St. Bernardine of Siena: Feast Day, Patronage & Prayers

Feast day: May 20 (optional memorial)

Patron of: Advertisers and those devoted to the Holy Name of Jesus.

About St. Bernardine of Siena

St. Bernardine was born in 1380 near Siena, Italy, and orphaned young. As a young man he organized care for the sick during a plague in Siena, nursing many victims himself. In 1402 he joined the Franciscans of the strict Observant reform and was ordained a priest.

Bernardine became the most famous preacher in Italy. For decades he walked from town to town, preaching for hours in piazzas to vast crowds against gambling, usury, vanity, and the violent feuds between factions, and calling people to conversion. He spread devotion to the Holy Name of Jesus, often holding up a tablet bearing the monogram IHS surrounded by golden rays and inviting the people to venerate the Name of the Savior. Some accused him of novelty, but the pope examined his preaching and approved it. He declined to become a bishop three times, served as vicar general of the Observant friars, and helped the reform grow greatly. He died in 1444 at L'Aquila and was canonized just six years later. In 1956 Pope Pius XII named him patron of advertisers, because he knew how to get a message across.

Prayers to St. Bernardine of Siena on Daily Catholic Prayers

• Prayers of St. Francis of Assisi in His Own Words

Learn more: “St. Bernardine of Siena” in the Catholic Encyclopedia (New Advent)

Browse every saint in our Catalog of Saints A–Z.

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