Bernardine of Siena, Saint

Bernardine of Siena, Saint (bûr`nərdĭn, sēĕn`ə), 1380–1444, Italian preacher. He was a Franciscan of the Observant congregation and one of the most effective and most widely known preachers of his day. His popular, lively sermons still make good reading. He was vicar general of his congregation, and he repeatedly refused ecclesiastical preferment. St. Bernardine was one of the great promoters of devotion to the Holy Name of Jesus. Feast: May 20.

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Bernardine of Siena, Saint

(born Sept. 8, 1380, Massa Marittima, Siena—died May 20, 1444, L'Aquila, Kingdom of the Two Sicilies; canonized 1450; feast day May 20) Franciscan priest and theologian. Born into a noble family but orphaned early, he entered the Observants (1402), a strict branch of the Franciscan order that he later helped to spread throughout Europe. In 1417 he began preaching tours in Italy, seeking to combat the lawlessness, strife, and immorality resulting from the Western Schism. Through the Council of Florence he worked to unite the Greek and Roman churches. Numerous miracles are said to have occurred at his tomb.