Saint of the Day: St. Bonaventure

Franciscan Doctor of the Church (1221-1274)

His life

+ Bonaventure was born in Tuscany in 1221. As a boy, he met Saint Francis of Assisi, and he was inspired to enter the Franciscan Order in 1243.

+ He was elected Minister General of the Franciscan Order in 1257. This was a time of crisis for the Order as various factions began to interpret the teachings of Saint Francis in different ways. Bonaventure stressed the basic Franciscan values, especially poverty.

+ A brilliant thinker and gifted writer, he saw study and learning as being important for the friars’ ministries of preaching and teaching.

+ In 1273, Bonaventure was named cardinal-archbishop of Albano, Italy. He became a key figure in the theological and philosophical disputes of his day.

+ Saint Bonaventure, the “Seraphic Doctor,” died in 1274 while taking part in the Council of Lyons. He was canonized in 1482 and declared a Doctor of the Church in 1588.

For prayer and reflection

“Let us therefore say to the Lord Our God: ‘Lead me forth, Lord, in thy way, and let me step in thy truth; let my heart be glad, that it fears thy name.’”—Saint Bonaventure

Spiritual bonus

On this day the Church also remembers Saint Pompilio Pirotti. A member of the Piarist Fathers, he was celebrated for his work with young people and is especially remembered for his devotion to the Mother of God and the Sacred Heart of Jesus. Saint Pompilio died in 1766 in Campo Salentina, Apulia, Italy, and was canonized in 1934.

Prayer

Grant, we pray, almighty God,
that, just as we celebrate the heavenly birthday
of the Bishop Saint Bonaventure,
we may benefit from his great learning
and constantly imitate the ardor of his charity.
Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
God, for ever and ever. Amen.

(from The Roman Missal)

Saint profiles prepared by Brother Silas Henderson, S.D.S.