Counts of Eberstein. He was born in the Castle of Borrenstrick, in the diocese of Paderborn. He began his studies in his native land, and was sent to complete them at the University of Paris.[1] While a student he met Dominic de Guzman, the founder of the Order of Preachers, and was inspired by the preaching of Reginald of Orleans (also known as Reginald of Saint-Gilles) to join the Dominican Order. He received the habit on Ash Wednesday, 1220. Jordan was a Master of Arts and a grammarian, and taught in the schools of Paris.[2]
In 1221, a General Chapter of the Order held in Bologna appointed Jordan Prior Provincial of Lombardy in Italy.[3]
Master General
editOn 6 August 1221, Dominic died, and in 1222 Jordan was elected as his successor as Master General of the Order of Preachers.[1] Like Dominic, Jordan was famed as a strict disciplinarian whose commitment to the Rule was tempered with kindness.
During Jordan's administration, the young Order increased to over 300 priories. Jordan is particularly remembered for his eloquence in attracting candidates to join the Order. Through his lectures in university towns, he won many—allegedly well over 1,000—professors and students for the Order from the universities of Europe, among whom was Albertus Magnus who is thought to have been recruited in Padua.[4] He added four new provinces to the eight already existing. Twice he obtained for the Order a chair at the University of Paris and helped to found the University of Toulouse. He established the first general house of studies of the Order.[5]
In addition, Jordan was a spiritual guide to many, including one of the first Dominican nuns, Diana degli Andalò.[1] He also found time to write a number of books: a life of Dominic and several other works. Among them was the Libellus de principiis Ordinis Praedicatorum ("Booklet on the beginnings of the Order of Preachers"), a Latin text. This is both the earliest biography of Dominic and the first narrative history of the foundation of the Order.
A section of a work by the friar Gerald de Frachet describing the lives of the first Dominicans, the Lives of the Brothers (Vitae fratrum), is dedicated to describing his character, virtue, and miracles. All of the first chroniclers of the Order describe Jordan's kindness and personal charm. He had the ability to console the troubled and to inspire the despondent with new hope.[6]
Death
editJordan died, at the age of forty-seven, in a shipwreck returning from Palestine, where he had been visiting the local monasteries of the Order. The shipwreck occurred off the coast of Syria on 13 February 1237.[7] Jordan was buried in the Dominican Church of St. John in Akko, in present-day Israel.
Veneration
editJordan of Saxony was beatified by Pope Leo XII in 1825.
Patronage
editHe is venerated as the patron of Dominican vocations. Jordan is honoured as the patron saint of the Faculty of Engineering of the University of Santo Tomas, in Manila, which was founded by the Dominican Order. In Colombia, he is honoured as the patron saint of the Colegio Jordan de Sajonia, one of the most important private schools of Bogota.
Legacy
editJordan of Saxony is credited with introducing the practice of singing the Salve Regina in procession at the end of Compline, done, it is recorded, to calm the spirits of the Brothers, who were being tried by the Devil.[5]
References
edit- ^ a b c "Blessed Jordan of Saxony, OP", The Dominicans, Province of the Most Holy Name of Jesus, February 13, 2012 Archived December 12, 2013, at the Wayback Machine
- ^ "Jordan of Saxony, The Libellus, (Introduction), Our Lady of the Holy Rosary Province, OP" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2013-12-15. Retrieved 2013-12-08.
- ^ W. A. Hinnebusch, The History of the Dominican Order: Origins and growth to 1500, Volume 1, p. 103.
- ^ Irven Resnick (ed.), A Companion to Albert the Great: Theology, Philosophy, and the Sciences, BRILL, 2012, p. 4; Thomas F. Glick, Steven Livesey, Faith Wallis (eds.), Medieval Science, Technology, and Medicine: An Encyclopedia, Routledge, 2014, p. 15; Pope Benedict XVI, Great Christian Thinkers: From the Early Church Through the Middle Ages, Fortress Press, 2011, p. 281.
- ^ a b "Bl. Jordan of Saxony". Dominican Sisters of St. Cecelia Archived 2013-12-13 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Dorcy OP, Mary Jean. "St. Dominic's Family", Tan Books, 1983 Archived 2013-12-12 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ "Blessed Jordan of Saxony", Dominicans Interactive
- ^ opne.org