Murphysboro Centuries, 12th sacred

St. Bernard of Clairvaux, 1092(?)-1154

- as a young man joined the Cistercians at a time when all thought that no one could keep their strict rule - Bernard and some 30 friends joined and made it a challenge to live according to it

- because of that and his own personality, Bernard became one of the most famous people in the 12th century - he was a good preacher, a gifted writer - “His moral influence was so immense that he became Europe’s leading arbiter of political and ecclesiastical disputes.”

- was considered to be a saint in his own time and people came to him from all over Europe to be healed by his miracles (like Mother Theresa in our own time but much more influential)