St.William of Bourges

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St.William of Bourges

January 10, 2023

St. William of Bourges
from Butler’s Lives of the Saints

Guillaume de Donjeon came from a distinguished family of Nevers on the
river Loire in central France. He was educated by his uncle Peter, who was
archdeacon of Soissons north-east of Paris. At an early age he was appointed
canon on Soissons and then of Paris. He felt the call to the solitary life, however,
and retired to Grandmont Abbey. A dispute there disturbed his peace, and he
joined the stricter Cistercian Order, being clothed at the abbey of Pontigny. He
was elected abbot of two smaller abbeys dependent on Pontigny, first Fontaine-Jean then Chalis, near Senlis.

When Henri de Sully, archbishop of Bourges, died, a successor was sought
from among the Cistercian Abbots. William was elected by a process of drawing
the first of three names from slips placed on the altar by Henri’s brother Eudes,
bishop of Paris, a choice that confirmed the vote of the clergy. William would
have refused the appointment had he not received direct orders to take it up both
from Pope Innocent III and from his religious superior, the Abbot of Citeaux. He
proved to be a model bishop, austere in private life, wearing a hair shirt and
abstaining from red meat, and full of pastoral care for the spiritual and material
welfare of the poor, whom he saw as his first responsibility. He defended the
rights of his church, including its lands, against threatened encroachment by the
civil powers, arguing his case successfully even against the king.

The Albigensians were numerous in France at this time, and he was active
in crusading against them, making many converts. He was preparing a mission to
them when his final illness came upon him. He preached a last sermon to his
people, which brought on a high fever and hastened his end. At his request he
was laid on a bed of ashes, and he died with the first two words of the Nocturns
on his lips, just after midnight on January 10, 1209. His body was interred in the
cathedral of Bourges, and many miracles were attributed to him. A shrine was
accordingly built in 1217, and he was canonized by Pope Honorius III the
following year.

Butler’s Lives of the Saints – New Full Edition – Burns & Oates – The Liturgical Press – Collegeville,
MN – 1998 – pg 70

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Date:
January 10, 2023
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