Catholic Fire

Today, May 28, is the feast of St. Bernard of Montjoux, patron saint of mountain climbers and skiers. We know nothing of his early life, other than the fact that he was most likely born of nobility in Italy or France. Tradition tells us that he avoided an arranged marriage in order to devote his life to God. Saint Bernard entered the Benedictine Order, at the monastery in Aosta, Italy, and was ordained a priest. He served as Vicar General of Aosta, and spent more than four decades performing missionary work in the Alps. He was deeply devoted to the Lord and tirelessly preached the gospel to travelers, offering them comfort and hospitality, and in doing so, converted many. He is probably most famous for the hospices he built on the summits of passes over the Alps. Many pilgrims from France and Germany would travel over the Alps on their way to Rome, but it was always a possibility that one would die from freezing along the way. In the 9th century a system of hospices had been...

Historically today, May 28 is the feast of St. Bernard of Montjoux, patron saint of mountain climbers and skiers. We know nothing of his early life, other than the fact that he was most likely born of nobility in Italy or France. Tradition tells us that he avoided an arranged marriage in order to devote his life to God. Saint Bernard entered the Benedictine Order, at the monastery in Aosta, Italy, and was ordained a priest. He served as Vicar General of Aosta, and spent more than four decades performing missionary work in the Alps. He was deeply devoted to the Lord and tirelessly preached the gospel to travelers, offering them comfort and hospitality, and in doing so, converted many. He is probably most famous for the hospices he built on the summits of passes over the Alps. Many pilgrims from France and Germany would travel over the Alps on their way to Rome, but it was always a possibility that one would die from freezing along the way. In the 9th century a system of hospic...