Charles Borromeo was born of a noble family in Arona, Italy. He earned a doctorate in canon law at Pavia in 1559 and forthwith was created a cardinal by his uncle, who had just become Pope Pius IV. He was made archbishop of Milan and Papal Secretary of State, and worked strenuously for the conclusion of the Council of Trent between 1560 and 1564. After that, he became the embodiment of the spirit and ideals of the Counter-Reformation inaugurated by Trent.He was strict in his efforts to reform the morals of his archdiocese, but even more committed to his own spiritual life of sacrifice and prayer. He was canonized in 1610 by Pope Paul V. (MTR) Music from Soundcloud. Photo by Evi Radauscher on Unsplash
