God has blessed the Catholic Church with holy saints throughout her 2,000 year history.  The list of saints runs back to the Apostles; it contains heroes, legends (in the epic sense, not the fictional sense), clergy, religious, married, and lay.  The litany also includes the humble souls that very few would know. 

For those among us that grew up in the 1980s and 1990s, the entire world knew of Pope John Paul II and Mother Teresa.  In 100 years, will anyone know of Mother Teresa beyond a parish or school named after her?  Will she be just one saint among the myriad of great saints?  Will humanity know her name in 1,000 years?  I do not mean it as a disrespectful question at all.  We humans are eternal in soul and temporal in body.  

St. Hugh the Great (1024-1109) came to that very fate.  In his day, he was widely respected for his holiness and his ability as an abbot.  As the centuries turned by, however, Hugh’s name slipped from common knowledge.  He even takes a back seat on an internet search to other contemporaries that shared his name: Hugh the Great, Duke of the Franks; St. Hugh of St. Victor; and St. Hugh of Lincoln.   

The Reform at Cluny

In 910, the Benedictine abbey at Cluny sought to reform its religious life.  Thanks to a generous gift from Duke William I of Aquitaine, the monastery had a unique feature: independence from civic and religious authority, save the pope.  The order grew exponentially in size and influence in the next two centuries.  During the abbatial reign of St. Peter the Venerable (1122-1156), Cluny “was second only to Rome as the chief centre of the Christian world. It became a home of learning and a training school for popes” ("Congregation of Cluny," The Catholic Encyclopedia).  Four monks from Cluny were elected pope: Gregory VII (reign from 1073-1085), Urban II (1088-1099), Paschal II (1099-1118), and Urban V (1362-1370).  Putting those dates together, three out of four consecutive popes were chosen from Cluny’s cloister.  

By the 1200s, over 300 monasteries were directly affiliated with Cluny.  They spread throughout France, Italy, the Holy Roman Empire, England, Scotland, and Poland. The reasons for its growth were not gifts of land or wealthy donors (although those help a lot).  Men saw the holiness of the Cluniac monks and wanted to be part of the movement.  

St. Hugh

St. Hugh was one of those men.  His father, Dalmatius, was a high-ranking count in Burgundy (a region of central France).  The life of a knight did not fit him, despite his father’s insistence.  In the end, the young Hugh’s holiness and his mother’s advocacy convinced Dalmatius to send Hugh to study for the priesthood.  He first received tutoring from his uncle—another Hugh—and entered the novitiate at Cluny Abbey at the age of 14.  Things went quickly from there.  He was ordained a priest at the age of 20 and was named prior soon after.  Five years later, the monastic community elected Hugh as their abbot.  The combination of his holiness, embracing of the Benedictine life, and talent for organization were too much to pass up. 

Abbot Hugh then became well-known outside of his Abbey.  He campaigned at the Council of Reims (1049) to end abuses in the Church.  So moving was his testimony that the pope brought Hugh back to Rome as an advisor.  That began a trend of popes, kings, bishops, and saints who sought out Hugh’s advice and support.  He was held in such high esteem that dignitaries went to him at Cluny. 

Hugh was a great champion against abuses in the Church at the time: lay investiture divided kings and popes.  Hugh fought not only to hold up the rights of the Church to appoint her own bishops, but also sought to reconcile monarchs to the Church.  When it came to fighting against abuses, Hugh had the great resource of the network of Cluniac monasteries.  Hugh also helped preach the First Crusade.  

After decades of serving as a consultant, mediator, and champion for the Church, Hugh died in 1109.  Miracles began to be reported from his tomb.  He was canonized a saint in 1120. 

Where Did It Come From?

Where did Hugh’s success come from?  By the world’s standards at the time, he was wildly successful.  A high-ranking office, in charge of hundreds of monks, and an advisor to royalty, Church councils, and to popes!  Had he settled into his earthly status Hugh likely would not have become a saint.  While Hugh had different life duties than the vast majority of us today, we can draw many lessons from the life of this medieval dynamo.

First, the grace of God enhanced the gifts he already had.  This is something that the modern man and woman often forgets: when we immerse ourselves in God, we become better versions of ourselves.  Regardless of our state in life, God asks us the very same thing He asked Hugh—open wide your hearts to Christ!  

Second, Hugh humbly did his duty.  Sometimes that meant accompanying the pope to some very important meetings.  In his downtime, however, Hugh did not remain on the Amalfi coast to wait for the next letter from Rome.  He returned to Cluny to do his duty as an abbot.  At the hospital for lepers that he helped found, Hugh performed menial tasks.  At the monastic school, he helped teach.  He was known for his beautiful liturgies as well as being steadfast in discipline and prayer.  All of that was made possible by the grace of God.  Hugh’s cultivation of humility is a high standard that is a great model for us.  

Third, Hugh held the world in its proper place of importance; that is, behind his Benedictine life of work, prayer, and study of the Scriptures.  He was well-placed to enjoy all the world had to offer.  And he was undoubtedly the envy of many men of his day!  Through it all, he chose humility.  He chose prayer.  He chose Christ. 

God gives us the grace to do the same!  St. Hugh, pray for us.