St. Norbert

St. Norbert

Deus, qui beátum Norbértum Confessórem tuum atque Pontíficem verbi tui præcónem exímium effecísti, et per eum Ecclésiam tuam nova prole fecundásti: præsta, quǽsumus; ut, eiúsdem suffragántibus méritis, quod ore simul et ópere dócuit, te adiuvánte, exercére valeámus. Per Dóminum nostrum Iesum Christum, Fílium tuum: qui tecum vivit et regnat in unitáte Spíritus Sancti, Deus, per ómnia sǽcula sæculórum. R. Amen.

O God, Who made blessed Norbert, thy Confessor and Bishop, a brilliant preacher of thy word, and through him enriched thy Church with a new religious family, grant, we beseech thee, that by his prayerful intercession and thy help, we may be able to do what he has taught us by his words and deeds. Through Jesus Christ, thy Son our Lord, Who liveth and reigneth with thee, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God, world without end. R. Amen.

Norbert was born of most noble parents and, as a young man, studied the liberal arts. Then, while serving in the court of the Emperor himself, he spurned the seductions of the world and decided to enroll among the soldiers of the Church. After receiving holy orders he devoted himself entirely to preaching the word of God. He brought back innumerable heretics to the faith, sinners to penance, quarrelers to peace and concord. He retired to a desert place called Premontre in the diocese of Laon; and there, with thirteen companions, he founded the Premonstratensian Order, which spread in a marvelous way. Against his will, he was made Archbishop of Magdeburg, and constantly defended ecclesiastical discipline and especially celibacy. At the Council of Reims, he was a strong champion of Innocent II; and going to Rome with other bishops, he put an end to the schism of Pier Leone. He fell asleep in the Lord at Magdeburg on the 6th day of June in the year of salvation 1134.