Guido the Lombard, Bl.
GUIDO THE LOMBARD, BL.
Founder; b. probably Milan, Italy, c. 11th century. Two contradictory accounts of Guido's life exist, enabling the historian to affirm little but the fact of his existence and a connection with the humiliati, probably as their founder. The Humiliati, who came into prominence c. 1180, were associations of men and women working in the wool trades of the Lombard cities. They were dedicated to an evangelical life, and their status, at first lay, was later that of tertiary religious. One legendary account has it that Guido, c. 1134, received the rule of the order from the hands of bernard of clairvaux. The male branch was suppressed by pius v in 1571 for refusing to reform, but a few communities of women still exist in Italy. Besides being revered by these sisters as their founder, Guido is regarded as one of the glories of the Church of Milan.
Feast: Dec. 6.
Bibliography: j. e. stadler and f. j. heim, Vollständiges Heiligen-Lexikon, 5 v. (Augsburg 1858–82) 2:549. f. vernet, Dictionnaire de théologie catholique, ed. a. vacant et al., 15 v. (Paris 1903–50; Tables générales 1951–) 7.1:311–321.
[n. m. riehle]