Saint of the Month: St. Bruno

St. Bruno was a school rector and professor, a priest and monk, and founder of an enduring religious order. Bruno was born c. 1030 at Cologne (modern-day Germany) to the prominent Hartenfaust family. Cologne in the Middle Ages was a hub of Catholic culture, scholarship, and monasticism. Little is known of Bruno’s youth, except that at fourteen, he went to study at the cathedral school at Rheims (modern-day France). This school was one of the most renowned centers of learning in Europe. A brilliant student, he studied the humanities: grammar, logic, arithmetic, astronomy, geometry, philosophy, theology, and music. He returned to Cologne in 1055 and was ordained a priest.

A GREAT TEACHER

He was made a canon and was then appointed as rector of the cathedral school. The following year, he was recalled to Rheims, where he was assigned to teach philosophy. That was just the beginning of his responsibilities, however, as he was appointed in 1057 as the director of the episcopal school, a position similar to a modern-day superintendent. He held this position for eighteen years, gaining a reputation for his wisdom and eloquence, and maintained the school’s lofty reputation. Under his tutelage, an impressive number of abbots and bishops received their training.

In 1075, there was a new bishop in Rheims, Manasses de Gournai, who appointed Bruno as chancellor. This position exposed Bruno to the rampant corruption present under the new bishop. De Gournai was ill-suited to be a bishop; haughty, corrupt, willful, and foul tempered. Bruno and several other priests denounced him and asked him to step down in 1077, and he was indeed suspended. In retribution, he had his followers destroy the homes of his accusers, after having stolen the contents. By 1080, de Gournai was permanently dismissed.

NEED FOR SOLITUDE

This turmoil only confirmed for Bruno that he must withdraw from worldly life. Like St. Benedict five hundred years before him, Bruno was repulsed by the immoral ways of the world and needed to retreat. His departure was not easy, as he was popularly desired to be the next bishop of Rheims, a position of great power and influence. He escaped, along with several like-minded companions, having given away his considerable wealth. The group first stayed with some Cistercians, a category of Benedictines, at Molesmes, where they learned eremitical life. Knowing that he needed greater solitude, Bruno, with some companions, went in 1084 to the esteemed Bishop of Grenoble, [St.] Hugh of Châteauneuf, a former student of Bruno’s. The good bishop granted them a remote piece of land, an undeveloped Alpine valley called La Grande Chartreuse. The seven men – five priests and two lay brothers, built a small oratory, as well as separate cells for each hermit. The men followed the basic Rule of St. Benedict, but lived in solitude, penance, and poverty. They came together only for communal prayer, such as the recitation of the Divine Office. They lived their days in silence, spending their time in study, prayer and work. One of the works at which they labored was the transcription of manuscripts, centuries before the invention of the printing press.

SUMMONED TO ROME

In 1088, another of Bruno’s former students was elected Pope [Bl.] Urban II. Urban wanted to continue the needed reforms of his predecessor, Pope [St.] Gregory VII, and he was having to deal with a difficult emperor, Henry IV. Seeking the assistance of his wise former teacher, Urban summoned Bruno to Rome in 1090. Reluctant to leave his peaceful monastery and re-enter into the ugliness that is often present in affairs of church and state, Bruno went out of obedience. He was asked to assist with clergy reform and helped Urban to deal with the aggression of the emperor who tried to install his chosen antipope. Bruno declined an appointment to become the Bishop of Reggio, pleading with the Pope to be able to return to the Grande Chartreuse. In 1092, he was allowed to resume his monastic life, but to stay closer to Rome. He was given some land in a wooded valley in Calabria, the southernmost region of Italy. There, with several companions, he built a small monastery modeled after the original, and also established other hermitages in the region. He died at the monastery of Santa Maria Della Torre in Calabria October 6, 1101, at about age seventy and was buried there. The Carthusian Order was officially established in 1125, modeled after his life.

UNIQUE PATH TO CANONIZATION

Due to the strict restriction against any accolades for its members, the Carthusians did not promote the canonization cause of its founder, but his name was added to the Roman calendar in 1623. Bruno was an esteemed and brilliant master teacher, but knew the treasure to be found in silence, simplicity, and constant prayer. His influence remains, as does the monastery he founded. [St.] Ignatius of Loyola visited the monastery often while studying in France, and [St.] John of the Cross intended to enter it before [St.] Teresa of Avila requested his assistance for reforming the Carmelites. All Carthusians live in remote areas and accept no visitors. In a fast-paced, noisy world with instant communication, the Carthusians continue to be a source of fascination. An award-winning film, Into Great Silence, was recently made at the Grande Chartreuse Monastery with no spoken words. St. Bruno' feast day is October 6 and he is thepatron saint of exorcists.