August 20

St. Bernard of Clairvaux

A twelfth-century French Cistercian abbot and Doctor of the Church whose influence on the medieval Church was so vast that his century has been called "the Age of Bernard." He reformed the Cistercians, preached the Second Crusade, opposed Peter Abelard's rationalism, and shaped Marian devotion with hymns still sung today. He is the patron saint of beekeepers.

Why it matters for your parish: One of the greatest medieval mystics and one of the most influential figures in Church history. His Marian devotion gives him a natural place in any Marian content.

Graphics for this saint are coming soon.