NEW BENEDICTINE SAINT

VENERABLE BERNARDO VAZ de CONCELOS was a Benedictine monk, mystic, poet, and authored  "Canticle of Love". He studied at the University of Coimbra and was part of the St Vincent de Paul Society which did works of evangelization and charity, especially with the poor. He was devoted to regular Eucharistic Adoration.  He was also an editor of the journal which studied democracy.

Venerable Bernardo was born in São Romão Corgo (Celorico de Basto), Portugal in 1902.  He discerned a call to the monastic life and entered the Monastery of Singeverga in 1924. His name in religion was Brother Bernardo of the Annunciation. He was sent to the Abbey of Mont-César in Belgium to study theology, but returned home in a year’s time due a diagnosis of tuberculosis.

The illness weakened his body and yet he was peaceful and trusting in Divine Providence. In a letter to a fellow patient Bernardo wrote:

“Don’t get delivered to sadness that only serves to disable our best energies … it expands your heart and let Him be the life-giving Sun of joy. Joy, but with so many ordeals?  The cross follows us wherever we go and we have to take it.”

While he made his solemn profession in 1928 he would die before he was ordained to the priesthood. 

The last six years of his life were filled with great suffering but he knew how to offer it for the sake of others, making it a "Song of Love"   

His poetry deeply impressed the Catholic media of the 1930s to this day his poems catapult our souls   It penetrates the "theological-liturgical sense of the sacraments”, giving and sacrifices He also wrote the book "The Mass and the Inner Life”.

Brother Bernardo died in the early hours of July 4, 1932, after a long suffering. He is buried in the parish church of São Romão do Corgo.

The holiness of this Portuguese monk and poet "is now recognized not only by the great number of faithful who admire him,  but also by theologians, Bishops and Cardinals of the Holy See who have studied his writings and holiness of life.   We pray that we soon can elevate him to the ranks of a great Benedictine saint.