by Bishop James Conley
On November 4, we celebrate the feast day of one of the great—but perhaps lesser-known—reformers in the Catholic Church, St. Charles Borromeo. His upcoming feast day gives us the opportunity to know a bit about his life and how his example can inspire and guide us today.
St. Charles was born near Milan, Italy, in 1538 with a silver spoon in his hand. His father was a descendent of the noble and wealthy Borromeo family. His mother was from the famous Medici family. In fact, his uncle, Cardinal Giovanni Medici was eventually elected pope, taking the name Pope Pius IV. Pope Pius IV called his nephew, Charles, to Rome and shortly thereafter made him a cardinal—at the age of 21!
Looking back at history, St. Charles grew up during a time in the Church when corruption was widely tolerated, even among the clergy. To be sure, there were many who aspired to the priesthood for holy and selfless reasons, but others, sadly, became clerics to gain wealth or power.
Given St. Charles’ family connections and great wealth, he could have easily fallen prey to the temptations of corruption that his era tolerated, but he resisted those temptations. He was a man of profound integrity and great discipline, pouring out his heart in the responsibilities that the Holy Father had entrusted to him. He pursued music, literature, and the arts, and even considered escaping to a quiet life in the monastery. He engaged in academic pursuits as he received doctorates in both civil and canon law.
In many ways, the culture in which St. Charles lived resembled our own. There were problems of secularism, sexual immorality, lukewarm faith, and a general lack of direction. Martin Luther’s teachings gained ground in Europe in part because of the corruption he saw in the Church. Luther denied many fundamental truths of the Catholic Church and ended up in heresy. However, he was reacting to a Church that was largely in need of reform.
The Church’s ultimate response to this culture was the Council of Trent which was held between 1545-1563. It was a means to address the problems within the Church and to defend and clarify her teachings.
Good and necessary reforms came from the Council of Trent. Its decrees limited bishops to lead only one diocese at a time, and they were expected to live in and administrate in their own diocese. Great reforms were made in the worship of God and in the teaching of the faith. The Roman Missal was standardized throughout the Latin Rite of the Church, and a Catechism of the Council of Trent was developed for proper understanding and teaching of the faith.
Before Trent, prospective priests were often trained through a kind of apprenticeship model. They would be taken under the wing of a priest, possibly attend classes at a nearby university, and eventually be ordained. The council standardized the education and formation of priests which led to the creation of many seminaries throughout the world. It even required every diocese have its own seminary.
St. Charles was named Archbishop of Milan in 1564 at the ripe old age of 26. He was a leader in the council and in its implementation. Charles immediately took up residence in Milan and went to work. Charles traveled extensively throughout his archdiocese visiting parishes, religious orders, and other institutions entrusted to him.
St. Charles is well known for his implementation of the vision for the education and the formation of priests decreed by Trent. The requirement of a diocesan seminary was difficult to immediately enact even in a large archdiocese like Milan, but he did so in his first year as archbishop. He also established smaller seminaries in the more mountainous areas in his archdiocese. His seminary system became a model for seminaries throughout the world and into the future. He wanted men to be properly prepared for their lives as shepherds.
For these reasons, St. Charles Borromeo is considered the patron saint of seminarians. The Diocese of Lincoln has several men studying for the priesthood who attend St. Charles Borromeo Seminary in Wynnewood, Penn.
St. Charles did much to show his love for his flock and his entrustment to divine providence. There is one story of St. Charles which illustrates his pastoral zeal very well.
From 1576-1578, plagues were scourging northern Italy, killing tens of thousands of people. In fact, the plague was known as the “St. Charles Plague” because of his heroic response to it. St. Charles faced this enemy with every weapon imaginable in his local community: he brought in friars and priests to care for the people. He used his wealth by selling much of what he owned to help those in need.
The plague continued to do massive damage, causing much illness and death. Then, he faced his enemy with the greatest weapon imaginable: the Holy Eucharist. He processed with the Holy Eucharist through the streets of Milan barefoot; his feet were bleeding by the end of the journey.
He marched through these streets, indeed, as a penance so that God might take this plague away. St. Charles Borromeo understood the healing power of the Eucharist. In this time of great trial, suffering, and death, St. Charles turned towards the one whom he knew could heal.
This is a powerful story especially given the times in which we live. We live at a different time, and amidst a different pandemic—COVID-19. But we should have the same response. The Eucharist is what we should turn to at the various rhythms and times of our lives: times of joy and sorrow; hope and despair; sickness and health. We turn to the Eucharist because in doing so, we are turning to Jesus himself, who is truly present in the Blessed Sacrament, body, blood, soul, and divinity.
Given his family’s wealth and status, St. Charles Borromeo was given the opportunity to receive almost everything the world had to offer. St. Charles used his position to seek after what is true, good, and lasting—our life in Christ. As we celebrate his upcoming feast day may we ask for the intercession of St. Charles that we may have the same priorities in our lives.
