The Saint
San Guillermo, the Patron Saint of Catmon, also known as Saint William. However there are four Saint Williams I came across with - St. William of Montpelier, St. William of Monte Virgine, St. William of Gellone, and St. William of Maleval. But because our St. William lived a sinful life as a soldier, the choices are trimmed down into two between St. William of Gellone (also known as St. Wiliam of Aquitaine) and St. William of Maleval (also known as William the Hermit and William the Great) both are said to be soldiers in their early life. Both lived a wild, dissolute, a very abandoned and sinful life before they began to take their religion seriously. Their life of conversion were being interpolated and confused from one to the other, having no substantial accounts - one story is shared by both Saints.
Their pre-military life would somehow positively identify one from the other. St. William of Gellone was the second count of Toulouse, having attained that dignity in 790. He is by some writers also given the title of Duke of Aquitaine. In 808 he renounced the world. He is usually represented as a mailed soldier. While St. William of Maleval was a French nobleman of very abandoned life; but, being converted, he went as pilgrim to Jerusalem, and on his return retired to the desert of Maleval. He is depicted in a Benedictine's habit, with armour lying beside him. In art, William of Maleval is similar to William of Aquitaine but with no ducal coronet. Below are the profiles of both St. Williams, to distinguish one from the other: St. William of Gellone AKA St. William Aquitania Born: 755 Died: 28 May, c. 812 Beatified in Feast Day: May 28, the day of his death. Depicted as a mailed soldier. St. William of Maleval AKA William the Hermit and William the Great Born: Died: 10 February, 1157 Beatified in 1202 Feast Day: February 10, the day of his death. Depicted as a man: a) with armour lying beside him. b) holding a cross. c) bearing a shield with four fleur-de-lys. d) wearing a monastic habit over armour. e) with a pilgrim's staff (walking stick). The saint’s feast day can be the day of their actual death or a day assigned by the Church. Typically, the Church only assigns a day when the day of death is unknown. And if the Church isn’t sure of the date of death of some saints, other calendar dates are sometimes chosen — such as the day that the saint was canonized. The Parish of Catmon celebrates its annual fiesta on the 10th of February, the day St. William the Hermit died and his feast day is celebrated worldwide. The above facts clearly pointed out that St. William of Maleval also known as William the Hermit and William the Great is the Patron Saint detailed to oversee our Parish and its Parishioners. This is his story: St. William of Maleval is also known as William the Hermit and William the Great. His date of birth is unknown, he died on February 10, 1157, beatified in 1202, and he is depicted as a Saint with armour lying beside him, a Saint holding a cross, a Saint bearing a shield with four fleur-de-lys, and a Saint wearing a monastic habit over armour. In art, William of Maleval is similar to William of Aquitaine but with no ducal coronet. His life of conversion is often confused with that of St. William of Aquitaine. St. William the Hermit was thought to be a French nobleman whose youth and adult life were mostly spent in the military, living freely and licentiously, common of a soldier that time. After these carefree life, through the grace of God, William came to understand the error of his ways, experienced a conversion of heart, and becoming penitent, made a pilgrimage to the tombs of the apostles at Rome. Here he begged Pope Eugenius III for pardon and to set him on a course of penance for his sins. Pope Eugenius enjoined him to make a pilgrimage to the Holy Land in 1145. William followed his counsel and spent eight years on the journey. Returning to Italy a changed man, he embraced the eremitical life. In 1153, William became a hermit on the isle of Lupocavio (near Pisa) in Tuscany for a time. Many joined him and asked for his spiritual wisdom and guidance. He was convinced until he was prevailed upon to undertake the leadership of these pilgrims. But somehow he wasn't well suited to lead other men; he failed to maintain discipline and austerity among his follower monks. Unable to bear the tepidity and irregularity of his monks, he withdrew to Monte Bruno. In Monte Bruno he organized the monks that surround him into an abbey, but he was met by the same fate, failing for the second time. In September 1155, he realized that this is not what God wants him to do; the heavenly Father must have a different purpose for him. Again, he withdrew from governing and embraced life as a hermit at Maleval (near Siena). There, he lived in an underground cave until the lord of Buriano discovered him some months later and built him a cell. He lived with the wild beasts, ate nothing but herbs, and drank nothing but water. He slept in bare ground and a stone for his pillow. He spent his waking time in prayers, penitence, manual labor, and extreme penances, for the atonement of his sinful deeds. He considered himself as the worst criminal and deserved the severest punishment until the last of his breath. William had developed the gift of working miracles and of prophecy, for which he was frequently sought. He accurately predicted his death, seeing his end draw near, he received the sacraments from a priest of the neighboring town of Chatillon, and died on the 10th of February, in 1157, on which day his feast is celebrated. {William was buried by two disciples (Albert and Renauld) in his garden and the duo studied to live according to William's maxims and example. Later their number increased and they built a chapel over their founder's grave with a little hermitage. This was the origin of the Gulielmites, or Hermits of Saint William, which spread throughout Italy, France, Flanders, and Germany. They went barefoot, and their fasts were almost continual. Pope Gregory IX, mitigating their austerities, gave the Rule of Saint Benedict to the group organized as the Order of Bare-Footed Friars, and eventually absorbed by the Augustinian hermits.} / |
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