On the holy man, Brother Bernard of Offida, a lay Friar

Brother Bernard was from a place called Offida situated in the province of the Marches. He was born of honest parents. They were not very wealthy. Since his childhood they nurtured in him the fear of God. Because they were not very rich the good boy could not go to school but became experienced in the art of the farming. However, when he was about twenty years old, he decided to leave the world and serve God in some Order. He went away to the Congregation of Zoccolanti. They received him as a lay Friar. When the Friars saw his good demeanour, patience and humility, the assigned him to the infirmary. There he served the ill so solicitously and with so much patience that it appeared that he rejoiced day and night in all those heavy tasks. No one ever saw him sick of serving. He said, “It is not without reason that our Father Saint Francis obliges us in the Rule to serve the sick as we would want ourselves served. He gives us the example of the loving mother towards her child. He does not do this except to show us that we can never do as much as we ought for our sick brother. The Lord God wants us to help one another in all our needs because our physical needs are among our greatest. When he talked about it he often cited what Father Saint Francis did after his conversion. “He immediately went to the hospitals to the serve the sick and the lepers. He emphasised that among all the bodily works of mercy this was the greatest. Among the spiritual works of mercy the greatest was to take one’s neighbour out from sin and help him be saved. Therefore we find our Father busy in these two works of mercy. On the day of judgement the Lord will not require of us a stricter account of anything else than regarding the works of mercy. When I think about what our Lord Jesus Christ says that the whole law is fulfilled in the love of God and love of neighbour, I am never happier than when I am at prayer or in some service for my neighbour. When I am not at one of these two kinds of service, I feel I am not only not a religious but not even a Christian.”

When he was not busy at his assigned task the custom of this servant of God was to always retire to holy prayer. He would spend most of the time staying in the church, in his cell or in the woods. He rarely spoke with anyone. The whole province of the Marches regarded him as a great servant of God.

When he heard, as it pleased God, that the Congregation of Capuchins was making progress and that it already numbered eight Friars, he said publicly, “Thanks be to the Lord God that he has deigned to receive me into this holy Congregation and bring it number nine. Although I am a wretch, I will be the ninth Capuchin.” Some Friars said to him, “How crazy you are! Do you want to go and be with those apostates? You well know that they are all odd. What is they need that they can’t do good here if they want to reform themselves” […..] Brother Bernard left the Zoccolanti. When he found the Capuchins in the mountains of Fabriano they received him with great joy since they knew that Brother Bernard’s zeal to observe the Rule was well known, as was the holy life he led. It was considered that God had revealed to him to join the Capuchins. He was another constant Friar amid those grave troubles that they had. When he heard someone say that the Congregation would turn out badly, he used to smile about it and say with great fervour, “Do not worry […..] There is such a perfect observance of the rule here [..] that it is impossible that [..] at the time of Saint Francis there was no equal in the perfect observance of the Rule. If holy poverty is the foundation of the whole Order, where can one better see that poverty of life than in the dwellings we have today? We eating we satisfy our hunger just with a little bread, herbs and fruit. In regard to dress, I don’’ believe that the companions of Saint Francis dressed with poorer cloth and less of it than we are. If we say that Orders are more perfect in so far as they are conformed to the apostolic life, there is nothing in which we can be more like the holy apostles than in being persecuted for wanting to observe our Rule – so much so that we do not trust to let ourselves be seen for fear of being apprehended. Therefore who wants a clearer testimony that this is the work of God? And if it is his divine work, why do you fear? Therefore be joyful and thank God that while we are the lowest men in the world, the Lord God has made us worthy to found this Congregation for the sake of his glory. The Lord God has done this in order to make known to everyone that his is his work. If we ere learned and of noble blood, the praise would not be given to God but the work would be attributed to our human wisdom and prudence.”

They were all completely astonished by these words, that such wise words would come out of the mouth of such a simple man.

Later as the Congregation grew he was elected Guardian many times. He carried out that office with great prudence and peace. He was the one Father Louis sent as the first Guardian in the friary of Saint Valentine in Foligno when they led a life that was more angel-like than human. Such was the very good example they gave that they set the whole city and countryside in admiration and wonder both for the austerity of their life and also the many miracles that the Lord our God performed through their merits in such a way that [… ] The seculars often said to him, “Father Guardian, you do too much. It is not possible for you to last. You work during the day and pray at night. You eat little and sleep little. This is not the life of man but of Angels who do not eat.” The servant of God answered, “If I did as much as I’d prefer, I would do a lot more. For when I was comfortable with accommodation, clothing and good food, thinking that I was serving God, I see that I was serving my body. When I didn’t like the accommodation I used to have myself moved in order to accommodate my wretched body. The true servants of God have spent their time in doing good and suffering evil. ”

Such was the fine mind and prudence of this servant of God that he was at nearly all the General Chapters. In the Chapter decisions his contribution was always memorable. Though he was a simple man the Fathers esteemed him. As I have understood from Father Eusebius of Ancona, he was very eager about holy poverty. He was in the friary at Camerino, when the General Chapter was taking place in Rome, when the Father Guardian of the house provided a small cask of wine because of the many friars who were passing by. When Brother Bernard saw that extraordinary provision, he went off sighing and weeping before the Blessed Sacrament. He said to himself, “O Lord, help us. We lack nothing else for us to begin to make provision for barrels of wine!”Afterwards he decided to give a fraternal correction to the Father Guardian about it. Kneeling down before him, he said, “Oh Father Guardian, what does this barrel mean? It seems to me that we have returned to the way things used to be. I say to you that I wish to continue in this house. However, if the matter continues, I will leave this province.” The Guardian answered him, “I did it for the Fathers who are passing through. It will be stopped. Forgive me, Brother Bernard. I thank you for the fraternal correction.” When Brother Bernard heard such a humble reply, having understood fully, he admitted his fault to the Father Guardian.

Although he was old he continued to go barefoot in summer and winter. He never wanted to wear anything else than a very old, completely patched habit. He fasted almost continuously, doing the more devout forty-day fasts mostly on bread and water. Persevering in holy contemplation, he never, or rarely, rested after Matins. Our Lady often appeared to him in such a way that both Friars and seculars spoke a lot about it.

The Duchess of Camerino was very devoted towards him and wanted to see him almost every week. Once she said to him, “Oh Father Bernard is it true what they say that Our Lady has appeared to you many times?” The servant of God answered, “My Lady, the Mother of Jesus Christ does not appear to big sinners like me!” As Brother Bernard was leaving her, the devout Lady knelt down and asked the blessing of him. Brother Bernard reprimanded her for kneeling before of sinful lay friar and that she should get up. She did not want to get up until Brother Bernard blessed her, saying “Nos cum prole pia benedicat Virgo Maria.”

He was assured of the full remission of his sins in those apparitions. From then on he wept almost continuously with great heart felt joy.

He rarely spoke with anyone except sometimes with Friars who want to hear him speak of the things of God and the observance of the Rule. Almost always he cited to the example of Father Saint Francis and how he observed it. He wanted to cite this as an explanation of the Rule.

After he had served the Lord for about fifty-eight years, when he was very old in the Friary at Camerino, he came down with a serious illness. After much preparation and having received all the holy sacraments, that happy soul passed away to its creator.

The Lady Duchess had a chapel made for him and a very fitting vault as is usually done for holy bodies. Universally regarded as a saint by everyone, the blessed Bernard was place there.

Through this servant of God the Lord God worked many miracles with the sign of the Cross. However, because I do not have perfect knowledge of them, I will not include them here. I will write only about the great miracle that he did when the Friars dwelled in the friary at Colmontone. The Father Guardian sent this servant of God for alms in a village not far from the friary. It was necessary for him to stay the night so that in the morning, before the people went out to work they would be able to go questing. Therefore the servant of God, Brother Bernard, stayed in a house in that village. That evening he heard a great lament. When he asked what it was, he was answered that a child had died, his mother’s only son. The servant of God sorrowed over this and out of compassion persevered the entire night in prayer, praying for that poor boy. In the morning, with great fervour, he had one of the devotees of the Order called. He told him to bring the dead boy. Holding him in his arms Brother Bernard withdrew to one side so that he could not be seen. A little later he came out very happy with the boy alive, returning him to his mother. He immediately took himself off. More than thirty persons were present at this and it was known throughout that region.

To the praise and glory of our Lord Jesus Christ, of his fair Mother, and of our Father Saint Francis. Amen.