December 22, 1216: Pope Honorius III officially approves the Dominican Order, which is dedicated "to preaching and the good of souls." Founded earlier that year by Dominic, the order has since been associated with study and scholarship, and with such luminaries as Thomas Aquinas and Albertus Magnus (see issue 73: Thomas Aquinas).
December 22, 1899: Evangelist Dwight L. Moody, the chief spokesman for the revivalist wing of American evangelicalism, dies (see issue 25: D.L. Moody).
December 22, 1917: Francesca Xavier Cabrini, founder of the Missionary Sisters of the Sacred Heart, dies in Chicago's Columbus Hospital. In 1946 she was canonized by the Roman Catholic Church, becoming the first American citizen declared a saint.
