5 APRIL

. . . .is the feast of an astonishing saint, too little remembered now. St. Vincent Ferrer was a Dominican preacher who had the original gift of tongues, i.e., all those who heard him, heard him in their own languages no matter what tongue he spoke in. St. Vincent is known to have raised people from the dead, cured an untold number of people, and had the gift of prophecy. Preaching seemed to be the center of his life. (If he had been born in the 20th century, would he have been a Dominican or an Oblate of the Virgin Mary? I wonder.)

The community of priest and brothers in France who carry on the traditional Dominican charism are named after him: The Fraternity of St. Vincent Ferrer. There is also a beautiful old Church of St. Vincent Ferrer in New York City cared for by the Dominicans. Unfortunately, I can only find pictures of the organ. Those pictures are here. You can get an idea of the church from them.