About St. Bonaventure
Feast Day: Friday, July 15, 2022
St. Bonaventure was a 13th century Franciscan. He was a man of prayer known for his embrace of simplicity and poverty. When he was made a cardinal in 1273 he refused to wear the traditional red hat of a cardinal. Instead he left it hanging on a bush!
As a child he was called John. When he became seriously ill with a bowel illness. His mother prayed for the intercession of St. Francis. While praying, she saw a vision of her son in the future, and she called out “O Buona Ventura” – “O Good Fortune” – and thus he was called Bonaventure.
He wrote several important theological woks on the spiritual life. He was a friend of St. Thomas Aquinas. He died suddenly on July 15, 1274. There was a suspicion that he was poisoned.
Patron Saint
St. Bonaventure is the patron saint of bowel disorders.
Read about this saint
- The Soul’s Journey into God, the Tree of Life, the Life of St. Francis
- An Introduction to His Life, Thought, and Writing
- Crucified Love: Bonaventure’s Mysticism of the Crucified Christ
St. Bonaventure Gifts
Top ideas for St. Bonaventure
115 Saintly Fun Facts
Every Creature Is A Divine Word – St. Bonaventure Quote
