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As we deepen our relationship with the Eternal Word, Jesus Christ, we grow in grace and are transformed by His love and mercy.
September 8, 1380–May 20, 1444
Patron Saint of advertisers, public relations workers, communications professionals, gambling addicts, and those with respiratory problems
St. Bernardine of Siena was a great missionary preacher of the late Middle Ages. He stands as a voice of reason, stirring thousands of souls to conversion and reconciliation.
Born on September 8, 1380, in Massa Marittima, Italy, Bernardine lost both parents at an early age. Raised by a loving aunt in Siena, he received a strong Christian formation. As a young man, he demonstrated heroic charity during a severe outbreak of the plague in 1400. He organized and led a group of young men to run a hospital for the infected and personally cared for the sick at significant risk to his own life.
Soon after, he entered the Franciscan Order of the Observants, seeking a life of poverty and strict fidelity to the Gospel. Initially, he struggled with a weak and raspy voice, which may have been caused by a previous illness. But he prayed for healing and eventually developed a clear, resonant preaching style.
For more than 30 years, he traveled across Italy multiple times, moving from town to town, addressing crowds of up to thirty thousand in outdoor spaces. His sermons confronted corruption, gambling, immorality, business ethics, and factional violence. Often, he persuaded feuding families to reconcile publicly. His preaching helped restore civic peace in divided cities.
His most enduring legacy is his promotion of devotion to the Holy Name of Jesus. He promoted the use of the “IHS” symbol—derived from the Greek name of Jesus—displaying it on a tablet as a sign of unity and reverence. This symbol spread widely throughout Europe.
Bernardine was nearly charged with heresy for his intense promotion of devotion to the Holy Name of Jesus. Opponents accused him of introducing a new, potentially idolatrous devotion by having followers venerate a tablet inscribed with the “IHS” monogram. He was cleared of all charges by Pope Martin V.
Three times, popes offered St. Bernardine a bishopric, but he declined them, preferring the itinerant life of a preacher. He died on May 20, 1444, in L’Aquila and was canonized in 1450. His zeal for preaching brought widespread conversion and renewal across Italy and beyond.
The “IHS” monogram comes from the first three letters of Jesus’ name in Greek. During a time when political factions divided Italian cities, families often displayed rival emblems on their homes. Bernardine encouraged citizens to replace those divisive symbols with the IHS tablet, placing the Holy Name of Jesus at the center of their lives and communities. He saw devotion to Christ’s Name as a source of unity and moral renewal. The symbol became widely adopted and later incorporated into the emblems of various religious orders, including the Jesuits.
Bernardine was a leading figure in the Observant reform movement within the Franciscan Order. This reform sought a stricter observance of St. Francis’s original ideals of poverty, simplicity, and communal life. He helped establish and strengthen numerous Observant houses across Italy. Through preaching and leadership, he attracted many vocations and promoted discipline within the order. As Vicar General, he increased the number of Observant friars from around 130 to more than four thousand, founded or reformed more than two hundred monasteries, and insisted on rigorous education for the friars. His efforts contributed significantly to the renewal and growth of the Franciscans in the 15th century, ensuring that their charism remained vibrant and faithful to its founding spirit.
St. Bernardine’s relics are preserved in the Basilica of San Bernardino in L’Aquila, Italy. The basilica, constructed in the late 15th century, became an important pilgrimage site dedicated to his memory. His tomb, richly decorated and prominently displayed, draws visitors seeking his intercession. Despite suffering damage during earthquakes over the centuries, the basilica has been carefully restored. The enduring devotion at his shrine reflects the profound impact his preaching and spiritual leadership had on Italy and the wider Church.
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