November 7 – Bl. Bernardine of Fossa
Of
the Order of Friars Minor, historian and ascetical writer, b. at Fossa,
in the Diocese of Aquila, Italy, in 1420; d. at Aquila, 27 November,
1503. Blessed Bernardine belonged to the ancient and noble family of the
Amici, and sometimes bears the name of Aquilanus on account of his long
residence and death in the town of Aquila. He received his early
training at Aquila and thence went to Perugia to study canon and civil
law. On the 12th of March in the year 1445, he received the Seraphic
habit from St. James of the Marches who was then preaching a course of
Lenten sermons at Perugia.
From the time of his entrance into religion, Bernardine never ceased to
advance in religious perfection, and the success which crowned his
missionary labours throughout Italy, as well as in Dalmatia and
Serigonia, bears witness to the eminent sanctity of his life. Bernardine
fulfilled the office of provincial of the province of St. Bernardine
and of the province of Dalmatia and Bosnia, and would have been chosen
Bishop of Aquila had not his humility forbidden him to accept this
dignity. His cult was approved by Leo XII, 26 March, 1828. His feast is
kept in the Franciscan Order on the 7th of November. The writings of
Blessed Bernardine include several sermons and divers ascetical and
historical opuscules; among the latter, the “Chronica Fratrum Minorum
Observantiae” deserves special mention. This interesting chronicle was
first edited by Leonard Lemmens, O.F.M., from the autograph manuscript,
and is prefaced by an interesting life of Blessed Bernardine and a
critical estimate of his writings. It may also be mentioned that
Bernardine is the author of the first life of his patron, St. Bernardine
of Siena.Leo, Lives of the Saints and Blessed of the three Orders of St. Francis (Taunton, 1887), IV, 42-44; Lemmens, Chronica Fratrum Minorum Observantiae B. Bernardini Aquilani (Rome, 1905); Wadding, Annales Minorum, XII, 277- 480; Hurter, Nomenclator, IV, 968; Hugh a Pescocostanza, Vita del B. Bernardino da Fossa (Naples, 1872).
STEPHEN M. DONOVAN (Catholic Encyclopedia)
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