Catholic Fire

Today is the memorial of St. Charles Borromeo (1538 - 15840), Bishop of Milan and one of the great reformers of the sixteenth century. He is is the patron of catechists, catechumens, spiritual directors, and spiritual leaders. Charles was born at the Castle of Arona in northern Italy to wealthy and powerful parents. His father, Count Gilbert Borromeo, was a man of virtue and skill, and his mother was a member of the famous Medici family of Milan, sister of Angelo de Medici, who was to become Pope Pius IV. Raised in a pious family, Charles was deeply devoted to the Passion of Christ and to the Blessed Mother. He received the clerical tonsure at age twelve and was educated at the Benedict Abbey of Saints Gratian and Felinus. He earned a doctorate in civil and canon law at the University of Pavia. When his uncle, Cardinal de Medici, was elected pope in 1559, as Pius IV, Charles was made cardinal-deacon and administrator to the archdiocese of Milan while still a lay person and...

November 4 is the memorial of St. Charles Borromeo (1538 - 15840), the patron saint of catechists and catechumens , whose life and spirituality have inspired many religious orders. He served as the Bishop of Milan and is a leading figure in the Catholic reformation. Charles was born in 1538 to an aristocratic and powerful family in northern Italy. As the second son, he was destined for a career in the Church from an early age. He received the clerical tonsure at age twelve and was sent to the Benedict Abbey of Saints Gratian and Felinus for his education. He received a doctorate in civil and canon law at the University of Pavia. When his uncle, Cardinal de Medici, was elected pope in 1559, as Pius IV, Charles was made cardinal of the at the age of 22, and then appointed administrator to the archdiocese of Milan while still a lay person and a student. Next, he was made the pope's secretary of state, papal legate to Bologna, the low countries, and the cantons of Switzerland an...