Santa Prassede

Probably in his heart of hearts, he was pleased that his nephew had chosen the better part, though for family reasons he had urged him to adopt a different course.

Charles was almost immediately created cardinal priest and took the title church of Santa Prassede.

On September 14th, 1563, he wrote the following letter to his sister, Sister Corinna.

I celebrated my first Mass on the Feast of the Glorious Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary at St. Peter's on the altar of the Confession, under which are buried the holy apostles, Saints Peter and Paul.

Muratori also tells us that from December twenty-fifth, fifteen seventy-four until May fifteen seventy-five, the Confraternita dei Pellegrini gave food and shelter to ninety-six thousand eight hundred and forty-eight pilgrims.

Charles gave twenty-five crowns a month to this confraternity.

He also entertained in the palace he had built close to his cardinal church of Santa Prassede, a crowd of Milanese.

They flocked there in such numbers that Gregory XIII, when giving a private audience to a nobleman of Milan, Count Louis Scallerati, inquired curiously, "How is it that more pilgrims have arrived today from Milan than from anywhere else?" "Holy Father, it is because my fellow citizens are deeply touched and impressed by their pastor's example." The Sovereign Pontiff lifted his hands and eyes to heaven, exclaiming, "Where can we find those who will vie with him in sanctity?" Another contemporary chronicler writes, "The officials of the Confraternita dei Pellegrini, in the fervor of their charity, promised His Holiness that they would lodge and feed six hundred pilgrims every day.