St. Bonaventure

Their story

Bonaventure was born around 1221 in Bagnoregio, in central Italy, and baptized Giovanni. According to tradition, he was healed of a serious illness as a child through the prayers of St. Francis of Assisi. As a young man he went to study in Paris, where he joined the Franciscans and became a brilliant teacher of theology at the university, at the same time as his friend St. Thomas Aquinas. In 1257, at only 36, Bonaventure was elected minister general of the Franciscan order, which was deeply divided over how strictly to live St. Francis's ideal of poverty. For seventeen years he guided the order with wisdom and moderation, holding it together and giving it a clear direction. He wrote the official life of St. Francis and many works of theology and spirituality, including The Journey of the Mind to God, which describes how all creation can lead us to God. His writings are full of love, and he is called the Seraphic Doctor. Bonaventure was humble. He turned down an appointment as archbishop of York. In 1273 the pope made him a cardinal, and a story tells that when the messengers arrived with the cardinal's hat, he was washing dishes and asked them to hang it on a tree until he finished. He helped organize the Second Council of Lyon, which worked to reunite the Catholic and Orthodox Churches, and he died during the council on July 15, 1274. He is a Doctor of the Church.