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Saint Bernard of Montjoux,
Servant of God
Wearing a Saint Bernard of Montjoux medal all year
is a devoted Christian reminder of a call to a life
of service. One of the founding pillars of Christianity
is service to others, to help when we can, to offer
aid to others and to make life a little better, a little
easier and more pleasant. Likewise, a St Bernard of
Montjoux charm or a St Bernard of Montjoux pendant can
be a direct reminder of his productive Christian lifestyle.
He was born in Italy near the end of the first millennium
(996), studied for the priesthood and quickly rose to
the position of Vicar General (the principal deputy
of a bishop) of Aosta diocese.
He regularly visited all the villages in the mountain
diocese and built many churches and schools for the
Christian faithful.
Saint Bernard Called by God
Saint Bernard discerned that God was calling him to
assist His people and His pilgrims right there in the
Alpine Mountains. There are two passes through the Alps
that pilgrims used on the way to and from Rome since
ancient times. The Great Saint Bernard is the pass between
Switzerland and Italy, while the Little Saint Bernard
is the pass between France and Italy. Both passes were
dangerous because of robbers and because the trail was
not easy to follow and could easily cause injury and
sometimes death.
Saint Bernard Aids Travelers
This saint and his community built a travel hospice
at each pass to aid God's people, and also in a short
time managed to rid both areas of robbers. One design
for the St. Bernard of Montjoux medal depicts him comforting
an exhausted traveler lying prone in St. Bernard's arms.
Still the journey was dangerous because people could
become exhausted, or lose the trail and get lost and
be overcome by the mountainous weather.
St. Bernard Rescue Dogs
His community used huge mastiff dogs, later named a
St. Bernard, to track and rescue God's people. The dog
breed has a tremendous ability to find and stay on a
trail and can scent a trail buried under many feet of
snowfall. A very attractive St. Bernard of Montjoux
medal has the image of him with a dog and would make
a great necklace devoted to the patron saint of skiers
and mountaineers.
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