Born in France in 1310, his baptismal name was Guillaume de Grimmoard and he was the second son of the Lord of Belgrade. 

He had a sister and two brothers, one of whom would become a Cardinal. After becoming a Benedictine monk he was ordained and entered the priesthood in 1334. 

Guillaume earned a Doctorate in law and was named Abbott ten years later He also served as a Papal diplomat and Bishop. 

In 1362, when Pope Innocent XI died, the College of Cardinals elected The brother of Pope Clement VI but he declined so they turned to Gilliam, in spite of the fact that he was not a Cardinal. 

Choosing the name Urban, he continued to follow his roots using The Rule of Saint Benedict and often wearing a monk’s hat. 

Noted for his faith, intelligence, virtue, and honesty, Urban was a great gift to the Church at a time when it was plagued by scandal and corruption. The fact that he lived in simplicity and modesty did not sit well with the clergy of his time, who had become used to comfort and privilege. 

Urban pressed for reform and restored many churches and monasteries. He brokered peace between the French and Italian kings, founded numerous universities, and oversaw the crusades. 

Urban came close but he was not able to achieve one of his biggest goals, the reunification of the eastern and western churches.

At the urging of Saint Catherine of Siena, he returned the Papacy to Rome, ending the Avignon exile of the popes which began in 1309. 

Shortly before he died, he asked to be moved from the Papal palace to the nearby home of was brother
so he could say goodbye to the ordinary people he’s so often helped. 

On this day and 1370, as he lay dying, he called to them asking them to surround his bed saying the people must see how a pulp dies. 

Blessed Urban the Fifth, please pray for us.