Saint of the Day

01 · Read · A life to discover

St. Bernardine of Siena

Bernardine helped care for the sick during the plague at Siena in 1400 before entering the Franciscans. He became associated with the Observant movement, which sought to renew the order’s commitment to poverty and its original religious discipline.

His service during the epidemic grew out of participation in a confraternity connected with Siena’s hospital of Santa Maria della Scala. The experience preceded his entry into religious life in 1402. Care for patients therefore formed part of the background of the famous preacher.

He studied major theological writers while also learning the expressions and concerns of rural people. That combination helped him communicate to crowds beyond a university audience. His success depended on translating learning into accessible preaching, not simply on attracting attention through dramatic appearances.

As a preacher, he addressed large crowds in language drawn from ordinary life, using memorable examples to communicate religious teaching. His ministry took him through many Italian cities and linked preaching with reform of Franciscan communities. Exhausted during a final preaching journey, he died at L’Aquila in 1444. His memorial falls on May 20.

This saint is included on this recurring date in the U.S. Roman Rite calendar published by the USCCB. This reading guide gives U.S. calendar saints priority; the Mass celebrated on a particular year’s date can differ because of Sundays, seasons or higher-ranking celebrations.