Saint Robert Bellarmine

Feast Day: September 17

  • Robert Bellarmine was born on October 4, 1542 in Montepulciano near Siena, Italy. He was the nephew, on his mother’s side, of Pope Marcellus II.
  • Prior to joining the Society of Jesus on September 20, 1560, he had a strong academic foundation in the humanities. His philosophical and theological studies at the Roman College in Padua and Louvain concentrated on St. Thomas Aquinas and the Fathers of the Church. To his religious leaning, these were both extremely significant and essential.
  • On March 25, 1570, Robert Bellarmine received his ordination to the priesthood. He served as a theology professor in Louvain for a while. Later, Pope Gregory XIII called him to Rome, where he was given the job of instructing at the Roman College.
  • In the face of the Protestant Reformation, the Council of Trent had just ended. The Catholic Church has a responsibility to uphold, bolster, and confirm Her identity. Bellarmine's response made sense in this situation. He served as the first spiritual adviser to the Jesuit students at the Roman College from 1588 to 1594.
  • Aloysius Gonzaga, who eventually attained sainthood, was one of the pupils he encountered and offered guidance to. After a while, he rose to the position of religious superior.
  • Bellarmine was appointed by Pope Clement VIII to a number of positions, including that of papal theologian, adviser to the Holy Office, and rector of the College of Confessors at St. Peter's. A few years later, on March 3, 1599, the same Pontiff made him a cardinal. On March 18, 1602, he was named Archbishop of Capua.
  • He made a name for himself during his three years as bishop by his fervor as a superb preacher in his cathedral, his weekly visits to parishes, the Diocesan Synods, and a Provincial Council that he formed. Despite having the title of cardinal, he led a modest and charitable life.
  • Cardinal Bellarmine produced a number of spiritual writings in his later years, focusing on the outcomes of his yearly spiritual practices.
  • Cardinal Bellarmine passed away in Rome on September 17, 1621. Pope Pius XI had him beatified in 1923, canonized in 1930, and named a Doctor of the Church in 1931.

St. Robert Bellarmine, Pray for Us!