ST. BERNARD OF CLAIRVAUX
Feast Day: August 20th
St. Bernard was born in the year 1090 at Fontaines-les Dijon and died 63 years later in his monastery at Clairvaux on August 20th. When he was in his early twenties, he chose to become a monk and along with his uncle, his brothers, and most of his friends entered the almost defunct monastery at Citeaux. Within four years the community recovered. Bernard’s life in the Church was more active than we can imagine; his prayers and contemplation gave him strength and heavenly direction. He had a deep devotion to the Blessed Mother and wrote sermons and books that are still the standard of Marian theology. He spent 40 years cloistered and founded 163 monasteries in Europe. At his death they numbered 343. He was the first Cistercian monk placed on the calendar of saints and was canonized in 1174 by Pope Alexander III on January 18th. He was declared a Doctor of the Church by Pope Pius VII in 1830.