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Bernadine
was born in Italy in the fourteenth century. His wealthy parents
died when he was seven and he was raised by an aunt. He was
very handsome and had once publicly slapped an older man who
had come on to him. When he was in his early twenties a plague
hit Siena and Bernadine volunteered at a local hospital tirelessly
tending to the sick and dying. When the epedemic ended, completely
exhausted, he developed a fever that put him out of commission
for several months. Then his aunt became deathly ill and he
devoted himself to her care. Over a year later she died in his
arms and he then joined the Franciscans. He started to preach
on the streets and went on the road giving daily open-air sermons
all over Italy. He developed a kind of corporate logo for the
church which he used as a visual aid for his sermons. Incidentally,
a playing card company that had gone bankrupt because of the
famed preacher’s condemnation of gambling successfully
used his logo to go back into business. He so enjoyed his work
as a traveling preacher that he refused several offers to be
bishop but eventually accepted a post as vicar. He longed to
get back on the road and resigned but two years later, after
preaching for fifty consecutive days, he died at the age of
sixty-three. Bernadine is also the patron of communications,
Italy and public relations; and he’s invoked against
compulsive gambling, hoarseness and lung and respiratory problems.
His feast day is May 20. |
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