St. William of Vercelli, Abbot; Comm. the Octave of the Nativity of St John the Baptist: Missa “Os justi”
St. William was born in 1085 at Vercelli in the Piedmont region of Italy of noble and wealthy parents. When he was still very young, he determined to renounce the world and become a hermit.
He built his first hermit’s hut on Monte Solicoli, and then went to Monte Vergine. Many disciples came to him there, attracted by the sanctity of his life and many miracles he performed. Soon a community formed, of which he became the Abbot, and a church to Our Lady was built at the site. For this reason, the mountain became known as Monte Vergine [the Mount of the Virgin].
After a while, however, the monks began to complain that St. William’s rule was too strict and life too austere. He therefore decided to leave Monte Vergine…
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