Today is the feast of St. Gilbert of Sempringham (1083 - 1189). He was discriminated against because he was not a "jock" -- those were the days of competitive chivalry, and Gilbert had neither the skill nor the inclination for jousting and (other) "manly" sports. So he was considered a weakling. But he outlived them all, surviving to just over 100 years.
He also bucked the trend by founding a religious order of women first (and originally women only, but he changed his mind and later established a male order as well). The Gilbertines, as they were called, were always primarily a women's order -- and a hard-working one at that: starting from nothing, they built 13 houses and enrolled 1500 nuns!
And he bucked the trend by supporting St. Thomas of Canterbury during his quarrel with the King (when most of the clergy were siding with the King). He did so even though he risked imprisonment and the formal suppression of his order.
His order was wonderful but died in the dissolution of the monasteries by Henry VIII many years later. His relics survived, since they had previously been taken to France, where they repose in Toulouse, where St. Thomas Aquinas is. I think they both are probably pleased: Gilbert was a very saintly, simple and humble man, though strong and wise, and the Great St. Thomas recognized and appreciated holiness with the awesome clarity of his mind and soul. St. Gilbert, pray for us.
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