Bernardo Francisco de Hoyos de Seña, SJ (21 AugustSome sources mention 20 August as birthdate. 1711 – 29 November 1735), best known simply as Bernardo de Hoyos, was a

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many countries in the Americas **Spanish cuisine **Spanish history **Spanish culture ...

Catholic priest, mystic and member of the

Society of Jesus The Society of Jesus (; abbreviation: S.J. or SJ), also known as the Jesuit Order or the Jesuits ( ; ), is a religious order of clerics regular of pontifical right for men in the Catholic Church headquartered in Rome. It was founded in 1540 ...

. He is best known for his ardent devotion to the

Sacred Heart The Most Sacred Heart of Jesus () is one of the most widely practised and well-known Catholic devotions, wherein the heart of Jesus Christ is viewed as a symbol of "God's boundless and passionate love for mankind". This devotion to Christ is p ...

and for his constant promotion of it until his premature death. His beatification by the

Catholic Church The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...

was held in

Valladolid Valladolid ( ; ) is a Municipalities of Spain, municipality in Spain and the primary seat of government and ''de facto'' capital of the Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Castile and León. It is also the capital of the pr ...

on 18 April 2010.

Life

Bernardo Francisco de Hoyos de Seña was born on 21 August 1711 to Don Manuel de Hoyos and Doña Francisca de Seña. He was

baptized Baptism (from ) is a Christian sacrament of initiation almost invariably with the use of water. It may be performed by sprinkling or pouring water on the head, or by immersing in water either partially or completely, traditionally three ...

on 6 September in his local parish church in the names of "Bernardo Francisco Javier"; he was named in honor of

Bernard of Clairvaux Bernard of Clairvaux, Cistercians, O.Cist. (; 109020 August 1153), venerated as Saint Bernard, was an abbot, Mysticism, mystic, co-founder of the Knights Templar, and a major leader in the reform of the Benedictines through the nascent Cistercia ...

and

Francis Xavier Francis Xavier, Jesuits, SJ (born Francisco de Jasso y Azpilicueta; ; ; ; ; ; 7 April 15063 December 1552), venerated as Saint Francis Xavier, was a Kingdom of Navarre, Navarrese cleric and missionary. He co-founded the Society of Jesus ...

. His father worked at the town hall at

Torrelobatón Torrelobatón is a municipality located in the province of Valladolid, Castile and León, Spain. In the 2004 census A census (from Latin ''censere'', 'to assess') is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording, and calculating populat ...

near

. He received his Confirmation in 1720. He entered the

Jesuit The Society of Jesus (; abbreviation: S.J. or SJ), also known as the Jesuit Order or the Jesuits ( ; ), is a religious order (Catholic), religious order of clerics regular of pontifical right for men in the Catholic Church headquartered in Rom ...

colleges of

Medina del Campo Medina del Campo is a town and municipality of Spain located in the autonomous community of Castile and León. Part of the Province of Valladolid, it is the centre of a farming area. It lies on the banks of the Zapardiel river, in the centre of t ...

and

Villagarcía de Campos Villagarcía de Campos is a municipality located in the province of Valladolid, Castile and León, Spain. According to the 2004 census A census (from Latin ''censere'', 'to assess') is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording, and c ...

and later entered the

novitiate The novitiate, also called the noviciate, is the period of training and preparation that a Christian ''novice'' (or ''prospective'') monastic, apostolic, or member of a religious order undergoes prior to taking vows in order to discern whether ...

under the direction of Félix de Vargas on 11 July 1726. He took his simple vows in 1728. He underwent philosophical studies at the College of San Pedro y San Pablo in Medina del Campo. In September 1731 he started began his theological studies at the College of San Ambrosio in Valladolid. He had spiritual experiences and revelations about the

Sacred Heart of Jesus The Most Sacred Heart of Jesus () is one of the most widely practised and well-known Catholic devotions, wherein the heart of Jesus Christ is viewed as a symbol of "God's boundless and passionate love for mankind". This devotion to Christ is p ...

that led him to spread this devotion and worship. He was

ordained Ordination is the process by which individuals are Consecration in Christianity, consecrated, that is, set apart and elevated from the laity class to the clergy, who are thus then authorized (usually by the religious denomination, denominationa ...

to the priesthood on 2 January 1735 with a special dispensation as he was not old enough. On 6 January 1735 he celebrated his first

Mass Mass is an Intrinsic and extrinsic properties, intrinsic property of a physical body, body. It was traditionally believed to be related to the physical quantity, quantity of matter in a body, until the discovery of the atom and particle physi ...

in the College of San Ignacio. In late April 1733 he received a letter from his friend Augustine Cadaveraz (in

Bilbao Bilbao is a city in northern Spain, the largest city in the Provinces of Spain, province of Biscay and in the Basque Country (greater region), Basque Country as a whole. It is also the largest city proper in northern Spain. Bilbao is the List o ...

) after he had requested the priest to translate a Latin chapter on Corpus Christi from Joseph de Gallifet's book "On Devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus". On 3 May 1733 he took the book from the library of the house and took it to his room where he began to read it; the Sacred Heart both inspired and illuminated him. On 4 May he reported receiving a vision from

Jesus Christ Jesus (AD 30 or 33), also referred to as Jesus Christ, Jesus of Nazareth, and many Names and titles of Jesus in the New Testament, other names and titles, was a 1st-century Jewish preacher and religious leader. He is the Jesus in Chris ...

who said to him: "I wish for you to spread the devotion to My Sacred Heart throughout all of Spain". Christ returned to him in another vision on 14 May. On 12 June 1733 he consecrated himself to the Sacred Heart using the same formula that

Claude La Colombière Claude La Colombière , sometimes named "De La Colombière", was a French Jesuit priest best known as the confessor of Margaret Mary Alacoque. He is venerated as a saint in the Catholic Church. Life Early life He was born in 1641 in the city of ...

used. He distributed leaflets for the devotion and even wrote a letter to King Philip V asking for his support in requesting the

Holy See The Holy See (, ; ), also called the See of Rome, the Petrine See or the Apostolic See, is the central governing body of the Catholic Church and Vatican City. It encompasses the office of the pope as the Bishops in the Catholic Church, bishop ...

to approve a special feast for the Sacred Heart. In 1726 both

Aloysius Gonzaga Aloysius de Gonzaga, SJ (; 9 March 156821 June 1591) was an Italian people, Italian aristocracy (class), aristocrat who became a member of the Society of Jesus. While still a student at the Roman College, he died as a result of caring for the v ...

and

Stanislaus Kostka Stanisław Kostka, S.J. (28 October 1550 – 15 August 1568) was a Polish novice in the Society of Jesus. He was born at Rostkowo, Przasnysz County, Poland, on 28 October 1550, and died in Rome during the night of 14–15 August 1568. He is sai ...

were both canonized by

Pope Benedict XIII Pope Benedict XIII (; ; 2 February 1649 – 21 February 1730), born Pietro Francesco (or Pierfrancesco) Orsini and later called Vincenzo Maria Orsini, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 29 May 1724 to his death in ...

; the two became models of holiness for the Jesuit priest as well as

John Berchmans John Berchmans, SJ ( ; 13 March 1599 – 13 August 1621) was a Belgian Jesuit scholastic and is revered as a saint in the Catholic Church. In 1615, the Jesuits opened a college at Mechelen, Belgium and Berchmans was one of the first to enrol ...

who was already on the course for canonization. Berchmans in particular was a main influence on him. He fell ill with

typhus Typhus, also known as typhus fever, is a group of infectious diseases that include epidemic typhus, scrub typhus, and murine typhus. Common symptoms include fever, headache, and a rash. Typically these begin one to two weeks after exposu ...

and he died on 29 November 1735 at the Colegio de San Ignacio; his condition had grown worse from 19 November onwards. His remains were buried in the College of San Ignacio; they were later removed to an unknown place.

Beatification

The beatification process started in the

Archdiocese of Valladolid The Metropolitan Archdiocese of Valladolid () is a Latin Church diocese of the Catholic Church in Spain, elevated from the rank of diocese in 1857.Antonio María Cascajares y Azara Antonio María Cascajares y Azara (2 March 1834 – 27 July 1901) was a Spanish Roman Catholic cardinal, archbishop of Valladolid and archbishop-elect of Zaragoza. Biography He was born in Calanda, Teruel Province, Aragon. He joined the mili ...

inaugurated on 17 October 1895 and later closed in 1899. His writings received the approval of theologians on 7 June 1902. An apostolic process was also held in Valladolid that Cardinal

José Cos y Macho José María Justo Cos y Macho (6 August 1838 – 17 December 1919) was a Spanish Cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church who served as Archbishop of Valladolid from 1901 until his death, and was elevated to the cardinalate in 1911. Biography J ...

oversaw from 1914 until 1919. The formal introduction to the cause came on 11 February 1914 under

Pope Pius X Pope Pius X (; born Giuseppe Melchiorre Sarto; 2 June 1835 – 20 August 1914) was head of the Catholic Church from 4 August 1903 to his death in August 1914. Pius X is known for vigorously opposing Modernism in the Catholic Church, modern ...

and the late Jesuit priest was made a

Servant of God Servant of God () is a title used in the Catholic Church to indicate that an individual is on the first step toward possible canonization as a saint. Terminology The expression ''Servant of God'' appears nine times in the Bible, the first five in ...

. Historians assessed and approved the cause on 31 May 1961 while the postulation submitted the

Positio A ''positio'' (short for the Latin ''positio super virtutibus'': "position on the virtues") is a document or collection of documents used in the process by which a Catholic person is declared Venerable, the second of four steps on the path to can ...

to the

Congregation for the Causes of Saints In the Catholic Church, the Dicastery for the Causes of Saints, previously named the Congregation for the Causes of Saints (), is the dicastery of the Roman Curia that oversees the complex process that leads to the canonization of saints, passi ...

in 1990. Theologians assented to the cause later on 27 June 1995 as did the C.C.S. on 12 December 1995.

Pope John Paul II Pope John Paul II (born Karol Józef Wojtyła; 18 May 19202 April 2005) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 16 October 1978 until Death and funeral of Pope John Paul II, his death in 2005. In his you ...

named him as

Venerable ''The Venerable'' often shortened to Venerable is a style, title, or epithet used in some Christianity, Christian churches. The title is often accorded to holy persons for their spiritual perfection and wisdom. Catholic In the Catholic Churc ...

on 12 January 1996 after confirming that the late Jesuit priest had lived a life of

heroic virtue Heroic virtue is the translation of a phrase coined by Augustine of Hippo to describe the virtue of early Christian martyrs. The phrase is used by the Roman Catholic Church. The Greek pagan term hero described a person with possibly superhuman a ...

. The process for a miracle spanned in Spain from 11 November 1947 to 8 October 1949 while being validated on 1 March 1996; the miracle in question was the cure of Mercedes Cabezas on 22 April 1936 from

typhoid Typhoid fever, also known simply as typhoid, is a disease caused by ''Salmonella enterica'' serotype Typhi bacteria, also called ''Salmonella'' Typhi. Symptoms vary from mild to severe, and usually begin six to 30 days after exposure. Often ther ...

and a serious tumor in

San Cristóbal de la Cuesta San Cristóbal de la Cuesta is a municipality located in the province of Salamanca, Castile and León Castile and León is an Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community in northwestern Spain. Castile and León is the largest autonomo ...

Salamanca Salamanca () is a Municipality of Spain, municipality and city in Spain, capital of the Province of Salamanca, province of the same name, located in the autonomous community of Castile and León. It is located in the Campo Charro comarca, in the ...

. A medical board approved this on 13 March 2008 with theologians doing likewise on 7 July 2008 and the C.C.S. soon after on 18 November 2008.

Pope Benedict XVI Pope BenedictXVI (born Joseph Alois Ratzinger; 16 April 1927 – 31 December 2022) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 19 April 2005 until his resignation on 28 February 2013. Benedict's election as p ...

approved this on 17 January 2009 and delegated Archbishop

Angelo Amato Angelo Amato, Salesians of Don Bosco, S.D.B. (8 June 1938 – 31 December 2024) was an Italian Cardinal (Catholic Church), cardinal of the Catholic Church who served as the Prefect of the Congregation for the Causes of Saints between 2008 and 20 ...

to preside over the beatification in Spain on 18 April 2010. The current

postulator A postulator is the person who guides a cause for beatification or canonization through the judicial processes required by the Catholic Church. The qualifications, role and function of the postulator are spelled out in the ''Norms to be Observed i ...

for the cause is the Jesuit priest Anton Witwer.

References

External links

Hagiography Circle

Saints SQPN

Web de los jesuitas
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hoyos de Seña, Bernardo Francisco de 1711 births 1735 deaths 18th-century venerated Christians 18th-century Spanish Jesuits Beatified Jesuits Beatifications by Pope Benedict XVI Deaths from typhus Spanish beatified people Spanish Christian mystics Venerated Catholics by Pope John Paul II

Life

Beatification

See also

References

External links