Saint Bruno

Founder of the Carthusians (1033-1101)

His life

+ Bruno was born in Cologne, Germany. After receiving a superior education, he became a cathedral canon and was ordained a priest in 1055.

+ After being appointed a teacher of grammar and theology in Reims, he was eventually named chancellor of the diocese.

+ In 1084, Bruno renounced his office and, with six companions, traveled to the abbey of Molesmes. Seeking greater solitude, he and his companions received permission from the bishop Saint Hugh of Grenoble to settle in the valley of Le Grand Chartreuse. In 1085, they built a chapel and some small cells for the monks to live in. This marked the beginning of the Carthusian order.

+ Bruno and his first followers adopted a way of life that combined solitude and communal life, emphasizing the eremitic way of life of the first monks and nuns.

+ Bruno was called to serve as a papal consultor in Rome and was invited to become a bishop, but he declined.

+ Saint Bruno died in his foundation at La Torre in 1101. He was canonized in 1514 and his feast was extended to the Universal Church in 1623.

Worth knowing

The liqueur Chartreuse has been produced by the Carthusian monks since the early 1700s. The liqueur’s distinctive green color is also the basis for the color “green chartreuse.”

For reflection

“I consider everything as a loss because of the supreme good of knowing Jesus Christ.”—Philippians 3:8

Vocations

To learn more about the Charterhouse of the Transfiguration (in Arlington, Vermont), visit: www.transfiguration.charteux.org

Prayer

O God, who called Saint Bruno to serve you in solitude,
grant, through his intercession,
that amid the changes of this world
we may constantly look to you alone.
Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

(from The Roman Missal)

Saint profiles prepared by Brother Silas Henderson, S.D.S.