AKA St. William the Great AKA St. William of Maleval
February 10 is a day of celebration of faith for Saint William in the town of Catmon in the province of Cebu. St. William is known to be a hermit, miracle-worker, a prophet, and founder of the Williamites, a group of Hermits which was incorporated into Augustinian Order.
His Story:
William is believed by many to have been born in France, but the date of his birth is unknown. He was a soldier, living freely and dissolutely. By the grace of God, William came to realize his sinful ways, becoming penitent and made a pilgrimage to the tombs of apostles in Rome. While in Rome, William begged for an audience with Pope Eugene III, and asked the Holy Father for help in the forgiveness of his sins.
The Holy Father, Pope Eugene III (was Pope from 15 February 1145 to his death in 1153) encouraged William to make a pilgrimage to the Holy Land which he did in 1145. William’s expedition through the deserts of the Holy Land took him more than eight years, visiting holy tombs, holy shrines, and holy places communing with the various hermits and learned scholars. The fact of this visit and his pilgrimage to Jerusalem is supported by excerpts which are preserved by responsories and antiphons. In about 1153 he returned to Italy a changed man and led a hermit's life in a wood near Pisa, 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 Pruno.
In Monte Pruno 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 in the desert valley of Stabulum Rodis, later known as Maleval.
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. William neither founded a Religious Order nor wrote a Rule of life. But two of his followers formed the Order of Saint William, shortly after William's death. One of them, named Albert, composed a Rule, which he entitled The Rule of St. William. 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 (Williamites), 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 (Pope from 19 March 1227 to his death in 1241), mitigating their austerities, gave the Rule of Saint Benedict to the group organized as the Order of Bare-Footed Friars.
At the time of the Augustinian Grand Union in 1256, when many diverse religious groups were incorporated into the Augustinian Order, the Williamites or the Hermits of Saint William were among those who became Augustinians.
However, this union did not work well, and many former Williamites withdrew from the Augustinians a short time later. Nevertheless, Augustinians have venerated Saint William since the thirteenth century.
William the Hermit is also known as William of Malavalle and William the Great. He was Beatified by Pope Alexander III in 1174 to 1181 (was Pope from 7 September 1159 until his death on 30 August 1181), and Pope Innocent III (was Pope from 8 January 1198 to 16 July 1216) Canonized him in 1202.
Facts:
Hermit and a Saint of St. Augustine Order
AKA William of Maleval and William the Great
Born: Not known
Died: 10 February, 1157
Beatified in Rome by Pope Alexander III, 1174-1181
Canonized by Pope Innocent III on May 8, 1202
Venerated by the Augustinians since the 13th century
Feast Day: February 10, the day of his death.
Novus ordo : October 16
Vetus ordo : February 10 until 1969
Excerpt from the Book "Balaanong Bahandi" :
The Church of Saint William the Hermit in Catmon, Cebu was built in November 2, 1835 by the Augustinian-Recollects after Catmon became an independent parish from Danao. The site where the church stands was the third and final place chosen by its founder, the first one of which was in Catmondaan (Old Catmon) and the second one in Sitio Manobo, Barangay Maca-as. The walls were completed by Father Manuel Gimenez in 1868; the facade and belfry by Father Ramon Miramon in 1875; and the tile roof and altars by Father Francisco Bergasa in 1879.
St. William the Hermit Parishes in the Philippines, Feast Day is observed every 10th of February:
1.Saint William's Cathedral, Laoag City, Ilocos Norte.
2. Saint William's Parish, Talisay, Batangas, Philippines.
3. Cathedral of Saint William the Hermit, San Fernando, La Union.
4. Saint William's Parish, Passi City, Iloilo, Philippines.
5. The Parish of Saint William in the Philippine Independent Church Diocese of Laoag.
6. San Guillermo Parish, Iponan, 9000 Cagayan de Oro City.
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