Beneath Mary’s Mantle: Bl. Ambrose Sansedoni (1220 - 1286)
St. Dominic once had a dream in which he saw all the saints of the Order safely beneath the mantle of Mary, Protectress of the Order of Preachers. In this blog series, we’ll introduce our beloved Dominican Saints, learn about their lives and work, and come to see how they still inspire and pass on their gifts to today’s faithful.
Born: April 16, 1220 in Siena, Italy
Died: April 16, 1220 in Siena, Italy
Feast Day: October 8
Bl. Ambrose Sansedoni by Benvenuto di Giovanni (c. 1490), from an altarpiece
The diplomatic successes (and failures!) of St. Catherine of Siena are the subject of history, legend and even a biography by Sigrid Undset, but have you ever heard of her forerunner, Bl. Ambrose of Siena? Responsible for the return of Siena to Papal allegiance not once, but twice, he was a master of the art of diplomacy (and perseverance), a friar of the Dominican Order and a great lover of poetry.
But it did not begin this way.
He was born on April 16th 1220 with such severe disabilities that his parents put him in the care of strangers and actively severed his connection to their noble family. Having pity on him, his nurse would frequently bring him to the church of the Friars Preachers (only recently approved by Rome), and prayed for him relentlessly.
The result was a miraculous full recovery.
His young life was marked by great charity and, as St. Catherine would later do, he assiduously tended the sick in the hospitals of Siena, aided pilgrims and visited those in prison. He entered the Order of Friars Preachers when he was seventeen and was sent to Paris for his education. He studied there under St. Albert the Great and, following him to the studium in Cologne, also had the privilege of training alongside St. Thomas Aquinas. Knowledge of his academic excellence soon spread and he was quickly in demand as both a preacher and teacher; most notably, he was chosen as one of the earliest Dominicans to be Lector in Sacred Theology for the Pontifical household.
His gift for diplomacy soon also became apparent and, after Siena was placed under interdict for aligning itself with Emperor Frederick II in opposition to the Holy See, Ambrose was sent to argue the city-state’s cause. He returned home not only with the Pope’s forgiveness, but a full restoration of Siena’s rights and dignities! (Until they repeated the error not long afterward and Ambrose was sent to Rome once more.)
His success in these endeavors brought about hopes that he would become Bishop of Siena, but he declined and put much of his effort into preaching the Eighth Crusade. By then, the new Pope Gregory X sent him as papal legate to Tuscany where he is famous for brokering peace between not only Pisa and Florence, but those relentless rivals Venice and Genoa. After the death of Gregory X, however, he returned to his native city, Siena, where he died while preaching on March 20, 1286.
The beauty of Bl. Ambrose’s story, of course, is that although his life began in total rejection — his parents unable to see any value in him past their own determinations of what was noble and worthy of their house — he was pulled from the brokenness of that abandonment by the faith of his nurse and went on to serve God in extraordinary ways. The relevance of this message for our culture today is clear when we consider a politics which attacks life in its weakest stages, but what of its relevance for us more intimately in our lives?
Are there those we set aside for the sake of utility? Or even for the sake of a misguided compassion? How often do we decide the value or capability of another and respond accordingly? Allowing interior criticism to decide who we can trust, or who deserves our love and support?
There are plenty of ways we can develop false impressions of others and treating them according to the limited judgments we make can be devastating both for the person judged and for the many beautiful realities God has in mind for the Church in its fraternal communion. Perhaps next time we’re tempted to jump to quick conclusions in an argument, or write off that awkward acquaintance, we can remember the life of St. Ambrose of Siena and allow the Lord to renew our thinking and open us up to a fuller, more authentic charity.
Bl. Ambrose, pray for us!
