ST. WILLIAM History

PARISH HISTORY

St. William

St. William of Vercelli was born in 1085. He was born to wealthy parents. When he was young, he was determined to renounce the world and become a hermit. Many people were attracted by the way he lived and the many miracles he performed. Eventually a community formed. St. William had become an Abbot and a church was built at the site where he had built his first hermit hut. Monks in his community began to complain how strict his ruling was. St. William left the community and went to Southern Italy and founded a new hermitage on Monte Laceno. He also founded hermitages at Basilicata, Conza, Guglietto, and Salerno. St. William was an adviser to King Roger I of Naples. St. William died at Guglietto on June 25,1142. The feast day of St. William is June 25th.

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The Miracle of the Wolf

According to all the sources, including the earliest source – “Legenda de vita et obitu sancti Guilielmi Confessoris et heremitae”, all of which close to Catholicism, he performed many miracles. The best-known miracle was (1591), and still is, the “Miracle of the Wolf”. Because of this, he is often depicted in company with a “domesticated” wolf, even in the monastery of Montevergine.[7] One day a wolf hunted and killed a donkey the saint used for towing and other tasks. The saint then turned to the wolf and ordered the beast to offer himself to all the previous donkey’s tasks. The wild beast reportedly became tame and the people who met the saint were astonished to see such a docile wolf.    Catholic Online