Saint of the Day: Blessed Herman the Cripple, Monk (1013 - 1054)

Blessed Herman the Cripple was an 11th-century Benedictine monk from southern Germany.

Born deformed with a cleft palate, cerebral palsy, and spina bifida, Herman was cared for from age 7 by the Benedictine monks of the Reichenau abbey of Germany. He was professed as a monk there at age 20. Although he was bedridden and a speech impediment made him nearly impossible to understand, Herman was a gifted mathematician and astronomer. He also built astonomical equipment and musical instruments and was the most famous religious poet of his day.

When he eventually became blind, Herman began writing hymns. His "Salve Regina," or "Hail Holy Queen," is the best known.

Blessed Herman died at the age of 40 of causes related to his afflictions in 1054. He was beatified in 1863.

Lesson:
Although Blessed Herman suffered much, he always smiled and was the joy of the monastery. He saw each trial as a deeper way to draw closer to God and nearer to His heavenly reward. Let us thank God for each trial He sends our way and view it as a means of purification, drawing us nearer to Him as we consecrate our hearts to His Holy Mother Mary, Our Life, Our Sweetness, and Our Hope.
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Comments

  1. Joyful Catholic5/28/09, 4:13 PM

    How interesting to learn of St. Herman. We went to Missouri, and stayed at Hermann last Saturday. A delightful town, and beautiful St. George Catholic Church. I have a dear friend with Spina Bifida so to find out about this Saint is wonderful! Please pray for Sarah, as she has suffered from severe headaches and has had to leave the convent where she was a postulant. She desires to be a religious. I'll pray to St. Herman for her. I felt so at home in Hermann,MO. Then today, another friend tells me a little about St. Herman so I got on line to read more about him. I find it so interesting how names and words and dates all seem to come together for me in books I read or people I talk to or something I hear on tv. How I'd love a change for our life, maybe St. Herman might see fit to pray for us, and who knows, maybe someone in Hermann needs whatever we might offer? The Shrine to Our Lady of Sorrows is near there, so I know Our Mother is "connecting the dots, so to speak!" :)

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