Bernardin de Feltre

Bernardin de Feltre is a brother minor and a missionary, born with Feltre (Italy) in 1439 and died in Pavia on September 28th 1494. It belonged to the noble family of Tomitano and was the elder one of nine children. In 1456 saint Jacques of the Steps preached the Lent with Padoue what inspired in Bernardin the idea to enter the order franciscain and it took the dress of the minor brothers in May of the same year. It finished successfully its studies with Mantoue and was ordered priest in 1463. Cured miraculeusement embarrassment of the word, it began a long and fertile apostolate which made it classify among the largest missionaries franciscains fifteenth century.

Each important city and each province, from Lombardy in North to Sardinia and the provinces of the South were successively the scene of its work missionaries; and the fruits of its apostolate appeared as marvellous as durable. That which one remembers best, however, it is that it reorganized the Mount of Piety and, in a sense, founded it. The word Mons which literally means an accumulation of richness or money, and that one calls now capital, seems to have been a generic term used at the fifteenth century to in general indicate the pawnshops on pledge; and as from this moment the assemble pietatis or perhaps monti di pietà was kinds of establishments of loan against security charitable, not very different from the modern establishments from this kind, but which were not marked, obviously, of the sinister reputation of the latter.

Right from the start the monti di pietà were instituted like a remedy, effective and coming at named the right moment, against the evils caused by the wear which the Jews in Italy at the expense of the Christians practiced; the fact that Bernardin created some where it did not have there before explains the fact that it is generally represented bearing in his hand a assembles di pietà , i.e. a small green hill made up of three hillocks and with its top either a cross or a standard with the inscription: Curam illius habe .

As was to do it Ignace de Loyola, it however frequently used it and recommended it to his/her brothers. The Roman Church proclaimed it happy and its festival is celebrated in the minor brothers the September 28th .

Source

This article is partially or entirely translated Catholic Encyclopedia (1913) which is in the public domain.

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