Bl. Albert of Bergamo

Rebroadcast of the long running radio program, "The Ave Maria Hour", a presentation of the Franciscan Friars of the Atonement. www.AtonementFriars.org Bl. Albert of Bergamo was a Dominican tertiary and miracle worker. Albert was a farmer living near Bergamo, Italy, where he became a Dominican Third Order member. Married, he was a champion of the poor in his hometown of Ogna. Sometime in his adult life, Albert went on a pilgrimage to the famous shrine at Santiago de Compostela in Spain. He also visited Rome and Jerusalem, perilous journeys in his era. After his pilgrimages, Albert settled in Cremona, Italy, where he became known for his piety and for his many miraculous works to benefit others. Albert is a shining example of a Dominican who did not preach to the multitudes from a pulpit, but preached the Truth he encountered in nature and work through his example and his action. Albert was born in 1214 in the fertile valley of Serriano, in Bergamo. His father was a farmer and taught Albert many practices of penance and piety. By the age of seven, Albert was fasting three days a week and giving his food to the poor. Working at hard labor in the fields, Albert learned to see God in all things and to listen for His voice in nature. To him, the beauty of the earth was a voice that spoke only of heaven. At the end of his life, Albert fell seriously ill and asked a neighbor to fetch a priest, but there was a long delay; a dove came bringing him Holy Viaticum. When they tried to bury him, the grave-digger could not break the ground with any spade. From this it was under stood that, on account of his sanctity, God, Who loves pure and simple souls, desired that he should be buried in the choir of the church (1279).