Tuesday, November 07, 2023

Memorial of Saints (November 7)

St. Engelbert was appointed archbishop of Cologne in 1217 A.D. He governed the diocese well, encouraged monastic life, and was very generous with the poor. Deeply involved in the politics of his time, he denounced his cousin Frederick (Count of Isenberg), for getting the property of the nuns which St. Engelbert administered. Frederick retaliated by killing his cousin, St. Engelbert (died ca. 1225 A.D.).

St. Ernest was abbot of the Benedictine abbey of Zwiefalten in Germany. He joined in one of the Crusades of the Church against the Moslems, and preached in Arabia and Persia. Captured by the Moors because of his zeal in preaching, he was tortured to death in Mecca (died ca. 1148 A.D.).

St. Herculanus was bishop of Perugia, Italy. When the pagan tribe of the Ostrogoths captured Perugia, St. Herculanus was beheaded by the leader of the Ostrogoths (died ca. 547 A.D.).

St. Florentius was an Irish priest who decided to live as a hermit at the foot of a mountain near Alsace, France. When he cured the blind and mute daughter of King Dagobert, the king helped Florentius found a monastery near Haslach. He eventually became bishop of Strasbourg and the founder of St. Thomas Monastery (died ca. 693 A.D.).

St. Willibrord was an Englishman sent with eleven companions to the missions in Friesland, northern Europe. In 695 A.D., he was made bishop of the Frisians with his diocese established at Utrecht (now in the Netherlands). Willibrord extended his missionary activities to Upper Friesland and to Denmark. This made him known as "the Apostle of the Frisians" (died ca. 739 A.D.).

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