The connection between the Franciscans and Dominicans began with their two founders.
4th October 2018
Today we celebrate the feast day of Saint Francis of Assisi, founder of the Franciscan order of the Catholic Church.
There has long been a sense of connection between the two orders, Franciscan and Dominican. This is expressed in the tradition that, where the two orders have houses in the same town or city, the Dominicans celebrated the feast-day Mass of St Francis in the Franciscan church and the Franciscans visit the Dominican church on the feast of St Dominic to celebrate the feast-day Mass there. This tradition is based on the fact of the two orders being founded in the same era and of Dominic (a Spaniard, who preached in south-west France) and Francis (an Italian) meeting in Rome in 1221, in the house of Cardinal Ugolino. St Catherine of Siena said of the two founders: "Truly Dominic and Francis were two pillars of Holy Church: Francis with the poverty that was his hallmark and Dominic by his learning.'
