St. Bernardine of Siena

St. Bernardine of Siena (born September 8, 1380, Massa Marittima, Siena [Italy]—died May 20, 1444, L’Aquila, Kingdom of the Two Sicilies; canonized 1450; feast day May 20) was a Franciscan theologian and preacher of great eloquence who, with Saints John of Capistrano and James of the March, led the growth of the Observants, a strict branch of the Franciscan order that subsequently spread throughout Europe.

Of noble birth, Bernardine was orphaned early. He completed his education in Siena, Italy, where he then served the sick in hospitals (1400). During this work he contracted and nearly died of plague. In 1402 he entered the Observants.

Bernardine became a priest in 1404 but did not begin his renowned preaching tours through Italy until 1417. Appalled by the breakdown in morals, the lawlessness, and the civil strife that resulted from the Great Western Schism (1378 –1417)—a period in the Roman Catholic Church when there were rival popes, each with his own following, his own Sacred College of Cardinals, and his own administrative offices—he strove to restore morals by inculcating a deep personal love of Jesus Christ.

He took part in the Council of Florence in 1439, furthering the short-lived union of the Greek church with Rome. The center of his movement was Il Gesù, a small chapel in Rome, which was later given to St. Ignatius of Loyola, the founder of the Jesuits. Numerous miracles are said to have occurred at his tomb in the basilica that is named for him in L’Aquila.