00:00Today, November 4th, the Church celebrates Saint Charles Borromeo, Archbishop of Milan.
00:10a giant of the Catholic faith of the 16th century.
00:14Other figures are also commemorated on this day,
00:17such as Saint Felix of Parma, Saint Vital and Saint Pirette,
00:22but Charles Borromeo undoubtedly remains the most revered.
00:25Saint Charles Borromeo was born on October 2, 1538 into an illustrious Lombard family.
00:32at Arona Castle, on the shores of Lake Maggiore.
00:37His uncle was none other than Pope Picatro.
00:42From his childhood, Charles distinguished himself by a sharp intelligence and a profound sense of duty.
00:47At 12 years old, he received the tonsure and already showed an unusual zeal for prayer and study.
00:57After studying canon and civil law in Pavia,
01:01He was summoned to Rome at only 22 years old to assist his uncle, who had become pope.
01:07The young Cardinal Borromeo then became one of the key figures in the Council of Trent,
01:12summoned to reform the Church in the face of the Protestant crisis.
01:17His rigor, his doctrinal clarity, and his pastoral sense
01:20make him a central figure in the spiritual renewal of the 16th century.
01:26But Charles is not just a courtier or an intellectual.
01:29He is first and foremost a pastor.
01:32In 1564, he was appointed Archbishop of Milan,
01:36a diocese then in great disarray.
01:39He went there immediately,
01:40rejecting Roman comforts to embrace poverty and hard labor.
01:44He visits parishes, convenes synods,
01:49reorganizes the seminars,
01:51oversees the training of the clergy
01:53and implements the decrees of the Council.
01:57His motto,
01:58"Humilitas, humility",
02:00sums up his entire ministry.
02:01During the plague of 1576,
02:06as the civil authorities flee Milan,
02:09Charles remains among his people.
02:12He walks barefoot in the streets,
02:14a rope around the neck as a sign of penance,
02:17carrying the Blessed Sacrament to bless the sick.
02:21He even sells his personal belongings
02:22to feed the hungry and fund hospitals.
02:24His heroic courage and his love for the poor
02:28deeply mark the Milanese
02:30who see him as a true father figure.
02:33His moral authority extended throughout Italy.
02:38Many bishops are inspired by his example
02:40to reform their diocese.
02:43They also founded the Company of Christian Doctrine
02:46to teach children the faith
02:48and multiply their charitable works.
02:50Saint Charles died of exhaustion on November 3, 1584
02:55at only 46 years old.
02:59His body rests today
03:00in the crypt of Milan Cathedral
03:02under a silver reliquary.
03:05Canonized in 1610 by Paul V,
03:08He became the patron saint of seminarians and bishops,
03:11model of a reformed clergy,
03:13faithful, close to the people
03:15and totally given to God.
03:16His stern face and his gentle gaze
03:20remind us of the greatness of the holy shepherds
03:23which unite discipline and charity,
03:25authority and tenderness.
03:28His life testifies to the need for genuine reform.
03:30never comes from structures
03:32but souls burning with love for Christ.
03:34Prayer to Saint Charles Borromeo
03:38O Saint Charles Borromeo,
03:42model of pastors and winged souls,
03:46you who have not shrunk from any sacrifice
03:48to restore faith and charity in the Church,
03:51intercede for us today.
03:54Grant wisdom and holiness to the bishops,
03:58To the priests, fervor and purity,
04:00and to the faithful, faithfulness to the Gospel.
04:06You who have sustained your people in their trials,
04:09Help us to serve with humility,
04:12to love without measure
04:13and to seek the glory of God above all else.
04:17Saint Charles Borromeo,
04:19patron of reform and mercy,
04:21Pray for us. Amen.
04:30Subtitling by Radio-Canada
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