Bishop and Doctor of the Church · Remembered on September 17
St. Robert Bellarmine
St. Robert Bellarmine is remembered on September 17 in Bless’s calendar of saints. Traditionally invoked as patron of catechists and canon lawyers.
| Remembered on | September 17 |
|---|---|
| Title | Bishop and Doctor of the Church |
| Died | 1621 |
| Patron of | catechists, canon lawyers |
| Next on Bless’s Today screen | None left in the published calendar (through December 31, 2028) |
Life
A Tuscan Jesuit, nephew of a pope, and the Counter-Reformation’s most formidable theologian: his Controversies stated Protestant arguments so fairly that some thought the book dangerous to print. He wrote two catechisms that taught Catholics for three centuries, and served on the commission that produced the revised Vulgate.
As cardinal he lived on bread and garlic, gave his hangings to the poor, and once freed a caged bird a visitor had given him. He was a friend of Galileo, whom he cautioned rather than condemned. Doctor of the Church since 1931.
Patron of
Tradition invokes St. Robert Bellarmine as patron of catechists and canon lawyers.
Saints with the same patronage
- St. Raymond of Peñafortcanon lawyers · January 7
Patronages are traditional, not an official list. All patron saints in Bless, A to Z.
In the calendar
The upcoming dates, through December 31, 2028, when Bless’s Today screen shows St. Robert Bellarmine. Where the US calendar keeps another celebration that day, it is named instead and no rank is given.
Readings
No dates are left in Bless’s published calendar, which runs through December 31, 2028. St. Robert Bellarmine keeps September 17 in Bless’s calendar of saints: see the saints of September.
All the saints of September Born on September 17? A saint for every day
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