Today, 18 August, the Dominican family celebrates the feast of Blessed Mannes (Manés) de Guzmán, the elder brother of St Dominic de Guzmán, founder of the Order of Preachers. His feast gives us a fitting opportunity to remember a man who played an important part in the earliest days of the Dominican mission.

Mannes was not simply Dominic's brother by blood. He was also one of Dominic's first disciples and companions, sharing in the mission of preaching that would give birth to the Dominican Order.

Born in Caleruega, Castile, around 1170, Mannes belonged to the deeply religious Guzmán family. He was older than Dominic and had already embarked upon his religious vocation when Dominic began his great apostolic mission.

When Dominic gathered the first companions around him, Mannes was among those who joined his younger brother in the new mission of preaching the Gospel. In a beautiful example of humility, the elder brother accepted Dominic's leadership and became his fellow worker in the emerging Order of Preachers.

One of the first companions of St Dominic

The Dominican movement was founded upon a simple but revolutionary ideal: to proclaim the Gospel through a life rooted in prayer, study, community and preaching.

Mannes embraced this vocation from its earliest days. When Dominic dispersed the first friars in 1217 so that they could establish the Order in different parts of Europe, Mannes was among those entrusted with this mission. He was sent to Paris, where the first Dominican community was established at Saint-Jacques.

His contribution to the young Order was therefore significant. He was present when the Dominican mission was still in its infancy, helping to lay the foundations upon which the Order would grow throughout Europe.

A man of prayer and preaching

Blessed Mannes is remembered in the Dominican tradition as a man of prayer, humility and apostolic zeal. His life reflected the Dominican ideal of combining contemplation with active preaching.

He also played an important role in the development of Dominican religious life for women. Dominic entrusted Mannes with the care of the Dominican nuns at Madrid in 1219. His service to the sisters demonstrates the confidence Dominic placed in his brother and his ability to guide and strengthen the young Dominican communities.

The brother who became a disciple

Perhaps the most beautiful aspect of Mannes' life is the relationship between the two brothers.

Mannes was the older brother of Dominic, yet he willingly became one of Dominic's followers. He recognised the particular mission entrusted by God to his younger brother and chose to support it wholeheartedly.

Their relationship reminds us that the beginnings of the Order of Preachers were marked by a profound spirit of fraternity. Mannes did not seek prominence because he was Dominic's brother. Instead, he placed his gifts at the service of the mission.

He shared Dominic's passion for preaching Christ and helped establish the young Order during its crucial first years.

After Dominic's death and canonisation, Mannes returned to the region of his birth and continued working for the growth and memory of the Dominican mission. He died around 1235 and was later honoured by the Church as Blessed Mannes de Guzmán.

His feast: 18 August

Today, 18 August, we celebrate the feast of Blessed Mannes de Guzmán. His feast invites us to look beyond the better-known figures of Dominican history and to remember one of those faithful companions who helped St Dominic turn his vision into a living mission.

Blessed Mannes was a brother, a disciple and a preacher. He shared with St Dominic the desire to bring the Gospel to the world and became one of the first members of the great family that would become the Order of Preachers.

As we celebrate his feast today, we can give thanks for his witness of humility, fraternity and fidelity, asking that his example may inspire all those who continue the Dominican mission of contemplating Christ and sharing with others the fruits of that contemplation.

Blessed Mannes, brother and first companion of St Dominic, pray for us!