Today, the Church commemorates the life of the second superior of the Dominicans.
Newsroom(02/15/2026, Gaudium Press) Today, among other blessed individuals, we commemorate the life of Blessed Jordan of Saxony, Saint Dominic’s first successor at the head of the Order of Preachers.
The exact date of his birth is unknown, but it was between 1175 and 1185, in Burgberg, Germany. We are therefore talking about a man of typically medieval virtue, one of those wonderful gifts that God gave to the world in the Middle Ages.
He studied at the University of Paris for nine years and entered the order at the convent of Saint-Jacques in Paris in 1220. He was soon made superior of the province of Lombardy, in what is now Italy, and then at the third general chapter, he was elected master of the Order, second only to the founder. Saint Dominic had died a few months earlier. This is perhaps a unique case in history, as he attained this position after only three years as a religious.
He traveled extensively, preaching and governing his community. Highly eloquent, he had a gift for moving hearts. He was the great propagator of the community throughout the land, as sometimes happens with the successors of founders. He traveled extensively to the countryside and neighborhoods, seeking vocations for the dominicans, the “dogs of God.”
It was said of Father Jordan: “If St. Dominic belongs to the title of founder of the Order, Jordan belongs to the no less glorious title of propagator.”
He wanted young people to be not only wise but also virtuous.
He had great influence among university students, which is why he is considered the patron saint of university chaplains. His concern was not only academic, but also to make these young people more virtuous.
In an act that demonstrates his courage for the cause of the Church, one day he went to the palace of Emperor Frederick II and told him to his face why he was attacking the Pope and religion. He also rebuked the Emperor, pointing out that if he did not change, great misfortunes would befall him.
Among his many glories is that of having attracted St. Albert the Great to the Dominican community: St. Albert was St. Thomas’s teacher. Blessed Jordan of Saxony is thus the spiritual “grandfather” of St. Thomas Aquinas.
He wrote the first account of the beginnings of his community, entitled “Origins of the Order of Preachers.” He also composed a prayer to St. Dominic that has been widely recited in the Dominican Order throughout the centuries.
God allowed him to die in a shipwreck in February 1237 off the coast of Syria. He was returning to Italy from visiting communities in the Holy Land. His body, which was washed up on the beaches of the East, was later buried in the convent of St. John of Acre.
With information from www.dominicos.org and Catholic.net
Compiled by Teresa Joseph
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