Junior Campus

St Bernardine

Our Junior Campus bears the name of one of the great saints of the Catholic Church: St Bernardine of Siena. He is a saint of extraordinary character — a scholar, a preacher, a man of deep prayer and generous heart — and a wonderful patron for a school of young learners beginning their own journey of discovery.

Who Was St Bernardine?

Bernardine of Siena was born in 1380 in Massa Marittima, Italy, into a noble family. Orphaned at a young age, he was raised with loving care by his aunt. From his earliest years, he showed both a sharp and eager mind and a tender, compassionate heart.

As a young man in Siena, Bernardine gave himself wholeheartedly to caring for the sick during a devastating outbreak of plague, giving of himself in service to others with remarkable courage and generosity. This experience of encountering God in the suffering face of a neighbour shaped him profoundly.

In 1402 he entered the Franciscan Order, drawn by the spirit of poverty, prayer and evangelical simplicity that St Francis had embodied. He became one of the most celebrated preachers in all of Italy, travelling tirelessly across the peninsula, drawing enormous crowds not through force or fear, but through warmth, wit, storytelling and a passionate invitation to encounter the living God.

Devoted to Our Lady

The K–4 Junior Campus is named after Saint Bernardine of Siena, who was devoted to Our Lady of Perpetual Help, a beautiful connection to the heritage of Our Lady of Perpetual Succour School in West Pymble, which occupied this very site before becoming part of Siena Catholic College. His Marian devotion, expressed in an accessible and joyful way, makes him a guide for early faith formation that resonates deeply with the spirit of our community.

The IHS. A Symbol of Faith

St Bernardine is perhaps best known for his devotion to the Holy Name of Jesus, symbolised by the letters IHS, the monogram of Christ. Carrying a simple tablet bearing this symbol, he called people across Italy to place Jesus at the centre of their lives. His message was profound in its simplicity: look to Jesus. Let his name be on your lips, in your heart, and reflected in how you live.

This IHS symbol graces our Junior Campus crest and is a daily reminder of the Christ-centred identity that Bernardine embodied and that we aspire to at St Bernardine Junior Campus.

His Legacy for Our Community

St Bernardine of Siena was canonised in 1450, just six years after his death. His feast day is celebrated on 20 May. For us at St Bernardine Junior Campus, he is more than a historical figure. He is a companion and a model. He reminds us that the life of faith is always also a life of learning; that courage and compassion belong together; and the deep joy of knowing and serving God is available to every person, young or old, in the simplest and most ordinary moments of daily life.

‘Begin to be now what you will be hereafter.’ — St Bernardine of Siena

These words speak directly to the heart of what we do on our Junior Campus. We help children begin in these precious early years, to become the people they are created and called to be.