Saint Charles Borromeo
Archbishop of Milan who put the reforms of the Council of Trent into practice.
- Rank
- Saint
- Kind
- Bishop
- Life
- 1538 – 1584
- Era
- 16th century
- Feast
- 4 November
- Countries
- Italy
Life story
Charles Borromeo was born on 2 October 1538 at Arona on Lake Maggiore, into the noble Borromeo family; his mother belonged to the Medici family of Milan. When his uncle became Pope Pius IV in 1559, Charles, only twenty-one, was made a cardinal in 1560 and given important responsibilities in the Roman Curia. He helped bring the Council of Trent to its close in 1563. In the same year he was ordained priest and bishop. Unlike many young churchmen of his day, he was known for a plain, hard-working way of life even in Rome.
From 1566 he lived permanently in Milan, a large archdiocese that had long lacked a resident bishop. He opened seminaries, organised visits to parishes, called diocesan synods and worked to put the decisions of Trent into practice. He also took part in preparing the Roman Catechism, published in 1566. In 1569 a member of an order he had reformed shot at him while he was at prayer; he survived. He lived simply, travelled to remote mountain parishes in the Alps within his territory, and insisted that priests be educated and live according to their state.
During the plague of 1576, when many officials left the city, he remained in Milan, organised relief, supplied food to the sick and used church resources to help the population. He sold off valuables, including some of his own property, to pay for the effort.
He died in Milan on 3 November 1584, aged forty-six, and was canonised in 1610. He is remembered as a model of the reforming bishop of the Catholic Reformation.
Works and witness
- Helped bring the Council of Trent to a close in 1563.
- Opened seminaries and organised parish visitations in Milan.
- Contributed to the Roman Catechism of 1566.
- Stayed to organise relief during the plague of 1576.
Saints from the same country
References
- Acta Ecclesiae Mediolanensis
- Martyrologium Romanum
- Dicastery for the Causes of Saints – biographical profile
Written by Anawim from documented history. Some details about ancient saints rest on tradition and are marked as such.