Saint Bernardine of Siena:

Feast day : 20 May

Today the Church celebrates the feast of Saint Bernardine of Siena, an Italian Franciscan priest who lived during the period 1380-1444. He was an admirable preacher of the Gospel who set souls on fire for the love of God through his sermons. It was through him that a true devotion to the Most Holy Name of Jesus came into being. He would display a monogram on a tablet that contained the first three letters ‘IHS’ in gold letters of the Greek spelling of the name ‘Jesus’ surrounded by rays and the faithful were asked to adore the monogram as a representation of the divine power of the Most Holy Name of Jesus. The devotion was later approved by Pope Martin V and extended to the whole Church by Pope Innocent XIII in 1721. The Litany to the Most Holy Name of Jesus was written by St. Bernardine of Siena and his disciple. Several miracles were attributed to him during his lifetime and after his death too. He was canonized by Pope Nicholas V in 1450 within just five years of his death.

Early life:

Saint Bernardine was born in Massa in the year 1380 into the noble family of Albizeschi in Siena. He lost his mother when he was three years old and his father who was the Chief Magistrate of Massa, at the age of seven. He was then raised by a pious aunt who infused in him piety to God and a tender devotion to the Blessed Virgin. He grew up to be modest, humble, devout and took great delight in prayer, visiting churches, serving at Mass and hearing sermons which he was fond of repeating to his friends. At the age of ten he moved to Siena where his uncles gave him access to good education. When he completed his course in Philosophy, he studied Civil and Canon Law and the Holy Scriptures. At the age of seventeen he enrolled himself in the Confraternity of Our Lady in the hospital of Scala to serve the sick. Here he began to practice mortification of the flesh and his will which made him even more virtuous. Three years later, when the plague broke out in Siena, he devoted himself to tending to the sick. God protected him from the plague during the four months but at the end of the pestilence, he fell sick for months due to exhaustion and was confined to bed. In 1403 he joined the Order of St. Francis, among the Fathers of the Strict Observance at Colombiere, a solitary convent a few miles from Sienna. He was ordained a priest on 08 September 1404 and commissioned as a preacher the following year.

Religious life & death:

For 14 years he laboured in Italy preaching the Gospel and when his reputation spread beyond, he began preaching beyond Italy. He was filled with the Holy Spirit and an ardent zeal for the salvation of souls. Those who heard him preach, felt their souls melt in sentiments of divine love, humility and contempt of the world. The Word of God was in his mouth as a fire that spread to his listeners and set their souls on fire for the love of Jesus. Though the Scriptures and the Church since its inception, believed and revered the power in the Name of Jesus, a true devotion to the Most Holy Name of Jesus came into being only through the St. Bernardine and his disciple St. John of Capistrano. St. Bernardine used the devotion to the Most Holy name as a way of overcoming bitter and often bloody class struggles and family rivalries that were rampant in Italy at that time. During his sermons he would display a monogram on a tablet that contained the first three letters ‘IHS’ in gold letters of the Greek spelling of the name ‘Jesus’ surrounded by rays. The faithful were asked to adore the monogram as a representation of the divine power of the Most Holy Name of Jesus. There were several miracles reported during these adorations and soon the devotion gained popularity. However, it was seen by some as a heretical practice which led to St. Bernardine being summoned before the Papal Council in 1427. After making his representation before the Papal Council, the Holy Pope Martin V, instead of rebuking this practice, endorsed it and also participated in a procession to propagate the devotion. He later insisted on including the crucifix in the monogram and so a crucifix was added to the top of the letter ‘H’. In 1530, Pope Clement V approved an Office of the Holy Name for the Franciscans. In 1721, Pope Innocent XIII extended this feast to the entire Church. The Litany to the Most Holy Name of Jesus was written by St. Bernardine of Siena and his disciple St. John of Capistrano. The litany was approved by Pope Sixtus V in 1585 and was approved for public recitation by Pope Leo XIII in 1886. St. Bernardine is also attributed to have added the name of Jesus to the Ave Maria. Read more about the devotion to the Most Holy Name of Jesus here

Incorrupt body & Sainthood:

Besides several predictions and miraculous cures, he is also believed to have raised four from the dead. He was appointed Vicar General of his Order in Italy in 1438. When he retired in his old age he continued to preach through parts of Italy. In 1444, he returned to Siena and fell ill of a malignant fever and was soon confined to his bed in L’ Aquila. On 20 May 1444, he made a sign to be taken off his bed and looking up to heaven, breathed his last. His body is kept in the Basilica of San Bernardino. Several miracles were reported at his tomb. According to tradition, his grave continued to leak blood until two factions of the city achieved reconciliation. He was canonized in 1450, only six years after his death, by Pope Nicholas V. His feast day is celebrated on 20 May, the day of his death.