For our second Saint this month, we will visit with St. Bernard (the man, not the dog) at Natasha's request. As with Lucy, there are actually several St. Bernards, but I will focus on the one for whom the dogs are named as I have already mentioned the dogs and some may be wondering why we have dogs named after a Saint.
St. Bernard of Montjoux (sometimes called St. Bernard of Menthon) was born around the year 1000 (one source says 923, one says 1000, on says 1020 - who really knows?). His actual birthplace is also unclear. What is undisputed is that he was a priest whose "parish" seemed to be a good portion of the Alps. He ministered to and Catechized the people who lived in that area whose isolation, up until then, had kept them mostly pagan. He also opened hospices in the Alpine passes to minister to pilgrims from France and Germany who passed through the snowy Alps on their way to and from Rome. The canons who man these hospices, even today (although there were only about 35 left in the congregation as of 2012), often would have their dogs accompany them on rescues of stranded travelers -- giving us the distinctive St. Bernard breed of dogs we know today.
The dogs are still on site at the hospice today, but only as pets as helicopters are now used for rescues.
St. Bernard's feast day is May 28. He is the patron of mountaineers and rock climbers.
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