St. Norbert, Bishop, Man of Faith



St. Norbert was born in the area of Cleves to a noble family around the year 1080. He was converted from a worldly life and, embracing the religious state, was ordained to the priesthood in 1115. Undertaking the apostolic life, he accepted the duty of preaching, particularly throughout France and Germany. Gathering together some companions, he laid the foundations of the Premonstratensian Order, for which he also founded monasteries. Elected Archbishop of Madgeburg in 1126, he reformed the Christian life and spread the faith to nearby pagan nations. St. Norbert died in 1134.

Norbert established a clergy dedicated to the ideals of the Gospel and the apostolic Church. They were chaste and poor. They wore the clothing and the symbols of the new man; that is to say, they wore "the religious habit and exhibited the dignity proper to the priesthood." Norbert asked them "to live according to the norms of the Scriptures with Christ as their model.

Faith was the outstanding virtue of Norbert's life, as charity had been the hallmark of Bernard of Clairvaux. Affable and charming, amiable to one and all, he was at ease in the company of the humble and the great alike. Finally, he was a most eloquent preacher; after long meditation he would preach the word of God and with his fiery eloquence purged vices, refined virtues and filled souls of good will with the warmth of wisdom.

~ From The Life of Saint Norbert

Patronage: Bohemia; diocese of Magdeburg, Germany; peace

Comments

Blog Archive

Show more

Popular posts from this blog

The Spirituality and Miracles of St. Clare of Assisi

Saint Michael de Sanctis: Patron of Cancer Patients

Saint Gerard of Brogne: Patron of Abbots