Bernard of Corleone

Brother Bernard led a simple and humble life as a lay brother (non-priest). He was assigned successively to various Capuchin convents in the province of Palermo, notably in Bisacquino, Bivona, Castelvetrano, Burgio, Partinico, Agrigento, Chiusa Sclafani, Caltabellotta, Polizzi Generosa, and finally Palermo, where he spent the last fifteen years of his life. In these communities, he primarily performed the duties of cook, sacristan, and infirmarian.

Although illiterate, Brother Bernard possessed a profound spiritual wisdom. Desiring to learn to read to pray better, he renounced it after having a mystical vision in which Christ on the cross said to him: "Do not seek so many books; my wounds are enough for you to read and meditate upon."

He also distinguished himself by his heroic charity toward the sick and the poor. During an epidemic at the convent of Bivona, while he was the only brother spared, he exhausted himself caring for his confreres. Having fallen ill in turn and feeling he was dying, he took a small statue of Saint Francis, slipped it into his sleeve, and boldly addressed the saint: "You will not come out of there until you have healed me so that I may help my brothers." The next day, he was miraculously healed. His charity also extended to animals, which he cared for and healed through prayer.

Brother Bernard's journey was marked by rigorous asceticism and an exceptional spirit of penance. He imposed upon himself strict fasts, prolonged vigils, and severe bodily disciplines to tame his former choleric temperament. He spent long hours in prayer before the Tabernacle, often joining the sacristan to remain as close as possible to the Blessed Sacrament. Contrary to the custom of his time, he received Holy Communion daily.

In Palermo, faced with natural calamities such as earthquakes or storms, he acted as an intercessor for the people before the Tabernacle, praying fervently: "Gently, Lord, gently! Show us Thy Mercy!", thus appeasing the plagues.

Brother Bernard passed away holily on Wednesday, January 12, 1667, at 2:00 PM, at the convent of Palermo, at the age of 61. At the moment of his death, his confrere and close friend, Brother Antonino da Partanna, saw him in spirit surrounded by a celestial light, exclaiming with joy: "Paradise! Paradise! Paradise! Blessed be the disciplines! Blessed be the vigils! Blessed be the penances, the renunciations of one's own will, and the acts of obedience!"

Brother Bernard's reputation for holiness spread immediately after his death. The beatification process began as early as 1673 (the apostolic process began in 1681).

He was officially beatified on May 15, 1768 (the decree Decet Servos Dei having been signed on April 29, 1768) by Pope Clement XIII in St. Peter's Basilica in Rome.

More than two centuries later, after the recognition of a miracle attributed to his intercession, he was solemnly canonized on June 10, 2001, by Pope John Paul II in St. Peter's Square in Rome, during the solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity.

The spirituality of Saint Bernard of Corleone is based on Franciscan humility, a passionate love for the Crucified and the Eucharist, as well as an absolute trust in divine mercy. He liked to compare religious life to a harmonious garden: "Religion is like a garden, which is not beautiful if it contains only one species of tree, but must have several. Thus, religion has different religious, one of whom is distinguished in humility, another in charity, another in obedience, and another in penance.".

Today, Saint Bernard of Corleone is venerated as a model of reconciliation, non-violence, and self-mastery. His relics are preserved and venerated in the Crocifisso chapel of the Capuchin convent in Palermo (Santa Maria della Pace church), where his original cell can also be visited. His liturgical feast is celebrated on January 12.