(Trani 1597 – Palermo 3.VIII.1624
cf. Piselli, N.H., pp. 172-176)
Born and raised in a noble and deeply Christian family, Bernardino moved to Naples to study Law and at the same time, he made particular progress in the Law of the Lord as he began at-tending the association established in our church of Santa Maria Maggiore in Naples where, despite his youthful age, he was already mature in customs and convictions and although at this time he was still a layperson, he already seemed to be one of the most perfect religious, so intense was the piety he radiated along with his spirit of prayer. In our church, he was on his knees for many hours, deeply absorbed in prayer, definitely a good example to all and many had already observed him to be religious and holy. Responding to the vocation he felt he had, he humbly asked to be admitted into our Order and because Bernardino was already known quite well by our religious, he did not need other testimonies and with great joy, he was welcomed into the community.
Bernardino was very proficient in the Greek, Hebrew and Chaldean languages. He spent many hours studying and, at times, devoted his time of recreation and sleep to study, without jeopardizing more time to prayer.
Ordained a priest and animated by apostolic zeal, Fr. Bernardino dedicated himself to the service of others, by preaching and attending to the sick. In Naples, he was very zealous with his work and the Superiors at that time knew very well that his zealousness and piety could have given much impetus to the foundation of the house of St. Mark in Palermo, which was just opened and he was there as a teacher. The Lord who had called Fr. Bernardino as his servant, had prepared him to be of service to the people of Palermo, where a calamity was about to happen. He had just begun his philosophical studies with seven student clerics, when a terrible plague broke out in Palermo that spread rapidly and filled the city with horror, death and mourning. The charity of Father Bernardino was deeply moved by this sad event and immediately, he put aside his teaching apostolate to be able to dedicate himself to the care of the sick.
At that time, the city officials took the necessary precautions and built a hospital for the care of the victims of the plague. Father Bernardino was inspired by the Lord to make the decision, both dangerous and meritorious, to willingly go to the hospital to attend to the sick and assist the dying.
Father Bernardino had informed the Superior of his desire to serve the sick and the latter called the whole community of seventeen religious, hoping that they would likewise have such a holy desire to serve the needy, having themselves vowed to serve God and neighbor and given the situation of the city residents where they could concretely live out charity and the spiritual needs for the salvation of the people. This had to be the first priority over and above fear or danger. The Su-perior not only encouraged the religious to take up the apostolate but he himself expressed his willingness to be the first to sacrifice and offer his life in such a ministry so worthy of the religious profession.
When the Theatine priest Fr. Giuseppe Migna who worked in the hospital became seriously ill, it was necessary that one of our religious should replace him: here we could say there was a kind of “competition” in the realm of charity that occurred between the Superior and Fr. Bernardino. The Superior stated that it was part of his being committed to all the religious that it was his du-ty to take up the task at the hospital, but Fr. Bernardino objected by saying that the life of the superior was more necessary to the community and so he said that he “won” this “competition” and immediately asked for the blessing of the Superior and, not taking anything with him but the Breviary, he immediately set off towards the hospital, accompanied by most of the religious and, in particular by his students, who were all moved and were crying. He, with a serene face, consoled them, saying that they should not be saddened by the grace that God gave to him by calling him to this service and that earthly life is not of such great importance as to have to weep for the only danger that one encounters and that, even if the irreparable occurred, it would have been a great gain to lose his very life.
Since the number of the sick was very high and since Fr. Bernardino alone administered the sacraments and assisted the dying, he was continually active, day and night, to rush wherever he was called to attend to the needs of others and thus his physical resistance was weakened by fatigue and sleepless nights and aggravated by the toxic atmosphere of the hospital.
The attendants saw him very worn out, thinking that he had also contracted the plague, as indeed had happened, and they urged him to go to bed to regain his strength but he refused, taking more interest in the spiritual salvation of others than in his earthly life. Those responsible for public health, having been informed of this, provided for the replacement and, according to the agreement made, another Theatine religious was assigned to the hospital. When he went to visit Father Bernardino, he found that, weakened by the illness, he was lying on the ground, embracing a Crucifix and, urging him to go to bed, he realized that he was out of his senses because he did not answer, while he heard him whisper of the Passion of Christ. That Father believed that Father Bernardino was not delirious but rather in a very deep state of contemplation of God. When he ordered him to be silent, he was immediately silent, and appeared obedient, as always, even in this circumstance when he was out of his normal consciousness.
Put to bed by the attendants, Fr. Bernardino, after having lost consciousness during the previous night up until the noontime of the following day, regained consciousness and received the Sacraments with deep devotion and with tears. He prayed until the last moment, embracing the Crucifix and on August 3, 1624, he died in the Lord.
The Theatine religious, who had assisted him, reported that when Fr. Bernardino regained consciousness, he said that he would die very soon but that, after his death, the plague would cease and for this he could help the people.
When questioned how he could know this, Fr. Bernardino, after certain reluctance, had replied that the Blessed Virgin along with Saint Rosalia, protector of the city, appeared to him and that he had received this revelation from them.
The truth of this revelation was also confirmed by the Baron of Aspromonte who declared that P. Bernardino had appeared after his death, shining in glory, vested with a surplice and stole and that, together with Saint Rosalia, interceded with the Lord for the City of Palermo and that from this vision he had developed the firm conviction that soon the plague would cease, as indeed happened.
In this testimony to his death, the example of Fr. Bernardino was also followed by another of our religious: Fr. Giovanni Battista Giustiniani, a native of Scio and also a teacher of our clerics in Palermo.