St. Bernard led two dozen of his brothers into the woods to sing the psalms to God. Stemming from this single-minded devotion, the Lord used him to reform the Church in mighty ways. This is our inspiration. That we might be little Bernards: Bernardillos. (Also, since the name 'Bernardillo' sounds silly - this helps to not take ourselves too seriously, nor pretend like we are anywhere near to approcahing the piety of the actual saint of Clairvaux)

An Ode to St. Bernard

by Fr. Mark Brians

Bernard, broad-shouldered, burns

candles in Claire Vallee, rubbing

warmth back into blueing toes,

beating-back the frost-bite from fingers

that stray from the habit sleeve to turn

the tallowed pages of vellum, tanned

at the edges from love's long attendance

at the lectern. It is some long-night synaxis

of the virgin, and the hairy man, valiant

keeps the vigil, head covered,

while tears like Aaron's oil toss

from the bourns at the boundaries of the thick beard;

a lesser son of some ettin

house he seems: the Frankish soil

shoved-up 'neath cracked nails

and buried in the creases of the calloused palm.

Tomorrow he will rise and, turning, take

the forest road towards Troyes

so this rude Cistercian will give rule

to Templar chiefs, an equal check

on Islam and license. There is love

that is as strong as death, stronger even

than the deep dark grave, and the many waters

of these many winters' wet, cannot

quench this love or quell it's flame.

Click here for Saint Bernard's Sermons on the Song of Songs

Jesu, Dulcis Memoria -- A hymn written by St. Bernard, and attending chant-tune, sung here in English (all forty odd stanzas)