St. Hugh was born at Dauphine in France. He grew up to be tall and handsome, gentle and polite. Although he always wanted to live for God as a monk, he was given important positions instead. He was ordained a priest and then a bishop.

As bishop, Hugh began at once to correct the sinful ways of some people in his district. He made wise plans, and to draw God’s mercy upon his people, St. Hugh prayed with his whole heart. He did hard penances and in a short time, many became very good and holy.

Only some rich folks continued to fight against the rules he had made and he felt sad. Bishop Hugh still thought about becoming a monk as that was what he truly wanted. He resigned as bishop of Grenoble and entered a monastery. At last, he was at peace.

Yet it was not God’s will for Hugh to be a monk. After one year, the pope commanded Hugh to return to Grenoble and he obeyed. He knew it was more important to please God than to please himself.

For forty years, the bishop was sick nearly all the time. He had bad headaches and stomach problems. But he forced himself to keep working. He loved his people and there was so much to do for them. He was also often put to the test and faced temptations. But he prayed asking God to give him strength and he never gave in to sin.

He was a generous and saintly bishop for fifty-two years and was also the uncle of St. Hugh of Bonnevaux. St. Hugh died on April 1, 1132, two months before his eightieth birthday.

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