<p>St. Robert Bellarmine was born in Montepulciano, and was the son of noble parents Vincenzo and Cinzia (Cervini) Bellarmine.&nbsp; His mom was a sister to Pope Marcellus II.&nbsp; He was a learned boy, and composed a number of poems in Italian and Latin, one of his hymns on Mary Magdalene is included in the Breviary.&nbsp; He entered the Roman Novitiate in 1560, and then went to a Jesuit house in Mondovi, where he learned Greek.&nbsp; While in Mondovi he impressed the Provincial Superior, and was sent to the University of Padua.&nbsp; In 1569 he was sent to finish his Theology studies at Flanders, and was Ordained.&nbsp; He earned a reputation both as a Professor and a Preacher.&nbsp; He remained in Flanders for seven years, and due to poor health was sent to Italy and commissioned by Pope Gregory XIII to lecture on Theology in the new Roman College. &nbsp;</p> <p>Pope Clement VIII seen his brilliant teachings, and made him Rector of the Roman College in 1592, Examiner of Bishops in 1598, and Cardinal in 1599.&nbsp; In 1602 he was made Archbishop of Capua.&nbsp; Bellarmine is noted for his books of the period, for there literary elegance.&nbsp; He had a desire to pile as much material as possible to embrace the whole field of Human knowledge, and incorporate it into Theology.&nbsp; His worked incorporated many controversial replies and were discussed for decades after his death. &nbsp;</p> <p>In his old age, after being Bishop and Cardinal for years, he retired to the Jesuit College at St. Andrew in Rome, where he died on September 17^th, 1621 at the age of 78.&nbsp; Pope Pius XI canonized him in 1930, and the following year he was declared a &ldquo;Doctor of the Church&rdquo;.&nbsp; His remains, in a Cardinal&rsquo;s Red Robes, are displayed behind glass under a side Altar in the Church of St. Ignatius, the Chapel of the Roman College, next to the body of his student St. Aloysius Gonzaga, as he himself had wished. &nbsp;</p> <p><strong><span style="font-size: medium;">Practical Take Away</span>&nbsp;</strong></p> <p>St. Robert Bellarmine was gifted as a young boy, writing poetry and hymns.&nbsp; He went on to study the faith, and was ordained a Priest.&nbsp; He went on to become a Bishop and then Cardinal, and eventually was named a Doctor of the Church for his great insight into bringing all of life&rsquo;s situations and struggles into Theology.&nbsp; His eloquence in writing was noted by the Popes of his time, and for decades afterward.&nbsp; Much can be learned from his writings, and some of his work is in the Breviary that is used by Priests today. &nbsp;</p>