St. Bonaventure: The Seraphic Doctor
Quick answer
St. Bonaventure (about 1217–1274) was an Italian Franciscan friar and theologian. He taught at the University of Paris alongside St. Thomas Aquinas, served for seventeen years as Minister General of the Franciscans, and wrote the official life of St. Francis. His Journey of the Mind into God is a classic of Christian mysticism. He was made a cardinal and died during the Council of Lyon. His feast is July 15.
Key takeaways
- Tradition says St. Francis healed him as a child.
- He taught theology at Paris and was a friend of St. Thomas Aquinas.
- He led the Franciscans from 1257 and is sometimes called their second founder.
- He taught that all creation reflects God and can lead us to Him.
St. Bonaventure was one of the most brilliant men of the Middle Ages. Yet when messengers arrived to tell him he had been made a cardinal, the story goes, he was washing dishes, and asked them to hang the cardinal’s hat on a tree until he finished.
A Child of Francis
Giovanni di Fidanza was born around 1217 in Bagnoregio, in central Italy. A tradition says that as a child he fell gravely ill and his mother brought him to St. Francis, who prayed for him. Later, Bonaventure wrote that he had been saved from death through Francis’s prayers.
He studied at the University of Paris and entered the Franciscan order around 1243.
Teacher in Paris
Bonaventure taught theology at Paris at the same time as the Dominican St. Thomas Aquinas. The two received their doctorates together in 1257. Thomas drew much from Aristotle; Bonaventure drew more from St. Augustine. Both loved Christ and the truth.
Leader of the Franciscans
In 1257, at about forty, Bonaventure was elected Minister General of the Franciscan order. It had grown enormously and was divided over how strictly to live poverty. For seventeen years he guided it with wisdom and balance, gave it new constitutions, and visited houses across Europe. He wrote the official life of St. Francis, the Legenda Maior. He is sometimes called the second founder of the Franciscans.
The Journey to God
In 1259 Bonaventure went to Mount La Verna, where Francis had received the stigmata. There he wrote The Journey of the Mind into God. He taught that the whole world is like a book in which we can read the Creator. From the beauty of creation, we turn inward to the image of God in our souls, and then upward to God Himself, through Christ crucified, who is the door.
Cardinal and Peacemaker
In 1273 Pope Gregory X made him Cardinal Bishop of Albano and asked him to help prepare the Second Council of Lyon, which sought reunion with the Eastern Churches. Bonaventure died during the council, on July 15, 1274. He was canonized in 1482 and named a Doctor of the Church in 1588.
A Prayer to See God in Creation (Original Prayer)
St. Bonaventure, you saw God’s beauty in all things. Open my eyes to His goodness in creation, lead my heart inward to prayer, and upward to the love of Christ crucified. Amen.
Continue Reading
Read about St. Francis of Assisi, St. Clare, or St. Thomas Aquinas.
Frequently asked questions
When is the feast of St. Bonaventure?
July 15.
Why is he called the Seraphic Doctor?
Because of the fervent love for God in his writings. Seraphs are the angels closest to God, burning with love. He was named a Doctor of the Church in 1588.
What is the Journey of the Mind into God?
A short book, written on Mount La Verna in 1259, which describes six stages by which the soul rises from the beauty of creation to union with God.
Sources
- St. Bonaventure, Itinerarium Mentis in Deum (The Journey of the Mind into God)
- St. Bonaventure, Legenda Maior (Life of St. Francis)
- Pope Benedict XVI, General Audiences on St. Bonaventure (March 2010)
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