Denver, Colo., Sep 11, 2011 / 05:50 am
On Sept. 17, the Catholic Church celebrates the Italian cardinal and theologian St. Robert Bellarmine. One of the great saints of the Jesuit order, St. Robert has also been declared a Doctor of the Church and the patron of catechists.
Robert Bellarmine was born on October 4, 1542 in the Tuscan town of Montepulciano. His uncle was a cardinal who later became Pope Marcellus II. As a young man, Robert received his education from the Jesuit order, which had received written papal approval only two years before his birth.
In September of 1560, Robert entered the Jesuit order himself. He studied philosophy for three years in Rome, then taught the humanities until 1567, when he began a study of theology that lasted until 1569. The final stage of his training emphasized the refutation of Protestant errors.
Robert received ordination to the priesthood in Belgium, where his sermons drew crowds of both Catholics and Protestants. In 1576 he returned to Italy, and took up an academic position addressing theological controversies. The resulting work, his “Disputations,” became a classic of Catholic apologetics.