Feast Day: May 20
Patronage: Advertisers, public relations, compulsive gambling recovery, and those with respiratory illnesses
I. Early Life and Formation
Saint Bernardine of Siena (also spelled Bernardino) was born on September 8, 1380, in Massa Marittima, near Siena, in the Republic of Siena (modern-day Italy). Orphaned at a young age, he was raised by devout aunts who instilled in him a fervent love for the Blessed Virgin and a strong moral compass.
From his youth, Bernardine exhibited deep piety, fasting frequently and practicing works of mercy. He joined the Confraternity of Our Lady and studied civil and canon law at the University of Siena. Yet even amid the scholarly environment, his heart inclined toward the things of God.
In 1400, a plague ravaged Siena. Bernardine, only 20, organized a group of young men to care for the sick in the hospital of Santa Maria della Scala, exposing himself to the risk of death. Though he remained unscathed, the ordeal physically weakened him and confirmed his desire to dedicate his life to God.
II. Entry into Religious Life
In 1402, Bernardine entered the Franciscan Order of the Observance, a reform movement within the Friars Minor that sought a stricter observance of the Rule of St. Francis. He was ordained a priest in 1404, but for several years his weak voice and fragile health kept him from preaching.
However, after much prayer and discernment, Bernardine received a miraculous strengthening of his voice. He would go on to become one of the most powerful and effective preachers of the 15th century.
III. Apostle of the Holy Name of Jesus
Bernardine’s preaching missions began in earnest around 1417. He traveled throughout Italy—on foot—preaching repentance, denouncing vice, encouraging devotion to the Holy Name of Jesus, and calling for reform in both clergy and laity.
He is especially remembered for promoting the IHS monogram—the first three letters of Jesus’ name in Greek—as a symbol of devotion. He would hold aloft a tablet bearing the letters IHS, often encircled by a sunburst, and exhort the faithful to call upon the Holy Name with reverence and love.
He confronted societal ills such as usury, gambling, immorality, and lax discipline within religious communities. Crowds of up to 30,000 people would gather to hear his sermons, which were rich in theological depth yet accessible to the common folk, often laced with allegories, parables, and humor.
IV. Defender of Doctrine and Church Unity
His influence grew so great that in 1427, he was accused of heresy, particularly for his veneration of the Holy Name. Pope Martin V summoned him to Rome to answer the charges. Bernardine humbly complied, preaching before the pope and theologians. He was completely exonerated, and his preaching was acclaimed as a gift to the Church.
The Pope even offered him the bishoprics of Siena, Ferrara, and Urbino—each of which Bernardine refused, desiring to remain a humble Franciscan preacher.
V. Death and Legacy
In his later years, Bernardine served as Vicar General of the Observant Franciscans, overseeing their remarkable growth in Italy. Despite declining health, he continued his missionary journeys, preaching until his final days.
Saint Bernardine died on May 20, 1444, in Aquila (now L’Aquila), just before the Feast of the Ascension, after preaching nearly continuously for over 40 days. He was canonized six years later, in 1450, by Pope Nicholas V.
VI. Spiritual Character and Message
Saint Bernardine embodies the zeal of the Catholic Counter-Reformation before its time, with a particular emphasis on:
- Reverence for the Holy Name
- Moral reform and conversion of heart
- The power of preaching rooted in poverty and humility
- Devotion to Our Lady and the Holy Eucharist
He is rightly considered a forerunner to later reformers like Saint Vincent Ferrer and Saint John of Capistrano, who was one of his disciples.
VII. Devotional Legacy
Bernardine left behind sermons, letters, and treatises, many of which survive in manuscript form. His sermons are a rich treasury of doctrinal orthodoxy, moral exhortation, and Franciscan mysticism.
The monogram IHS, now often seen on altars, vestments, and churches, owes much of its popularization to his preaching. He also inspired the foundation of Monte di Pietà, charitable lending institutions as alternatives to usury.