Today, May 20, is the memorial of Saint Bernardine of Siena.
The year 1380 saw Bernardine being born to a noble family. In 1403, he became a Franciscan friar. Bernardine was known for his effective preaching, attracting huge crowds wherever he went. He was a huge devotee of the Holy Name of Jesus.
Bernardine was also a renowned peacemaker. His ability to bring peace between warring families and factions gained him many admirers. Reconciliations were always the conclusions of his wise peace-making ways. He declared that malice and gossip were the things that caused divisions.
He died of natural causes at age 63 in 1444. Immediately after his death, miracles and cures were being attributed to Bernardine. Just six years after Bernardine’s death, Pope Nicholas V canonized him in 1450.