Lives of Saint 1. Saint Guillaume

"Archbishop of Bourges (+1209).

Celebrated on January 10.

Short version:

Saint Guillaume declared that he would not leave the prison gate until the prisoners were freed

Saint Guillaume, from the ancient counts of Nevers, was born around the middle of the 12th century. He was carefully raised in the fear of God. The Lord had endowed him with all the natural and graceful qualities necessary for the great designs He had for him. Consequently, he progressed rapidly, gaining knowledge beyond his years and an increasing treasury of holiness.

Though the world offered him glory and pleasures, he renounced everything, even distancing himself from ecclesiastical honors that seemed to follow him. He retreated into the solitude of a monastery. Not content with leaving the world, he even forgot its memory, living in constant presence with God. His modesty, devotion, and regularity revived the fervor of his brothers. A mere glance at him in the choir or at the altar was enough to ignite a holy desire to follow in his footsteps. Above all, he had a great love for the Holy Sacrament, finding delight near it, shedding tears during the holy sacrifice of the Mass.

He was reluctantly appointed abbot of his monastery, yet soon he had to resign himself to ascend higher, answering the clear call of Heaven. Consecrated Archbishop of Bourges, Guillaume displayed from the outset all the virtues of the most illustrious Pontiffs. He remained a monk in his palace, a monk by his habit and even more by his austerities. He managed to reconcile his devotional exercises with the immense responsibilities of his position. He traveled through his diocese, preached, instructed the humble and the small, administered the sacraments, visited hospitals, freed captives, and performed miracles. When asked for a miracle, he would say, 'I am but a poor sinner,' yet he would yield to the tears of the sick and heal them with his blessing.

Some beautiful words of his have been preserved: 'Like shepherd, like sheep,' he often said. 'I have to atone,' he would also say, 'for my own sins and those of my people.' His death was worthy of his life; he passed away clad in the hair shirt he had always worn, lying on ashes. At the moment of his death, he distinctly saw angels beating their wings above his head, and he breathed his last while reaching out his arms toward them. During his funeral, the crowd saw above the church a globe of fire hovering in the air.

Abbot L. Jaud, Lives of the Saints for Every Day of the Year, Tours, Mame, 1950

Long version:

Guillaume de Corbeil, from the ancient family of the counts of Nevers, was born in the first half of the 12th century, at Arthel, not far from Prémery, in the present-day department of Nièvre. He was the son of Guillaume de Corbeil, also known as Guillaume de Beauvais. Royal blood flowed in his veins, yet he was destined to shine more through his sanctity than through the splendor of his birth.

Childhood. Studies. Double prebend.

The Lord had bestowed upon him, from childhood, all the natural and graceful qualities necessary for the accomplishment of the great designs He had for him: a lively, solid, eminent mind capable of all sciences; penetrating and just judgment; a noble, generous, and docile heart; graceful and polite manners; an extreme horror of vice; and a lofty idea of the service of God.

Such beautiful qualities prompted his maternal uncle to take charge of his studies. This uncle was Pierre, archdeacon of Soissons, surnamed the Hermit because of his great austerities. Under such a master, Guillaume acquired knowledge beyond his years in a short time and a growing treasure of virtues.

Hence, despising all the advantages promised by his birth, his brilliant qualities, and the world, and esteeming only eternal goods, he dedicated himself to the ecclesiastical state.

Hardly had he renounced the secular life than his parents successively procured for him, to afford him ease in living and to maintain his position, two prebends, one in the Church of Soissons and the other in that of Paris. In both these Churches, through his modesty, wisdom, and edifying piety, he became the admiration and model of the clergy.

The solitude of Grandmont.

Yet God desired him to be more perfect and inspired in him an ardent desire for a more secluded life. As far as can be judged, Guillaume appears to us as a man endowed with a particularly delicate conscience, perhaps excessively scrupulous, unable to see himself in the world amid all its perils without trembling. Ecclesiastical dignities seemed to him very burdensome titles, and opulent benefits real traps. For a long time, he longed only for the desert of Grandmont in Limousin, which had enchanted him.

In this place flourished a religious Order established in 1077 by Saint Stephen of Muret (+circa 1124), which still retained, towards the end of the 12th century, its initial fervor; the austere life of the monks made it even more admirable. Guillaume generously renounced the two prebends of Paris and Soissons and retired to this monastery.

He was received there as if sent from heaven and lived there with such great regularity, in such an edifying manner, that six years after his death, in November 1215, the General Prior of the Order praised him in the midst of the Council (the Fourth Lateran Council, the Twelfth Ecumenical Council), before Pope Innocent III and the august assembly.

At the moment when Guillaume was preparing to take his vows at Grandmont, a storm erupted between the choir monks and the lay brothers, which almost caused the entire Order's downfall.

The lay brothers, far more numerous than the others, claimed control of the monasteries; they even went as far as imprisoning Prior Guillaume de Treynac. The former canon of Soissons and Paris, who had come to the cloister seeking peace, exerted all his efforts, all the influence of his lofty virtue, and employed the means that his wisdom, zeal, and industry could suggest; yet he did not succeed in restoring peace and unity."

"Stay at Pontigny. – Fervor and Penitence.

The young religious knew well that the spirit of God could never be where there is no peace; hence, he resolved to move to the Cistercian Order, founded in 1098 by Saint Robert of Molesmes, gloriously illustrated by Saint Bernard and renowned for the number of its saints. The spirit of retreat and regularity preserved its full vigor there. He took the habit at Pontigny, one of the four major abbeys called Daughters of Cîteaux, founded near Auxerre in 1114 by Hugues de Mâcon, a friend of Saint Bernard. He professed there with an increasing fervor that grew every day during his novitiate.

His austerities matched his fervent devotion; the relief he was obligated to give his body was a true torture, and the burden of corporeal life constituted his heaviest cross. He longed for the day when the Lord would break the chain that held him to the earth, preventing his reunion with Him. The fasts prescribed by the rule seemed insufficient to him, and he had renounced the use of meat, even in cases of illness.

Always humble, gentle towards the smallest as well as his superiors, he accepted the mortifications imposed on him, not as a test of his virtue, but as the just punishment for his iniquities.

Saint Guillaume elevated to the rank of abbot.

Solitude was his delight, yet it was less his inclination that was consulted than the esteem inspired by his wisdom and piety. He was elected prior of Pontigny and subsequently Abbot of Fontaine-Jean, a daughter abbey of Pontigny, situated near Châtillon-Coligny, now in the diocese of Orléans. Finally, he became Abbot of the monastery of Châlis in the diocese of Senlis – now Beauvais. In these various positions, he seemed to console himself for the violence his humility and love for seclusion suffered, with the hope of ending his days in the cloister.

Guillaume governed his religious with angelic gentleness, appearing as the least among his inferiors. He combined wonderful simplicity with great enlightenment derived from the most sublime prayer. The serenity of his face revealed the inner calm of his soul, and despite all his austerities, he never lost that holy and gentle cheerfulness which, emanating from the heart, lends so much charm to virtue.

His election to the episcopate.

In September 1199, death took Henri de Sully, Archbishop of Bourges. The clergy of the city resolved to choose a prelate worthy, in virtue and talent, of occupying this seat.

At that time, the Cistercian Order shone with a multitude of great men whose sanctity edified the Christian world. This fortunate multitude of excellent individuals puzzled the clergy; they asked Eudes, or Odon de Sully, Bishop of Paris and brother of the deceased prelate, to assist them with his counsel in such an important matter. Upon Eudes' arrival, he was presented with three Cistercian Abbots as candidates, among whom was the Abbot of Châlis.

According to legend, he celebrated the Mass of the Holy Spirit in a church dedicated to the Virgin Mary and placed three sealed notes under the altar cloth, each containing the names of the three Abbots. After the Mass, along with his two assistants, men of knowledge and virtue, who later became one Archbishop of Tours and the other Bishop of Meaux, he implored the Lord to reveal His will. Then, opening one of the three notes, he found the name of the Abbot of Châlis. At the same moment, the canons of the cathedral, gathered in Chapter, fervently beseeched him to designate Guillaume. Regardless of this account, Eudes chose Guillaume, whom he proclaimed, amid general rejoicing, the elected Archbishop of Bourges.

Upon hearing this news, the chosen one was so afflicted that he resolved to flee; he was prevented from doing so. However, his refusals could not be overcome. He argued that the vow of obedience made to his superior no longer allowed him to dispose of himself. Thus, the delegates of the Church of Bourges resorted to the Abbot General of the Order and Cardinal Pierre de Capoue, apostolic legate in France. Both ordered him to accept. Therefore, Guillaume reluctantly left his beloved solitude; he journeyed to Bourges, where he was consecrated by Elie, Archbishop of Bordeaux, in the presence of all the bishops of the province.

The model shepherd. – Apostolic zeal. – Miracles.

Convinced that every man, especially one who governs others, should begin by establishing the reign of Jesus Christ within himself, Guillaume, once vested with the fullness of the priesthood, made it his first concern to regulate even the smallest details of his life, whether public or private, according to the maxims of the Gospel. He wanted to set an example of impeccable virtue: 'As the king, so the subjects; as the pastors, so the sheep,' he repeated. Neither his dignity nor his immense labors could make him relax his excessive austerities: he retained the monastic habit, never removed the hair shirt, observed the fasts of the rule as if he were still in his monastery, and forbade himself meat even though he had it served to those who dined with him:

'I have to atone,' he said, 'for my own sins and those of my people.'

His episcopal palace was open to everyone; only women did not enter, and in case of necessity, he spoke to them in the church.

His tender love for solitude made way for an ardent zeal for the salvation of his people. He was seen traversing his diocese with a charity that carried the divine fire everywhere; he preached, instructed the humble and the small, administered sacraments, visited and consoled the poor in hospitals, and, becoming all things to all people, he won them all for Jesus Christ. Having learned one day that several of his diocesans had been arrested for zealously defending the rights of his Church, he immediately made urgent appeals to the judges to obtain their release. His appeals remained unsuccessful. He then placed himself at the prison gates:

'I will not move from here,' he said, 'until the captives are set free.'

Moved by such charity, the magistrates opened the cells."

In his apostolic journeys, he encountered a priest whose paralyzed arm prevented him from celebrating Mass; until then, all the aids of art had been powerless. Guillaume exhorted this priest to repent before the Lord; then, having made the sign of the cross on the infirm arm, he healed it instantly.

The sick, afflicted with deadly fevers but full of faith in the Archbishop's holiness and convinced of the all-powerfulness of his prayers, implored him to heal them. His humility tried to dissuade them:

- "I am just a poor sinner," he said.

But they insisted, weeping; then, his fatherly heart unable to resist any longer, he healed them all by laying his hands on them.

Disinterest and gentleness.

His abundant alms proved his complete disinterest in the goods of this world; he deemed it unworthy of a bishop to hoard wealth. For him, the poor were his creditors; by distributing almost all his income among them, he would pleasantly say, "I am paying my debts."

This holy indifference toward any wealth or even regarding any matter of money shone more brightly in the following circumstances. Guillaume found in the Gallican Church the custom of imposing pecuniary fines on excommunicated individuals, besides the canonical penance, for the benefit of the bishopric, to prevent any relapse, at least out of self-interest. This custom greatly displeased his sensibilities; however, men of great renown advised him to follow it and give the money from these fines to the poor if he had scruples about benefiting from it himself. He found a way not to follow the advised practice without scandalizing its proponents or openly criticizing their conduct.

Some gentlemen had gravely offended the Archbishop's receivers, seized his property, and insulted a large number of priests. "Deliver the guilty ones to secular authority," his advisors told him. Guillaume preferred to pray and fast for them, and soon, he saw them at his feet, imploring a pardon that he graciously granted.

However, there were more hardened and obstinate sinners: heretics were ravaging Berry, Nivernais, and Auxerrois. People urged the prelate to lead an army to force the rebels to submit, as was customary at that time. Guillaume, in order not to openly disapprove of those who thought in this way, asked for time to reflect. He fervently prayed to God and soon promised to bring the culprits to reason. Nevertheless, he was averse to donning the armor of warriors; his means of combat were not the sword and fire, but the sword of God's word. Taking aside the most obstinate ones, with apostolic freedom, he addressed them with the sharpest rebukes, threatened them with the eternal flames of hell, depicted to them the blessed eternal kingdom they were losing, and the profound abyss into which they were about to precipitate themselves, cheerfully, due to the folly of their behavior. Then, in the secrecy of his hidden life, to draw divine mercy upon these souls, he fasted and spent nights in prayer.

This hope was not deceived. Much to the astonishment of all his people, the wolves became lambs, the persecutors turned into friends, the plunderers of others' property became great almsgivers.

The defender of the Church's rights. - The Albigensians.

Powerful lords from Berry, offended by his great merit and relying on the king's friendship, took advantage of Guillaume's gentleness to encroach upon the rights of the Church of Bourges. "He won't have the courage to resist us," they thought. But soon the bishop showed them that gentleness and kindness do not exclude courage and firmness. He vigorously defended his cause against King Philip Augustus himself, prejudiced by the prelate's aggressors who had falsely accused him of disturbing public peace and encroaching upon the crown's domains.

His usual weapons, gentleness, and humility, also triumphed over the jealousies of certain neighboring prelates, as well as resistances from his own clergy.

In 1208, Pope Innocent III preached a crusade against the Manichaeans of Languedoc, especially from the region of Albi, hence the name "Albigensians" given to them. These heretics, towards whom measures of gentleness had been taken without success, endangered religion, the state's security, and even civilization itself by propagating their pernicious doctrines: they openly opposed the institution of marriage, glorified suicide, and, distant ancestors of those later called "conscientious objectors," refused to take up arms to defend their country.

In truth, according to the intentions of the Sovereign Pontiff, it was more of a religious crusade than a military one. Not everyone understood it this way. If lamentable excesses were committed by Catholic armies at that time, they must be sincerely deplored, but the abominable doctrines propagated by the enemies, the various crimes to which they led, and the massacres they engaged in, even boasting about them, of those whom they tried to portray as victims, all of this partially - not completely excusing, though - explains the violence committed by the crusaders. As for the Papacy, according to impartial historians, its responsibility was in no way involved.

The Archbishop of Bourges, after reading the papal letters calling for the crusade, himself took up the cross and exhorted his diocesans to imitate him. Undoubtedly, he had even more confidence in the prayer crusade preached by Saint Dominic than in the arms and valor of Simon de Montfort. Heaven was content with his righteous intention; illness held him back, and he did not see with his own eyes the troubles and bloody reprisals that would have pained his paternal heart.

The father's last farewell to his children.

Guillaume was bound by a holy friendship with Geoffroy La Lande, Archbishop of Tours, and with Eudes de Sully, Bishop of Paris, whose role in his election is remembered. They often visited each other to discuss the care of souls and the governance of their Churches. Thus, the Archbishop of Bourges was greatly saddened when death came to take away his two friends, the first on April 29, 1208, and the second, two and a half months later (July 13). He himself was not to survive them for long. Worn out by his apostolic labors and excessive austerities, he succumbed to infirmities; at any moment, those close to him expected a fatal outcome. The prelate cared very little about it and calmly continued his mortifications without relenting in any way.

On January 5, 1209, the eve of Epiphany, fever forced him to take to his bed. The next day, he rose to preach one last time to his people in the metropolitan church. He chose as his text these words of the Apostle: "The hour has come for you to wake up from your slumber." Thus, he called life on this earth. He exhorted his listeners to live with the thought of death, to never cease watching over themselves, and to be prepared, for no one knows the day or the hour when the Lord will come to take them. Then, he bid everyone a final farewell. A great cry of sorrow was heard, and the sad news soon spread throughout the entire city. Mourning became universal.

The archbishop returned home, gripped by an increasing fever; he had preached bareheaded despite the severe cold of the season. His condition worsened rapidly, to the point that the sick man asked for the Last Rites and Holy Communion. To receive the Holy Eucharist with more respect, he got up from his bed, went to meet the priest, then knelt down, melting into tears, and prayed for a long time prostrated on the pavement, arms outstretched in the form of a cross; only then did he receive the body of the Savior, with extraordinary fervor. It was the fifteenth day of his illness. He immersed himself afterward in continual prayer and intimate union with God.

On the night he knew would be his last, he wanted to anticipate the Matins, which he customarily recited at midnight. After making the sign of the cross on his lips and chest, he could barely muster the strength to utter the first words. At his request, those present completed the service. When it was finished, he signaled to be laid on the ground on a bed of ashes and dressed in the hair shirt he had worn all his life; shortly after, he gently surrendered his soul to God. It was January 10, 1209. Pope Honorius III elevated him to the rank of Saints in 1217.

Relics and worship.

The city of Bourges zealously guarded the remains of its glorious prelate, claimed by the monks of the Abbey of Châlis, near which he wished to rest. Displayed for three centuries in its cathedral for popular veneration, they were partially destroyed by Calvinists in 1562 and partly during the Revolution in 1793. The western portal of this church depicts various scenes from his life, and the large bell bears his name.

Saint Guillaume was honored in various dioceses, especially in Beauvais and Senlis, and the University of Paris invoked him as the patron of the "Nation of France."

The Roman Martyrology sets his feast day on January 10, the day of his death; the diocese of Bourges celebrates it on the 9th.

R. C. H.

Sources consulted. - Acta Sanctorum, vol. I of January (Paris, 1863). - Abbot J. Villepelet, Nos Saints berrichons (Bourges, 1931). - (V. S. B. P., n° 308.).

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