BL. ALBERT BERDINI OF SARTEANO, RELIGIOUS AND MISSIONARY - 15 AUGUST

 

ALL SAINTS CELEBRATED IN AUGUST

Saints celebrated on the 15th of August

WELCOME!

BLESSED ALBERT BERDINI OF SARTEANO, RELIGIOUS AND MISSIONARY

​Albert Berdini of Sarteano, Blessed, Franciscan Friar and missionary, was born in Sarteano, in Tuscany, 1385; he died in Milan, August 15, 1450. He entered the Order of Minor Conventuals in 1405, but later, attracted by the apostolic life and remarkable virtues of Saint Bernardine of Siena, the fame of whose sanctity was spread throughout Italy, and desirous of following more strictly the rule of Saint Francis, he passed over to the Friars Minor and became one of the devout disciples and faithful companions of the great Apostle of the Holy Name. 

Under the masterful guidance of Saint Bernardine his fame as an orator became so renowned that he was commonly known as the "King of Preachers" (Rex Prædicatorum); and it is recorded of the famous rhetorician, Guerimus of Ferrara, that when Blessed Albert was announced to preach at Ferrara, the preceptor anticipated the hour for his lecture and, the lecture finished, took his students to hear the sermon of the missionary, saying to them: "You have heard the theory, let us now go and see it put into practice." 

Pope Eugenius IV commissioned him as one of his legates to negotiate with the Greek Schismatics and induce them to be present at the council held in Bologna in 1453. Though the title of Blessed has always been accorded to Albert of Sarteano, principally on account of the fact, as one of the earlier chroniclers of the order tell us, of the numerous miracles he worked after his death at Milan, his cultus has never been explicitly approved by the Church. Active steps have, however, lately been taken for his formal beatification.

Catholic Encyclopedia, 1913

PRAYER:

Grant, we beseech you, almighty God, that the venerable feast of Blessed Albert may increase our devotion and promote our salvation. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, for ever and ever. Amen.