Saint Nobert

St. Norbert was related to the German imperial house and was made a Canon at Xanten Rhineland in Germany, his birthplace. He nevertheless led a worldly life as an almoner at the court of Emperor Henry V until, in 1115, he narrowly escaped death by lightning that had thrown him off his frightened horse. An utterly changed man, he thenceforth led a life of severe penance, received Holy Orders, and attempted to reform the Chapter at Xanten. But meeting with persecution and ridicule, he renounced his canonry, gave all his possessions to the poor, and wandered barefoot and penniless to St. Gilles in France. After a long meditation, he would preach the Word of God, and with his fiery eloquence, he purged vices, refined virtues, and filled souls of goodwill with the warmth of wisdom. 

In 1121, at the request of Pope Callixtus II and Bartholomew, the Bishop of Laon, Norbert founded, with 13 companions, the Religious Order of Canons Regular of Strict Observance at Premontre under the reformed rule of St. Augustine for parochial, educational, and missionary work. It grew with marvelous rapidity: 10 houses were founded within the first five years, and ten years later, there were around 1,000 priests and lay brothers. St. Norbert is known as the Apostle of Antwerp for having, through his zealous preaching, caused the people of the Low Counties to abandon the Sacramentarian heresy, i.e., the denial of the real presence of Jesus in the Holy Eucharist. Under pressure from the Papal legate and King Lothair, he reluctantly assumed the role of archbishop of Magdeburg. In this position, he employed both forceful measures and persuasive tactics to bring about significant reforms, addressing the immoral conduct of the clergy and tackling various secular wrongdoings. Despite facing three assassination attempts, he managed to make substantial improvements.

As chancellor and adviser to the King, he accompanied the latter's army to Rome to aid the cause of the rightful Pope, Innocent II, against the pretensions of the anti-pope Pietro di Leoni. Soon after his return to the north, Norbert fell critically ill and died on 6 June 1134, and his shrine at Magdeburg became famous for miracles. Norbert was canonized by Pope Gregory XIII in 1852. His body was translated to Prague in 1627, on which occasion some 600 Protestants of the latter city became reconciled to the Church. As a result, he was proclaimed Patron and Protector of Bohemia (Czechoslovakia). 

St. Nobert, pray for us to be blessed with shepherds who possess hearts attuned to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, guiding us along the paths of salvation.

Jonathan Fabian Ginunggil,

Most High Servant,

Jesus, Mary, Joseph Ministry of Love (Blessed  and Saints and the Nine Choirs of Angels)