St. Robert Bellarmine was a doctor of the church, he always loved to learned and later taught in Belgium at Louvain. He wrote poems and published many books and other works, his most famous work is Disputationes. He joined the college of the Cardinals and later became a cardinal. He was canonized in 1930 by Pope Pius XI after a two-century delay due to political reasons and controversies. He is the patron saint of catechumens. To this day, he is still honored and recognized for his works. He has many parishes and school named after and dedicated to him. One of these parishes is in located in Burbank, California.
St. Robert Bellarmine Parish was founded on December 12, 1907. The parish’s first mass was celebrated by Fr. James O’Neill. At that time, it was known as Holy. Trinity Parish. In 1936, the church became the parish grammar and the school was to be built across the street. The school opened in September 1936. It had a total enrollment of 88 students from first through fourth grade. Five sisters, members of the Sisters of Charity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, staffed the school. In 1938 the school reached an enrollment of 185 students in eight grades. Then in November, Bishop Cantwell blessed the school and renamed it St. Robert Bellarmine. The school underwent many renovations and changes throughout the classrooms and layout of the school. In 1987, the role of principal was filled by a lay person after 51 years of administration by the Sisters of Charity of the Blessed Virgin Mary. St. Robert Bellarmine Catholic Church was dedicated on September 17, 1939. It was dedicated that day because it was the 318th anniversary of the death of St. Robert Bellarmine and the 152nd anniversary of the signing of the Constitution of the United States.
Robert Bellarmine was born in Montepulciano, Italy on October 4, 1542. He was born to an impoverished noble Italian family and was the third of ten children. His mother, Cinzia Cervini, was the niece of Pope Marcellus II and was dedicated to almsgiving, prayer, meditation, fasting, and mortification of the body, to subdue the body through self-denial and discipline. Robert excelled in his studies, especially in Latin and Italian poetry. His early intellectual accomplishments gave his father hope that he would restore his family’s fortunes through a political career. Robert wanted to join the society of Jesus, but his dad wanted him to be in politics, so he told Robert to think about it for a year. When Robert was 18, he applied for the admittance to the Society of Jesus. His mother’s wish that he enter the Society of Jesus prevailed. He went to the Roman College to study philosophy. He began to preach in Mondovi, and he was so short he had to use a stool. He then studied at the University at Louvain, Belgium. On completion of his studies, Bellarmine taught first at the University of Louvain in Belgium, he was the first Jesuit to hold this position. In 1576, he accepted the invitation of Pope Gregory XIII to teach polemical theology at the new Roman College. Robert Bellarmine spent the next 11 years teaching and writing Disputations on the Controversies, a three-volume defense of the Catholic faith against the arguments of the Protestant reformers. Bellarmine held a number of positions, including rector of the Roman College, examiner of bishops, Cardinal Inquisitor, archbishop of Capua, and bishop of Montepulciano. Through his writings, Bellarmine was involved in the political, religious, and social issues of the time. He argued with King James I of England and was a judge at the trial of Giordano Bruno. Bellarmine also communicated the decree of condemning the Copernican doctrine of the movements of the earth and sun, issued by Congregation of the Index to Galileo Galilei in 1616. He was the first Jesuit to develop the theory of the indirect power of the pope in temporary affairs. St. Robert Bellarmine was canonized by Pope Pius XI in 1930 and declared a Doctor of the Church in 1931.
To become a Saint you need to have performed two verifiable postmortem miracles. One day, Robert Bellarmine was walking and he saw two fishermen, when they saw him, they ran up to him and greeted him. Bellarmine asked them if they had fought any fish, they responded saying they were starving and they had not caught anything. Bellarmine told them to pull up their net, they said they were willing to do so, but they have been trying and they caught nothing, so they were told to wait. Bellarmine went to the chapel of Madonna della Grazia and prayed for fifteen minutes. When he came back, Bellarmine beckoned the fish and cried out, “Come, fish, come!” The fishermen kept filling up their nets and Bellarmine blessed the bounty the Lord gave them. The fishermen asked Bellarmine to come often, and they continued to catch a lot when he was gone. They had more than they usually have on a good harvest day. St. Robert Bellarmine performed another miracle. While he was at the college of Louvain, someone there had a running ulcer in his leg. Surgeons and doctors tried to fix it and cure it. The patient saw that no human care would work for him and considered there was any man made after God’s heart, whose prayer could open a way to recovery. Bellarmine prayed for him, and this made the patient hopeful. Bellarmine administered the Sacraments of Reconciliation and the Holy Eucharist. When the patient received the Holy Communion, his leg recovered. The surgeons and doctors were amazed, within two to three days the wound was covered with living skin.
The facade of the Church resembles the facade of Monticello, the home of Thomas Jefferson. The tower resembles In-dependency Tower in Philadelphia. On a plaque beneath the point of the roof, are the features of St. Robert as they appear on his official medal authorized by the Pope. Stained glass windows have been added to beautify the church and to commemorate special saints. Many were presented in memory of parishioners who have died. The second window from the front on the left side tells the story of Cardinal Pacelli's visit to Burbank in 1936. The Cardinal was met at the Lockheed Airport by the Bellarmine Jefferson Guards, the name used to designate the boys and girls of St. Robert's. He blessed the Guards and became the honorary chaplain of the First Company. Among the persons represented by the figures in the window are St. Robert Bellarmine, the Cardinal, local clergy, and boys and girls of the school.
In architecture, the school resembles the buildings behind the main house at Mount Vernon. Two commemorative plaques are mounted on either side of the main entrance. The other plaque relates to the dedication of the new church of September 17, 1939, and feature likenesses of Bellarmine and Jefferson. The grotto is at the north end of the courtyard and was built in 1936. The mural of Early California Missions was painted a few years ago, it beautifies the school grounds and fosters pride in the spiritual side of California's beginnings. In the courtyard stands a tall flagpole. At the base of the flagpole is a bronze plaque with symbols holy to both Jew and Christian, the six-pointed Star of David and the Cross. The design of the Star of David and the Cross is used many times throughout the buildings of the parish, symbolizing the unity of the Judaic-Christian traditions. Written on the base is an excerpt from the Declaration of Independence; “All men are created equal. They are endowed by their Creator with unalienable rights.” Also written around the base, are bible quotes from the following excerpts written in abbreviated titles and Roman Numerals: John 17:21, Exodus 6:2-8, Luke 1:67-79, Genesis 1:26-27, Luke 1:1-46, Psalms 138:4-5, and Galatians 3:14-29. These quotes are significant because they all show the greatness and glory of God. They also talk about how we are all made equal and in God’s image. They tell us that God is our Lord and that he will show us mercy and rescue us and he will guide us on our paths. But we must always believe in him and never doubt his ability, and we must praise him and the great glory of the Lord. The flagpole is exactly like the flagpole in front of the church, just smaller in size. Morning assembly is held here every morning before school, except on Fridays, by the Honor Guard, who are pledged to guard the spiritual values of America. The band plays at the beginning, end, and during the Star-Spangled Banner. The rest of the school marches in when the Honor Guard says, “Company attention, side-face, mark-time, forward march!” The Honor Guard leads the prayers and dismisses everyone by reappearing the same phrase as we march in to. One of the prayers said is, “Saint Robert Bellarmine, defender of human rights,” and everyone responds with, “Pray for us.”
Although Bellarmine was one of the most powerful men in Rome, he lived an austere life. He gave most of his money to the poor. Once he gave the poor some of his own tapestries and said the walls wouldn’t catch a cold. He took little regard for his own comforts and he always saw that his servants and aides had everything they needed. He was very hospitable, this makes him a good role model to others. I can try to be like him in my own life. I can be more selfless, and help those in need. Most of Bellarmine’s funds went to the poor and it was discovered at his death that he had secretly given away all of his money and there wasn’t enough to pay for a funeral. This shows me that I can donate some extra money if I don’t need it because there will always be people that need it more than I do. Bellarmine truly is someone to look up to. He is a great role model for children, as he was very kind and very intelligent, and it’s a good thing schools are named after him. We celebrate his feast day at school and we celebrate and admire all the things he did for others and for God. All the students at school should strive to be like him, and I am certainly trying my best. Bellarmine was a brave, smart, loving, and kind man. He is now a saint in heaven with God, and he deserves that title. I am proud to go to a school named after such an honorable and devoted person.