Today the Church honors St. Bernardine of Siena with an Optional Memorial. This fifteenth-century Franciscan preacher turned a simple monogram into one of Christianity’s most recognizable symbols. If you’ve ever seen the letters IHS blazing on a church wall or carved into wood, you’ve encountered his devotion to the Holy Name of Jesus.
## Who St. Bernardine was
Bernardine Albizzeschi was born in 1380 in the Tuscan town of Massa Marittima. Orphaned young, he was raised by relatives and entered the Franciscan Order at age 22. He spent decades as an itinerant preacher, traveling the length of Italy on foot, speaking in city squares to crowds that sometimes numbered in the tens of thousands.
He was elected vicar-general of the Observant Franciscans, a reform movement within the order that sought stricter poverty and discipline. He declined three bishoprics to continue preaching. He died in 1444 in L’Aquila and was canonized just six years later by Pope Nicholas V.
## What he’s known for
Bernardine made the Holy Name of Jesus the center of his preaching. He carried a wooden tablet painted with the sun and the IHS monogram, the first three letters of Jesus’s name in Greek. At the end of his sermons, he would hold it high and lead the crowd in venerating the Name. People began painting the symbol on their homes, workshops, and public buildings across Italy.
The symbol sparked controversy. Some accused him of promoting superstition or idolatry. He was summoned to Rome in 1427 to defend himself before Pope Martin V, who examined the devotion and approved it. The three mitres at his feet in sacred art represent the bishoprics he refused, choosing the preaching life instead.
## For today
When you see IHS today, whether on a building, a vestment, or an altar, pause for three seconds. Let the letters do what Bernardine intended: bring your attention to the name of Jesus. Not as magic, but as reminder. The Name is not a formula. It’s a person.
Carry the Name through the day.
