St. Norbert
St. Norbert was born at Xanten in the Rhineland, about the year 1080. The early part of his life was devoted to the world and its pleasures. He entered upon the ecclesiastical state in a worldly spirit.
The thunderstorm had boiled up suddenly as Norbert was out riding. Norbert, who had always chosen the easy way, would never have deliberately gone on a journey that promised danger, risk, or discomfort. He had moved easily from the comforts of the noble family he was born into at about 1080 to the pleasure-loving German court. He had no hesitations about joining in any opportunity to enjoy himself, no matter what the source of that pleasure. To ensure his success at court, he also had no qualms about accepting holy orders as a canon and whatever financial benefices that came with that position, although he did hesitate at becoming a priest and the implied responsibilities that came with that vocation.
But now high winds pushed and pulled at his fashionable coif, rain slashed at his fancy clothes, and dark roiling clouds pressed night down upon his light thoughts. A sudden flash of lightning split the dark and his horse bucked, throwing Norbert to the ground.
For almost an hour, the still form of the courtier lay unmoving. Even the rain soaking his clothes and the howl of thunder did not bring him back to consciousness and life. When he awoke his first words were, "Lord, what do you want me to do?" -- the same words Saul spoke on the road to Damascus. In response Norbert heard in his heart, "Turn from evil and do good. Seek peace and pursue it."
He immediately returned to the place of his birth, Xanten, to devote himself to prayer and penance. He now embraced the instruction for the priesthood he had avoided and was ordained in 1115. His complete conversion and new ways caused some to denounce the former courtier as a hypocrite. Norbert's response was to give everything he owned to the poor and to go to the pope for permission to preach.
With this commission in hand, he became an itinerant preacher, traveling through Europe with his two companions. In an extreme response to his old ways, he now chose the most difficult ways to travel -- walking barefoot in the middle of winter through snow and ice. Unfortunately the two companions who followed him died from the ill-effects of exposure. But Norbert was gaining the respect of those sincere clerics who had despised him before. The bishop of Laon wanted Norbert to help reform the canons in his see, but the canons wanted nothing to do with Norbert's type of reform which they saw as far too strict. The bishop, not wanting to lose this holy man, offered Norbert land where he could start his own community. In a lonely valley called Prmontr, began his community with thirteen canons. Despite the strictness of his regulation, or perhaps because it, his reforms attracted many disciples until eight abbeys and two convents were involved. Even the canons who had originally rejected him asked to be part of the reform.
In Norbert's community we have the first evidence of lay affiliation with a religious order. This came about when a count Theobald wanted to join Norbert. Norbert realized that Theobald was not called to holy orders but to marriage and worldly duties. But he did not entirely reject Theobald, giving him a rule and devotions as well as a scapular to wear to identify him as part of the community.
It was on the trip accompanying Theobald to his marriage, that Norbert was spotted by Emperor Lothair and chosen as bishop of Magdebourg. Legend has it the porter refused to let Norbert into his new residence, assuming he was a beggar. When the crowd pointed out to the flustered porter that this was the new bishop Norbert told the porter, "You were right the first time." Norbert carried the love of reform that he had found in his own life to his new diocese. As usual, this made him many enemies and he was almost assassinated. Disgusted with the citizens desire to keep to their old ways, he left the city, but was soon called back -- not because the citizens missed him but because the emperor and the pope pressured them.
When two rival popes were elected after the death of Honorius II, Norbert helped try to heal the Church by getting his admirer the emperor to support the first elected, Innocent II. At the end of his life he was made an archbishop but he died soon after on June 6, 1134 at the age of 53.
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St. Norbert of Xanten, Please remember me in your prayers.
Dear Saint,
Kindly inspire the Pope,Cardinals, Bishops and priests to defend the Eucharist and preach the Gospel in Truth and Faith. Enlighten them to fight the modern heresy of homosexuality, false secularism and the like and to spread the Truth taught by Our Lord Jesus Christ. Empower them to fight the evils of this modern world with the power of Christ. Instill in them the power of Charity with which to reform the Church and the world. Encourage the laity throughout the world to understand their mission to preach the Gospel and bear witness to Christ, God the Son. Help me to feel the presence of God's Love in my soul and turn away from my evil ways and to be born new to bear witness to Christ. Amen.
so great, i love this
How do you become saint
As a Tertiary brother of the Order, I congratulate you on the excellent biography. For Mr. Norbert Torney - If you are born in Xanten, you can see the actual cell of St. Norbert when he was a subdeacon at St. Viktors - it is still preserved. Walk into the church grounds, you will 'go under' a sort of tunnel made by buildings. On your right in the tunnel is his very simple (to this day even) cell. For all others, Norbert's order grew very rich, and now his place at Premontre is a French State Hospital...but outside the main gate, close to the town is his original chapel, in ruins, open to the public...entirely forgotten. It was in this simple place that Mary appeared to him and his original founders, not in the later great abbey/hospital. Finally - I give my meager encouragement to all who chose the way of Jesus, which is the way of simplicity. God Bless you all! Frater Alcuin, Sayn Abbey, Rheinland Pfalz, Germany
this is gonna help me finish my essay
I need some help I will like to purchase St. Norbert, Could you please provide me where kind I find him.
My name is Norbert, so I needed to know more about my patron saint, and this article is a great help in that respect.
Dear my family, i always search about the saints to know the history of the Church and my teacher gives the homework the lessons to write about the church.i am a seminarian fro MYanmar.this website to study for my priesthood's life.
This article was well written. I was able to understand it easily. The information was complete enough, and told story-wise competently and in cronological order as far as I know. I appreciate both this saint and the manner in which it was written. It is too bad that most others, in my view, fail to capture the saints comprehensively in such a short bio. I thank you and this author. This saint is very important to me as a result.
Last year I went on my first retreat and stayed in a room dedicated to Saint Norbert. I just happened to look at my local parish calander and noticed today was a memorial to him. Hmmm it makes me wonder
God's speed to all next of kinnies! You little sweet godlings.
The spirit of penance and self denial chosen by saint Norbert and so many others in the history of our church seems to have been ignored by the church in these times but it will be necessary to regain this spirit if renewal is to come as it did with Saint Norberts influence.
This is my birthday...I was hoping for a girl saint!
very informative as I grew up near the town of Xanten appr. 20kpm away and new nothing about St. Norbert
THANK YOU LORD JESUS FOR UNENDING LOVE AND I PAY TODAY THAT SAINT NORBERT MIGHT PRAY FOR ME TO LORD OUR GOD THAT I MAY LISTEN TO HIS VOICE AND JOIN THE JESUITS PRIESTHOOD, AMEN.
no one knows why they kept this name for me. when i find st.norbert then i got my anwser wanted to be like him.