Saint Bonagratio

Bonagratio di Bergumo, more commonly referred to as Saint Bonagratio by members of the Chantry, was an Antivan clergyman as well as educator and writer.
He is revered for his charitable efforts during a troubling time of urbanization, and in protecting young boys from their worst influences. His work lives on through the efforts of the Alosian Order of Bergumo.

Mental characteristics

Personal history

Early Life

Bonagratio di Bergumo was born in rural Antiva in a region called Castelnuovo d'Osta, which was later renamed Castelnuovo Bonagrati. He was raised by a single mother as a farmhand during a period of famine and drought. She played an influential role in Bonagratio's formation and personality, and was an early supporter of her son's ideals. That, combined with a series of dreams he had, helped begin him down the path that'd eventually culminate with his sainthood. These dreams had him watch a multitude of very poor boys being cast from society and finding the only virtue offered to them was in blasphemy. A figure in these dreams, which he described as "nobly attired and manly", suggested that the only way to win these boys over was through gentleness and showing that virtue was beautiful.
As Bonagratio grew into adolescence, he began seriously considering what the sermons he was being taught in his local Chantry meant. He would repeat these sermons to those who were unable to attend, and in reflecting with those people he grew to have an incredibly keen sense of being able to detect people's strengths and weaknesses.
Despite poverty preventing any serious attempt at schooling, a traveling missionary saw something in the young boy and sponsored him to attend a school for theological studies. However, this meant he had to leave his family behind. Most believe this period developed much of Bonagratio's later sympathies to help abandoned boys. During this period of development for him, so too was Antiva going through a period of urbanization. Much of his work focused on visiting the prisons and contemplating the recidivism of young offenders. He found success with orphaned and abandoned boys by instilling in them the virtues of the Chantry and helping them find work.

Initial Charity Work

When he graduated, he started finding traditional methods of parish ministry to be inefficient. He decided that it was necessary to try a different approach, and thus he started meeting people where they worked and gathered in shops and marketplaces. This became his permanent occupation: finding jobs for the unemployed, housing young boys who would otherwise sleep under bridges, and finding money for medicinal cures that people could not otherwise afford. Young boys he housed stole from him multiple times, but Bonagratio did not give up. At its height, six years after it began, his efforts led to the housing of eight-hundred. Eventually, a formal eviction was lodged against him by the county as they feared he was assembling a group to revolt against the government.
It's unclear what his next actions were, but eventually he found success in improving the lives of young apprentices. He began writing contracts between them and their employers, which touched on many sensitives issues. First, he required that no employer treat their apprentices as servants or ask them to work outside their acknowledged trade. Secondly, he forbade employers from using beatings as a form of discipline — an unfortunately common tactic at the time. Lastly, he mandated apprentices be given rest on holidays as well as one day a week. These principles created a foundation for most modern working contracts and are still in practice even today.

Later Life & Canonization

As he grew older, several of the young boys who had been helped by him had aged into being young men and returned to further Bonagratio's mission. Bonagratio, with the help of eleven men he once helped, expanded their charitable operations and formed the Alosian Order of Bergumo — named after the then-Revered Mother of the region. The charter for this charitable organization, still maintained to this day, was described as "seeking to exercise spiritual and physical works of charity towards the young, especially the poor, and the education of boys who are forgotten". Much of his time was spent interacting with Sisters and Mothers of the clergy, finding ways for charitable funds to be directed to this organization which supported a more ordinarily underappreciated part of the population due to Antiva's matriarchal leanings.
When he was no longer had the physical stamina to keep up with his spiritual endeavors, he began to pen the Alosian Bulletin so as to keep members and those interested aware of developments. The paper is still being written even today. He eventually passed and his funeral was attended by thousands. At the funeral it was announced that after investigation by the Divine and Grand Cleric, he was to be declared a saint.

Personality Characteristics

Representation & Legacy

Starting in his youth and carrying through even until his old age, Bonagratio loved watching traveling entertainers perform. He would always donate to their causes, without fail. He was also quite skilled at juggling and acrobatic tricks. Some street performers consider him their patron saint and pray to him, and even sometimes offer free shows to underprivileged children on Bonagratio's feast day.

Divine Classification

Saint

Ethnicity

Humans

Honorary & Occupational Titles

"Father and Teacher of Youth"

Sex

Male

Aligned Organization

The Chantry

Other Affiliations

• Antiva

An amulet bearing the symbol of the Alosian Order. The names on the perimeter are the names of Bonagratio and the eleven men who helped him form the Order.