Saints and Leaders of the Counter Reformation

Popular Saints and Religious Leaders of the Counter Reformation

What began as an era of disintegration, division and turmoil in the Western world of the sixteenth century, turned out to be an era of spiritual revival led by great saints and religious leaders of the Catholic reformation movement.

The Reformation defined

The Reformation is a movement in the Catholic Church that began at the beginning of the fifteenth century and lasted until the end of the seventeenth century. It can be divided into four stages:

• the reform councils until the Sacco di Roma,
  1527
• the actual antecedents of the Council of Trent
• the Council of Trent (1545-1563)
• the implementation of the Tridentine decrees

This reform movement grew out of discontent from those outside the Church and from its own midst. This discontent produced religious leaders who led the reform of their religious orders or became founders of new religious institutions that embodied their reform.

Great saints and leaders of the Reformation

St. Philip Neri (1515-1595) founded the Oratory (1552), became the apostle to the city of Rome, and succeeded in starting a religious and ethical revival.

St. Teresa of Avila (d. 1582) rejuvenated the Carmelite Order. Together with St. John of the Cross (d. 1591), they influenced positively the spirituality of both Spain and France in the seventeenth century.

St. Angela Merici (d. 1540) founded the Ursulines in Brescia. This religious order was approved in 1544 and soon became a congregation of women for the fostering of charity and the education of girls.

St. John of God (d. 1550) founded the Hospitaller Order (Fate Bene Brothers) in 1572. This developed out of an association of devout laymen.

St. Camillus of Lellis (d. 1614) founded the Camillians in 1584 for the nursing of the sick and dying.

St. Jane Frances de Chantal (d. 1641) in 1610 created the Order of the Visitation with the help of St. Francis de Sales. The duties of the Visitation nuns was the nursing of the sick and the education of girls.

Peter of Bérulle (d. 1629) founded the French Oratory in 1611. They were devoted particularly to the education of the clergy.

St. John Eudes (d. 1680) was schooled in the spirituality of Cardinal Bérulle. In 1643, he left the Oratory and founded his own congregation of secular priests.

St. Vincent de Paul (d. 1660) founded the Vincentians, whose concern was the spiritual care of the common people. Together with St. Louise de Marillac, they also founded the Daughters of Charity, who devoted themselves to the care of the poor and the sick.

Armand Jean Le Bouthillier de Rancé (d. 1700) founded the Strict Order of the Trappists - the religious order where Thomas Merton belongs.

St. John Baptist de la Salle (d. 1719) founded in 1681, the Institute of Brothers of the Christian Schools - a religious institute whose mission is the education of boys and young men.

St. Ignatius of Loyola (d. 1556) founded the Society of Jesus. This religious order was approved by Pope Paul III on September 27, 1540, and has apostolic works in the field of education, retreats and foreign missions.

Conclusion

All the abovementioned saints and leaders, new religious orders, and new forms of works of charity, re-awakened Catholic life - which was morally stagnating in the sixteenth century. What began as a long-term process of disintegration, division, and turmoil throughout the Western Catholic world, turned out to be an era that produced a revitalization of inner spiritual life. New structures were raised to help with the active work of ministering to the people, educating the clergy and the general populace, and caring for the poor and the sick. Spiritual regeneration in both monastic and active life found its fruition and fulfillment during these times.

Related resources:

• "A History of the Church", by August Franzen and John P.
  Dolan
• "The New Concise Catholic Dictionary", by Reynolds R.
  Ekstrom
• Book review: Saints for Our Time