Father Claude Bernard
Encyclopedia
Father Claude Bernard was a French
Roman Catholic priest who was primarily active in ministry to prisoners and criminals, especially those condemned to death. He is primarily remembered as the popularizer of the Memorare
, of which he distributed more than 200,000 leaflets printed in various languages. He claimed in a letter to Queen Anne of Austria
, wife of King Louis XIII of France
, that he had himself been miraculously cured of illness through intercession
of the Blessed Virgin Mary as a result of his reciting the prayer.
He was the subject of a 1913 biography in French, Claude Bernard dit le pauvre prêtre by Commandeur de Broqua, who was the postulator
for the cause of Fr. Bernard's canonization
.
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
Roman Catholic priest who was primarily active in ministry to prisoners and criminals, especially those condemned to death. He is primarily remembered as the popularizer of the Memorare
Memorare
Memorare is a Roman Catholic prayer to the Blessed Virgin Mary. Memorare, from the Latin "Remember", is frequently misattributed to the 12th century Cistercian monk Saint Bernard of Clairvaux, apparently due to confusion with its 17th century popularizer, Father Claude Bernard, who stated that he...
, of which he distributed more than 200,000 leaflets printed in various languages. He claimed in a letter to Queen Anne of Austria
Anne of Austria
Anne of Austria was Queen consort of France and Navarre, regent for her son, Louis XIV of France, and a Spanish Infanta by birth...
, wife of King Louis XIII of France
Louis XIII of France
Louis XIII was a Bourbon monarch who ruled as King of France and of Navarre from 1610 to 1643.Louis was only eight years old when he succeeded his father. His mother, Marie de Medici, acted as regent during Louis' minority...
, that he had himself been miraculously cured of illness through intercession
Intercession
Intercession is the act of interceding between two parties. In both Christian and Islamic religious usage, it is a prayer to God on behalf of others....
of the Blessed Virgin Mary as a result of his reciting the prayer.
He was the subject of a 1913 biography in French, Claude Bernard dit le pauvre prêtre by Commandeur de Broqua, who was the postulator
Postulator
The person who guides a Cause for beatification or canonization through the judicial processes required by the Roman Catholic Church is known as the postulator. The qualifications, role and function of the postulator are spelled out in the Norms to be Observed in Inquiries made by Bishops in the...
for the cause of Fr. Bernard's canonization
Canonization
Canonization is the act by which a Christian church declares a deceased person to be a saint, upon which declaration the person is included in the canon, or list, of recognized saints. Originally, individuals were recognized as saints without any formal process...
.