Today is the feast day of St. Robert Bellarmine, a feast that reaches back to my early roots. I attended St. Robert Bellarmine Catholic School in East McKeesport, PA located on Fifth Avenue. My days there were happy ones and the Vincentian Sisters of Charity who taught there inculcated the truths of the Faith deeply into my heart.
I remember each one of those gifted women with great fondness: Sister Mary Concepta, 2nd grade; Sister Mary Euphemia, 3rd grade; Sister Mary Theophane, 4th grade; Sister Mary Denise, 5th grade; Sister Mary Gabriel, 6h grade, Sister Mary Philip, 7th grade, and Sister Mary Hermona, 8th grade. I attended a different Catholic school for first grade and was taught by a Dominican sister, Sister Mary Lois. She had the gift of prophesy though I don’t think she knew it — she routinely referred to me as Little Miss Talking Machine! Ha!
In 1999 my husband, Anthony, and I made a trip to Rome en route to a business conference he needed to attend in Monte Carlo. It was a pretty cold and rainy week and one particular day we found ourselves stranded in the rain during the traditional afternoon siesta time. I was wanting to purchase a sweater, but because the store was closed we ducked into a nearby church — always available in Rome. As is the case with every church in Rome, there was much to see. After making a visit with Jesus, we began to tour around the church looking at the artwork and other sights to see.
I noticed my husband standing near an alcove. He was beckoning me to come over to him. I did and he pointed in the direction of the alcove. I could see that there was a glass-cased altar there and I knew that the altar evidently held the body of a saint. I nodded and went into the alcove, knelt in front of the altar and began to ask for the intercession of the saint who was lying in state there.
After I finished my prayer, I opened my eyes and began to look at the incorrupt body of the saint. It was the body of a man, a cardinal in fact, short of stature, of thin face, and rather diminutive in every way. The more I looked at the man the more I felt like I knew him. In fact, I was certain I did, so I asked him who he was. Of course, he didn’t answer (wouldn’t that have been something!).
Soon, I stood up, happy to have been able to “meet” this saint, and went to join my husband. As I walked over to him, he pointed to an easel which identified the saint whom I had just venerated. It was St. Robert Bellarmine! I laughed out loud (not very respectful in Church, but it just escaped me). No wonder he looked familiar — I had seen his picture hanging in the foyer of my school throughout my elementary school years. I kind of felt perhaps my guardian angel had had a special surprise in store for me that day.
St. Robert Bellarmine is a great saint, a doctor of the Church in fact. He was born in the Tuscany region of Italy and entered the Society of Jesus. He was a theology teacher who distinguished himself as a great defender of the faith and eventually gained the “red hat” and was named bishop of Capua. A quote from his treatise On the Ascent of the Mind to God is especially meaningful to me:
May you consider truly good whatever leads to your goal and truly evil whatever makes you fall away from it.
The quote makes me question if what I am choosing into my life is leading me closer to or further away from God. Interesting — the patron of my elementary school continues to teach me today. May he be an instructor to you as well.
