Saint Charles Borromée (4 novembre) L’archevêque de Milan qui défia la peste

Sanctus - Saint(e) du Jour

Fêté le 4 novembre, il fut l’un des plus grands réformateurs de l’Église au XVIᵉ siècle. Archevêque de Milan et artisan du concile de Trente, il se distingua par son humilité, son zèle pastoral et son amour des pauvres.  Lors de la peste de 1576, alors que tous fuyaient, il resta auprès de son peuple, marchant pieds nus dans les rues, tenant le Saint-Sacrement pour bénir les mourants.  Canonisé en 1610, il demeure aujourd’hui le patron des évêques et des séminaristes, modèle d’un clergé fidèle et courageux.

Transcript

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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