Charles
was born into a family both noble and devout and divided his early
years between the family Castle of Arona on Lake Maggiore and their
palace in Milan. At twelve he was admitted to minor clerical orders and
received the revenues from a wealthy abbey nearby, but he showed his
upright character by assigning the money to the poor except for those
funds needed for his education. His college career paralleled that of
St. Peter Canisius in that he avoided all circumstances and friendships
that would compromise his purity of life. It differed, however, by
receiving his doctorate in canon law at the University of Pavia.
Due
to his extraordinary talent and seriousness, Charles took charge of all
family business at the request of his father and older brother despite
his youth. He even found time to restore the ancient monastic discipline
in the abbey of which he was titular abbot. One week into his
pontificate, Pius IV summoned him to Rome. Promotions and
responsibilities soon followed, all leading to his appointment as Papal
Secretary of State and Archbishop of Milan, although he was not
permitted to reside in Milan during his uncle’s lifetime. His
thoroughness, modesty, and zeal for work had the effect of concealing
his capacity for superior judgment in handling the affairs of both the
Church and the State, especially when he refused to enrich himself in
the manner of the Renaissance era prelates. Virtually all diplomatic
correspondence passed through his hands, to the point that historians
cannot determine which instructions originated with the Pope and which
came from his young administrator. William T. Walsh believes the reform
of the Church during Pius IV’s pontificate was chiefly accomplished
through the effort of his nephew, whose body is incorrupt to this day.
Despite the uprightness of his life and self-sacrificing devotion to
Church affairs, Charles did not practice the strict austerities and
self-denial of his later years. He was exceptionally fond of hunting and
paid much attention to the magnificence of his own household, which
consisted of 150 servants. The improvement of his family’s circumstances
also occupied much of his attention. His brother had married the
daughter of the Duke of Urbina, a member of the illustrious della Rovere
family, and his sisters made wealthy marriages with the Gonzaga and
Colonna. Then with the family rising to the heights of the Farnese and
de Medici, his brother died after a short illness at the age of
twenty-seven. Although a Cardinal and administrator of the vacant
diocesan see of Milan, Papal Secretary of State, and entrusted with the
government of the Papal States, as well as supervisor of the
Franciscans, the Carmelites and the Order of Malta, Charles was still
only a sub-deacon at the time, which nevertheless precluded marriage.
Many of his more worldly-minded relatives thought that he would
certainly seek a dispensation and pursue fame and fortune to maintain
his family’s position. But his brother’s sudden death opened his eyes to
the vanity of such ambitions and Charles resolved instead to embrace
his ecclesiastical state entirely. He was ordained a priest on September
4, 1563 and consecrated a bishop on December 7 the same year. He
adopted a strict, ascetic life of prayer and fasting after making the
Spiritual Exercises of Saint Ignatius, now intent upon fulfilling the
duties of his ecclesiastical office with dignity and without reserve.
Pope
Pius IV had reopened the third and last period of the Council of Trent
at the beginning of 1562 against strong opposition from numerous
prelates who saw that their unwarranted privileges and incomes would be
curtailed and many sovereigns who saw that their authority over Church
matters would be contested. Yet the bark of Saint Peter steered through
all the obstacles to bring the Council to a successful conclusion two
years later.
Retained in Rome by the Pope and the heavy duties
incumbent upon him by the work of the Council, Charles governed his
diocese my means of personal representatives through whom he convoked a
diocesan synod for the promulgation of the decrees of the Council. He
began the much-needed reform of the clergy by fulfilling all things
required in himself first, thus leading by example. The widespread
clerical abuses required skilful and tactful treatment. Ecclesiastical
discipline and the education of youth were foremost in his thoughts but
his pastoral solicitude encompassed every detail involved in the
monumental work: repression of avaricious priests, the founding and
staffing of seminaries for the proper formation of the clergy,
liturgical ceremony and church music, the manner of preaching, the
renewal of strict observance of rule in the convents, etc. This last
mentioned brought down upon him the wrath and displeasure of some of his
own relatives, two Dominican aunts, sisters of Pope Pius IV.
Notwithstanding the opposition and difficulties, Charles persevered,
sparing himself in nothing. The apostolic zeal and charity with which he
reformed his own household bore fruit in the remarkable number of its
members who became distinguished bishops and prelates. The austerities
which he practiced amidst the incredible fatigues of his apostolic life
seem almost excessive.
Doctrinal and disciplinary controversies
and heated disputes of every kind, both ecclesiastical and temporal;
complicated questions of spiritual and civil jurisdictions; fierce
attacks upon the rights of the Church and life-threatening physical
attacks upon himself; heresy, witchcraft, sorcery and wickedness of
every sort, libelous personal accusations and epidemic plagues – he
faced them all with a moral courage and equanimity that won the grudging
admiration of even his most bitter enemies. Ravaged by relentless
attacks from every side, the Church weathered the fierce storm of the
pseudo-Reformation. From the bosom of the Church, God called forth great
saints in that era and they rallied to Her defense like ardent lions –
souls of grandeur, on fire with the love of God and zeal for souls. The
Church and Faith under attack brought forth unparalleled sanctity. Among
these great saints of the sixteenth century is St. Charles Borromeo.
Physically
worn out by the crushing weight of his many duties and
responsibilities, he seemed to know when death was at hand and yet was
determined to work as long as he had strength left. Towards the end of
1584, his health took a definite turn. In October he began his annual
retreat and began his preparation for death with a general confession.
Plagued with recurrent bouts of high fever, he carried on: visitations,
correspondence, consultations. Indefatigable to the end, his ardent soul
wore out his frail body. He died at Milan on November 3, 1584 at the
age of forty-six. He was canonized in 1610 by Pope Paul V.
Second Photo by: Sailko
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