An article from the bulletin:St. Bonaventure (+1274)
If St. Thomas Aquinas is the spiritual son of St. Dominic, then St. Bonaventure would be the spiritual son of St. Francis. Both sons received their formation at the University of Paris & embarked on their respective careers of preaching the Gospel at a time when the new mendicant orders of roving preachers were viewed with great suspicion & even outright hostility by the religious establishment.
As Minister General, St. Bonaventure firmly put an end to a schism within the Franciscan Order & re-focused the Order’s charism with a new Rule. He wrote the authoritative biography of St. Francis, it seems, to preserve the memory of his founder from corruption & hijacking for various causes. He aided Pope Gregory X in conducting the 14th Ecumenical Council in Lyons & achieved some peace with the Greek Church with whom he was tasked with a mission of reconciliation.
He died under mysterious circumstances in Lyons, having spent his life seeking truth without compromise, perfection in spiritual life, & peace among all. In other words, he spent his life seeking Christ.
If St. Thomas Aquinas is the spiritual son of St. Dominic, then St. Bonaventure would be the spiritual son of St. Francis. Both sons received their formation at the University of Paris & embarked on their respective careers of preaching the Gospel at a time when the new mendicant orders of roving preachers were viewed with great suspicion & even outright hostility by the religious establishment.
As Minister General, St. Bonaventure firmly put an end to a schism within the Franciscan Order & re-focused the Order’s charism with a new Rule. He wrote the authoritative biography of St. Francis, it seems, to preserve the memory of his founder from corruption & hijacking for various causes. He aided Pope Gregory X in conducting the 14th Ecumenical Council in Lyons & achieved some peace with the Greek Church with whom he was tasked with a mission of reconciliation.
He died under mysterious circumstances in Lyons, having spent his life seeking truth without compromise, perfection in spiritual life, & peace among all. In other words, he spent his life seeking Christ.
I am increasingly drawn to this saint, mostly through an increasing awareness of the historical uniqueness of the Franciscan movement, but also of the many errors that quickly became attached to it after Francis' passing & the chaos within the Church that ensued. Bonaventure must have been an amazing man to have successfully navigated those waters while remaining but a simple friar following the Lord Jesus. I look forward to continuing & growing in this friendship.
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