St. Bernardine of Siena

Their story

Bernardine was born in 1380 in Tuscany, Italy, to a noble family. Both his parents died when he was a child, and he was raised by loving relatives in Siena. When plague struck the city in 1400, the twenty-year-old Bernardine and a group of friends took over a hospital and cared for the sick and dying for months, until he caught the illness himself. In 1402 Bernardine joined the Franciscans. His voice was weak and hoarse at first, but it grew strong, and he became the most famous preacher in Italy. For years he walked from city to city, preaching in public squares to enormous crowds. He spoke plainly and with humor about everyday sins such as gambling, vanity, greed and feuding, and he called people to peace and conversion. In some towns people brought their dice, playing cards and other vanities to be burned. Bernardine had a great love for the Holy Name of Jesus. He would hold up a tablet painted with the letters IHS, the first letters of Jesus' name in Greek, surrounded by rays of the sun, and invite the people to adore Jesus. Some critics accused him of encouraging superstition, but the pope examined his teaching and approved it. He turned down the office of bishop three times, preferring to preach. He died on May 20, 1444, while on a preaching journey, and was canonized just six years later.