Bonaventure

Saint Bonaventure is patron of theologians because he was one of the great masters of the medieval schools — the “Seraphic Doctor,” Minister General of the Franciscans and a Doctor of the Church whose writings, above all The Journey of the Mind into God, taught generations how to think about God devoutly. He is invoked against bowel disorders and intestinal ailments by tradition: a much-repeated legend holds that as a sickly infant he was healed through the prayers of Saint Francis of Assisi, who is said to have exclaimed “O buona ventura!” (“O good fortune!”) — giving the boy his name — and grateful devotion later attached his intercession to those suffering bodily, especially intestinal, illness. He is counted a patron of workers chiefly as a model of tireless, humble labor in the Church’s service.