St. Bernardine of Siena (1380–1444) was the most famous preacher of fifteenth-century Italy, a Franciscan friar who walked from city to city drawing crowds of tens of thousands and spreading devotion to the Holy Name of Jesus. He would hold up a tablet painted with the monogram IHS surrounded by golden rays, and that symbol is still carved over church doors around the world. Because of his powerful voice, he is invoked for lung and chest problems, and because of his gift for spreading a message, he is the patron of advertisers and public relations. His feast day is May 20. Below are his story, the prayer of his feast, and prayers to St. Bernardine.
A short prayer to St. Bernardine, written for this page:
St. Bernardine, you loved and preached the holy Name of Jesus.
Pray that I may honor that Name with my lips and my life,
and ask God to heal my lungs and give me breath to praise Him. Amen.
Who was St. Bernardine of Siena?
Bernardine was born in 1380 at Massa Marittima, near Siena, into the noble Albizzeschi family, and was orphaned as a child. In 1400, when the plague struck Siena, the twenty-year-old Bernardine and a few friends took charge of the city’s great hospital for four months, nursing the sick and burying the dead; he caught the plague himself and nearly died. Two years later he became a Franciscan friar of the strict Observance.
From about 1417 until his death he preached throughout Italy, often for hours in the open air, calling people to repentance, peace between warring families, honesty in business and devotion to the Holy Name. He was accused of heresy over his use of the IHS tablet, but Pope Martin V cleared him. He refused three offers to become a bishop, served as vicar general of his order, and greatly increased the number of Observant Franciscan friaries. He died at L’Aquila on May 20, 1444, and was canonized only six years later, in 1450.
The Holy Name of Jesus and the IHS
Bernardine’s tablet showed the letters IHS, the first three letters of the name of Jesus in Greek, in gold within a blazing sun, on a blue field. He invited people to burn their gambling dice and playing cards and to put the Holy Name over their doors instead. St. Paul’s words were the heart of his preaching (Philippians 2:9–11, Douay-Rheims):
For which cause God also hath exalted him, and hath given him a name which is above all names:
That in the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those that are in heaven, on earth, and under the earth:
And that every tongue should confess that the Lord Jesus Christ is in the glory of God the Father.
The Church’s prayer for his feast, from the 1916 daily missal:
O Lord Jesus, who didst give to thy blessed Confessor Bernardine wondrous love of thy holy Name, we beseech thee by his merits and intercession graciously to infuse into us the spirit of thy love. Who livest and reignest with God the Father in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God world without end. Amen.
See the Most Holy Name of Jesus.
What is St. Bernardine the patron saint of?
St. Bernardine of Siena is the patron saint of:
- People with lung, chest and breathing problems, and hoarseness, because of his tireless preaching voice
- Advertisers, public relations and communications workers
- Gamblers seeking freedom from compulsive gambling
- The cities of Siena and L’Aquila
Prayers to St. Bernardine
Written for this page.
For lung problems and breathing
St. Bernardine, you used your voice and your breath to preach Jesus.
Pray for me as I struggle to breathe.
Ask the Lord to heal my lungs, to bless my doctors and treatments,
and to give me peace with every breath. Amen.
For those in advertising and communications
St. Bernardine, you knew how to make a message unforgettable.
Pray for all who work in advertising and public relations,
that their work may be honest and serve what is good and true. Amen.
Feast day
The feast of St. Bernardine of Siena is May 20, the day of his death; it is an optional memorial in the universal calendar.
Frequently asked questions
What is St. Bernardine of Siena known for?
Spreading devotion to the Holy Name of Jesus and the IHS monogram through his preaching across Italy.
What is St. Bernardine the patron saint of?
Lung and breathing problems, advertisers and public relations, and the city of Siena.
When is the feast of St. Bernardine of Siena?
May 20.
More saints and prayers
- St. John of Capistrano
- Most Holy Name of Jesus
- St. Francis of Assisi
- St. Anthony prayer
- Catholic prayer for healing
- Patron saints of professions
- Saint feast days
Texts and sources
- Philippians 2:9–11 (Douay-Rheims).
- The Mass Every Day of the Year (1916), St. Bernardine of Siena (May 20), Collect, public domain (archive.org).
- Catholic Encyclopedia (1913), “St. Bernardine of Siena,” public domain (Wikisource).