Ten years on, this is still my all-time favourite graffito.

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Charles Borromeo

We’re delving into Charles Borromeo because there’s a church named after him in our founder’s hometown. We hope you enjoy this read.

His name in Italian is: Carlo Borromeo. In Latin, his name: Carolus Borromeus. He was an Italian Catholic prelate who served as the Archbishop of Milan from 1564-1584. He became a cardinal in 1560. A prelate is a high-ranking cleric with special jurisdiction or authority, essentially anyone exercising public power or holding a position of prominence above ordinary clergy.

Charles founded the Confraternity of Christian Doctrine together with St. Ignatius of Loyola & St. Philip Neri. In this role, he was responsible for significant reforms in the Catholic Church. Including the founding of seminaries for the education of priests. He was canonized in 1610 & his feast day is November 4.

Charles was a descendant of nobility. The Borromeo family was 1 of the most ancient & wealthiest in Lombardy. The family coat of arms included the Borromean rings, sometimes taken to symbolize the Holy Trinity.

Charles’ dad, Gilbert, was the Count of Arona. His mom, Margaret, was a member of the Milanese branch of the House of Medici. He was the 2nd son in a family of 6 kids. He was born in the castle of Arona on Lake Maggiore 36 miles from Milan on October 2, 1538.

Charles received the tonsure when he was about 12 years old. At this time, his paternal uncle (dad’s brother), Giulio Cesare Borromeo turned over to him the income from the rich Benedictine abbey of Saints Gratinian & Felin, 1 of the ancient requirements of the family.

Charles let his dad know on no uncertain terms that all revenues from the abbey beyond what was required to prepare him for a career in the church belonged to the poor & couldn’t be applied to secular use.

Charles went to the University of Pavia. He applied himself to the study of civil & canon law. Because of a slight speech impediment, he was thought of as slow but his thoroughness & industry meant that he made fast progress.

In 1554, his dad died. Although he had an older brother, Count Federico, he was requested by the family to take the management of their domestic affairs. After a time, he restarted his studies. On December 6, 1559, he earned a doctorate in canon & civil law.

On December 25, 1559, Charles’ uncle, Cardinal Giovanni Angelo Medici, was elected as Pope Pius IV. The newly elected Pope requested his nephew to go to Rome. On January 13, 1560, Pope Pius IV appointed him as protonotary apostolic. Protonotary apostolic is the title for a member of the highest non-episcopal college of prelates in Roman Curia, or outside Rome.

Shortly after, on January 31, 1560, the Pope made him a cardinal. This made Charles a cardinal-nephew. He was entrusted with both the public & the privy seal of the ecclesiastical state. A cardinal-nephew was a high-ranking Cardinal in the Catholic Church. Usually the pope’s actual nephew or another close relative(s), who served as the pontiff’s chief assistant & confidant. He was also brought into the government of Papal States & appointed a supervisor of the Franciscans, Carmelites, & Knights of Malta.

During his 4 years in Rome, Charles lived in austerity, required the Roman Curia to wear black (The Roman Curia is the administrative arm of the Holy See.), & established an academy of learned persons, the Academy of the Vatican Knights.

Charles organized the 3rd, & last, session of the Council of Trent, in 1562-63. He had a large hand in making the Tridentine Catechism (Catechismus Romanus). In 1561, Charles founded & endowed a college at Pavia. Today the college is known as Almo Collegio Borromeo. Charles dedicated the college to Justina of Padua.

On November 19, 1562, Charles’ older brother, Federico, suddenly died. His family urged Charles to seek permission to return to the laity (laicization), to marry & have kids so that the family name wouldn’t become extinct. But he decided not to leave the ecclesiastic state.

His brother’s death, along with his contacts (with the Jesuits, the Theatines, & the example of bishops such as Bartholomew of Braga) were causes of the conversion Charles towards a more strict & operative Christian life. His aim became to put into practice the dignity & duties of the bishop as drafted by the Council of Trent.

After the death of his uncle, Pope Pius IV (1566), Charles sent a galley (a type of ship) to get Cardinal Ugo Boncompagni, the Nuncio of Spain. The nuncio (or apostolic nuncio) is the Pope’s personal ambassador (like an embassy’s ambassador) to a country & plays a key role in appointing bishops.

But the Cardinal didn’t arrive in time to be considered at the conclave. Charles reached an agreement with Alessandro Farnese, who held a significant number of conclave votes, to support Antonio Ghislieri (who was rumored to have the support of King Philip II of Spain). Ghislieri was elected Pope & took the name: Pius V.

He devoted himself to the reformation of his diocese which had deteriorated in practice owing to the 80-year absence of previous archbishops. Milan was the largest archdiocese in Italy at the time, with more than 3,000 clergy & 800,000 people. Both its clergy & laity had drifted from church teaching. The selling of indulgences & ecclesiastical positions was prevalent.

Charles believed that abuses in the church arose from ignorant clergy. His emphasis on Catholic learning greatly increased the preparation of men for the priesthood & benefited their congregations.

He founded the fraternity of Oblates of St. Ambrose (a society of secular men who didn’t take orders), but devoted themselves to the church & followed a discipline of monastic prayers & study. The new archbishop’s efforts for catechesis & the instruction of youth included the initiation of the 1st Sunday School classes & the work of the Confraternity for Christian Doctrine.

Charles’ diocesan reforms faced opposition from several religious orders. Particularly that of the Humiliati (Brothers of Humility), a penitential order which owned some 90 monasteries. Some members of that society formed a conspiracy against his life.

A shot was fired at him with an arquebus in the archepiscopal chapel. His survival was considered miraculous.

Even though the Diet of Ilanz of 1524 & 1526 had proclaimed freedom of worship in the 3 Leagues, Charles repressed Protestantism in the Swiss valleys. During his pastoral visit to the region, 150 people were arrested for practicing witchcraft. 11 women & the provost were condemned by the civil authorities to be burned alive.

Reacting to the pressure of the Protestant Reformation, Charles encouraged Ludwig Pfyffer in his development of the “Golden League” but didn’t live to see its formation in 1586.

Based in Lucerne, the organization (also called the Borromean League) linked activities of several Swiss Catholic cantons of Switzerland. This became the center of Catholic Counter-Reformation efforts & caused the break-up of Appenzell canton along religious lines.

Following his departure from this mortal coil, devotion to Charles grew quickly & continued to grow. The Milanese memorializes his anniversary as though he were already a saint. Supporters in a number of cities collected documentation to support his canonization.

In 1602, Pope Clement VIII beatified Charles. 2 years later, his “case” was sent to the Congregation of Rites. On November 1, 1610, Pope Paul V canonized Charles. 3 years later, the church added his feast day to the General Roman Calendar for celebration on November 4.

Along with Guarinus of Palestrina & Anselm of Lucca, he’s 1 of only 2-3 cardinal-nephews to have been canonized. Charles Borromeo is the patron saint of bishops; catechists; seminarians; against ulcers; apple orchards; bishops; catechumens; colic; intestinal disorders; Lombardy, Italy; Monterey, California; cardinals; seminarians; spiritual directors; spiritual leaders; starch makers; stomach diseases; & Sao Carlos (Brazil).

Charles’ emblem is the Latin word humilitas (humility), which is a portion of the Borromeo shield. He’s usually represented in art in his robes, barefoot, carrying the cross as archbishop, a rope around his neck and 1 hand raised in blessing. Thus recalling his work during the plague.

A large number of churches dedicated to St. Charles Borromeo exist in: Austria; Sheffield, England; Scotland; Belgium; Italy; Serbia; Poland; Switzerland; Vienna; Ireland; England; Indiana; Louisiana; Canada, California; Florida; Illinois; New York; Texas; Missouri; Minnesota; North Dakota; Ohio; Maryland; Massachusetts; Nebraska; New Jersey; North Carolina; Pennsylvania; Rhode Island; Virginia; Washington; Oklahoma; New Hampshire; Argentina; Brazil; Peru; Uruguay; Venezuela; & Chile.

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Quote of the day, 11 January: Blessed Marie-Eugène

“The Spirit of the Lord is upon me” (Is 61:1)

This descent of the Holy Spirit upon Christ—what is it? It’s not only a sign; it’s a true descent of the Holy Spirit. It is the Spirit of the Father; it’s the Spirit of the Son. In Jesus, humanity is united to divinity. Our Lord is continually animated by his spirit of sonship, living from this filial movement as Son of the Father by nature, and as Son in his humanity. At the same time, his humanity, in all his actions, is guided and animated by the Spirit of God.

And there is not only the descent of the Holy Spirit; there is also the word of the Father: “This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased” (Mt 3:17). The Trinity is present there, in the prayer of Jesus, and each of the three Persons affirms what he is and what he does: the Father, in recognizing his Son; the Son, in becoming incarnate, in allowing himself to be baptized and in praying here below; the Spirit, in taking possession of the humanity of the Son.

This grasp of the Holy Spirit can be understood as a taking possession of the humanity of Christ for his public life, for all the acts he is going to accomplish. The Christian himself becomes perfect only when he is moved by the Holy Spirit. It is the Holy Spirit who does everything.

Let us learn how to place ourselves in cooperation with him, allowing his action to work within us. The saint is the one who understands that God is everything. “This is my joy: he must increase, and I must decrease,” said John the Baptist (Jn 3:30). This sanctifying grace, this presence, this ever more powerful action of the Holy Spirit, will make of us perfect children of God.

Blessed Marie-Eugène of the Child Jesus

Assidus à la prière avec Marie, First Luminous Mystery (excerpt)

Marie-Eugène de l’Enfant-Jésus. Assidus à la prière avec Marie: Méditations sur les mystères du Rosaire. Toulouse: Éditions du Carmel, 2017.

Translation from the French text is the blogger’s own work product and may not be reproduced without permission.

Featured image: Detail from Baie 20, Basilica of Our Lady of Beaune, depicting the Baptism of Christ and the Crucifixion. Image credit: GO69 / Wikimedia Commons (Creative Commons BY-SA 4.0).

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Quote of the day, 21 November: St. Elizabeth of the Trinity

O my God, Trinity whom I adore, let me entirely forget myself that I may abide in you, still and peaceful as if my soul were already in eternity…

Saint Elizabeth of the Trinity
21 November 1904

Mother Germaine, the prioress of the Carmel of Dijon, offers us the following insights concerning the depth of St. Elizabeth’s prayer during the few months leading up to the composition of Elizabeth’s great prayer to the Trinity. These notes come from the Ordinary Process for Elizabeth’s beatification (PO 73v–74r):

“She depicts herself when she writes: “God in me, me in him, oh! That’s my life!” and again: “All my occupation is to go inside and lose myself in Those who are there!” [the divine Hosts of her soul, of whom she had just spoken].

Father Conrad de Meester, O.C.D., biographer and editor of the Oeuvres Complètes (Collected Works) of St. Elizabeth of the Trinity, described the preached retreat that preceded the feast of the Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary, 21 November 1904:

The retreat concluded on the morning of 21 November. After the Eucharist and a final address by Father Fages, O.P., the Carmelites went to the oratory and, before the Blessed Sacrament, exposed for adoration, they renewed their religious vows, one by one, after which each sister prostrated herself for a few moments on the floor in the form of a cross, as on the day of her first profession.

As daughters of Our Lady of Carmel, living perpetually in the cloistered temple of their monastery, each year they renew their ardent consecration to God and his universal Church on the feast of the Presentation of the Virgin Mary in the Temple. Sister Elizabeth of the Trinity, the youngest professed, perhaps the most absolute, dedicated her whole being to those she liked to call “her Three.” On this day, the Blessed Sacrament remained exposed. Elizabeth was accustomed to spending all available time there.

After her death, they were surprised to find in her papers a prayer in her own handwriting, dated 21 November 1904, which began with the words, “O my God, Trinity whom I adore.” It was written in ink, on a sheet torn from a notebook.

“Her prayer to the Trinity was not only a pious elevation, but the expression of a gift of herself to God. We had prepared together for this renewal of our vows on 21 November 1904; when the day after I asked her about it, she replied that she had received a great grace that was difficult for her to express” (Testimony of Sister Marie of the Trinity, PO 152 r–v).

Elizabeth of the Trinity, S 2014, I Have Found God, The Complete Works of Elizabeth of the Trinity Volume 1: Major spiritual writings, translated from the French by Kane, A, ICS Publications, Washington DC.

Meester, Conrad de 2017, Rien moins que Dieu : sainte Elisabeth de la Trinité, Presses de la Renaissance, Paris.

Translation from the French text is the blogger’s own work product and may not be reproduced without permission.

Featured image: A detail from one of four photos taken by her brother-in-law Georges Chevignard on 22 December 1902, the day of her canonical examination; the exam took place days before her religious profession on Epiphany Sunday, 11 January 1903. Image credit: Discalced Carmelites (by permission)

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