St. Bernardine of Siena

St. Bernardine of Siena (8 September 1380 – 20 May 1444) was born at Massa Marittima into the noble Albizzeschi family of Siena and was orphaned young. After heroically serving the sick during a plague, he entered the Franciscan Order and joined the Observant reform, becoming its greatest promoter and one of the most celebrated preachers of the Middle Ages. Traveling on foot across Italy, he drew immense crowds with sermons that combined moral fervor, wit, and vivid appeals to conversion, earning him the title "the Apostle of Italy."

He is especially remembered for spreading devotion to the Holy Name of Jesus, holding up before his audiences a tablet bearing the IHS monogram encircled with rays, which became his enduring emblem. Accused by some of introducing a novel cult, he was vindicated at Rome. He thrice declined bishoprics and worked to reform and expand the Observant Franciscans. He was canonized in 1450, only six years after his death, and is honored as a patron of preachers and, in modern times, of advertisers.