Today, May 28, is the memorial of Saint Bernard of Menthon.
The large dogs called St. Bernard, trained to search for lost victims in the mountains, are named after him.
Patron saint of mountain climbers.
Also known as Bernard of Montjoux, he was born to the French nobility in Chateau de Menthon in 1020.
His father wanted him to marry a noblewoman, but Bernard insisted he wanted to serve God and the Church. On the eve of his arranged marriage, Bernard jumped out of their castle home to escape. It is said that angels caught him mid-air and gently carried him to the ground 40 feet below.
He became a priest and archdeacon of Aosta in the Italian Alps. He evangelized the people of the Alps for over 40 years. He served as vicar-general of the Alpine diocese.
He started a patrol that cleared robbers from the mountains, and established hospices for travelers and pilgrims to Rome, Italy.
He was the founder of the famed Hospice, which served the travelers for nearly 1,000 years.
He was also the founder of the Congregation of the Canons Regular of the Hospitaller Congregation of Great St. Bernard, which has served it throughout that history.
He died in 1081. Pope Innocent XI canonized Bernard in 1681.