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Saint Bonaventure: Doctor of the Church
Saint Bonaventure
On July 15th, the Church celebrates the feast day of Saint Bonaventure. Born in 1221 in Bagnoregio, Tuscany, Saint Bonaventure whose baptismal name was John had an early (and legendary) encounter with Saint Francis of Assisi. As a sick child he was said to have been brought to Saint Francis who prayed over him and brought him back to health.
Bagnoregio
This did not however draw Saint Bonaventure immediately to the Franciscans. The young man instead became a student at the University of Paris where as a layman he completed his Master of Arts by the age of 22. He was an expert in logic and rhetoric and became a Franciscan in either 1238 or 1243.
With his Master of Arts degree, Saint Bonaventure became a popular lecturer at the University of Paris. In 1256 his career as a professor came to a halt when lay professors started violently opposing their religious counterparts.
The University of Paris (Sorbonne)
One year after the outburst of opposition at the University of Paris, Saint Bonaventure was elected minister general of the Franciscans. He worked hard to keep his fellow friars united by forging a clear direction for their Order.
Saint Bonaventure died in 1274 while participating in the Council of Lyon. He had been invited to the council by Pope Gregory X. As a scholar and thinker, Saint Bonaventure left a rich written legacy for posterity. His The Life of Saint Francis, Commentary on the Sentences of Lombard, Commentary on the Gospel of St Luke, and Itinerarium Mentis ad Deum, Breviloquium amongst others are all available today in the early 21st century.
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