Happy Feast of St. Bernard of Clairvaux! Fr. Bernard Knapke, O.P., shares a short reflection on the legacy of St. Bernard, his namesake. “He was a seductively effective preacher,” Fr. Bernard says. “We hear some of his sermons on our Blessed Mother in the liturgy even today, and we can pray to St. Bernard today for more effective preaching in the Church, for an increase in vocations to the consecrated life, and for our own salvation and sanctification.” St. Bernard of Clairvaux, pray for us! | D

SAINT OF THE DAY Saint Bernard of Clairvaux, Abbot and Doctor of the Church 1090 – 1153 August 20—Memorial Liturgical Color: White Patron Saint of the Cistercian Order, beekeepers, and candlemakers A reformer par excellence, he saved the Benedictine Order and rejuvenated monasticism Today’s saint was like a medieval rock star who never stopped touring Europe. He traveled with an entourage, drew enormous crowds, was wildly popular, and called the cream of society his friends. The details of Saint