BL. MEGINHARD, ABBOT OF HERSFELD

BL. MEGINHARD, ABBOT OF HERSFELD - 26 SEPTEMBER

BLESSED MEGINHARD, ABBOT OF HERSFELD

Monastery yard in the snow

Blessed Meginhard (Meginhardus, Meginherus), commemorated on September 26, was a mid-eleventh century Abbot of Hersfeld (Herocampia) on the Fulda (Hersfeld is not to be confused with the Hirschfeld monastery). As such, he succeeded Abbot Rudolf in 1035, who had become Bishop of Paderborn as successor to Meinwerk. Meginhard rebuilt the monastery, which had been destroyed by fire in 1037, and transferred the relics of both Saint Wigbert and Saint Lullus to the newly built church. He is also famous for his strict discipline and his zeal for the sciences. The historian Lambert of Aschaffenburg (autor of De rebus gestis Germanorum etc.) entered the order when Meginhard was in charge. Blessed Meginhard is praised not only as a man of great virtues in Christ, but some writers go as far as calling him the only model of true monastic life of his time in the German lands.

This holy abbot's life was embittered by a long tithe dispute with Bishop Burchard of Halberstadt and his advisor, Archpriest Utho, which was not resolved even by the decision of Pope Nicholas II, which ruled in Meginhard's favour. Shortly before his death (September 26, 1059), Meginhard referred his bitter opponent to the judgment seat of God.

Mabillon* (p. VI. B. 136) and the Gallica Christiana* (p. 569) mention him with the title "blessed"; Butler* and Lechner* call him "godly," and Gelenus* "venerable". The Bollandists*, finally, list Meginhard among the Praetermissi. (VII 188 et 189).

(Information from Stadler's Complete Encyclopedia of Saints, Volume 4, Augsburg, 1875, p. 392)

*A hagiography source used by the authors

Stadler's Complete Encyclopedia of Saints - Sources and Abbreviations

PRAYER:

Grant, we beseech you, almighty God, that the venerable feast of Blessed Meginhard may increase our devotion and promote our salvation. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, for ever and ever. Amen.

Sources of these articles (in the original German): books.google.co.uk, de-academic.com, zeno.org, openlibrary.org

WELCOME

Please pick your saints: January - Saints by date 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 February - Saints by date 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 ...

ST JOHN BERCHMANS, RELIGIOUS - 13 AUGUST

ALL SAINTS CELEBRATED IN AUGUST Saints celebrated on the 13th of August WELCOME! SAINT JOHN BERCHMANS, RELIGIOUS (Patron Saint of Altar Servers.) The eldest boy of a poor cordwainer, in a small Belgian town, John was ever a dutiful, prayerful, and studious child. Our Lord called him when but young to leave his father and his father’s house, to serve Him in the Society of Jesus. And because he was so good a son, it cost his father much to give him up to God; but he was too good a Christian to refuse outright. HE WAS SENT TO ROME John had hardly taken his religious vows when he was sent to the centre of Christendom, the holy city of Rome. His modesty, his purity, shone out as great virtue always does; and the young laymen who attended the lectures would come to gaze upon his beautiful and holy face, and go away the better for the sight. GREAT VIRTUE Three short years, and his last sickness found him sighing for heaven, and three days before the great feast of Mar...

ST LAURA OF CORDOBA, WIDOW AND MARTYR - 19 OCTOBER

ALL SAINTS CELEBRATED IN OCTOBER Saints celebrated on the 19th of October WELCOME! SAINT LAURA OF CORDOBA, WIDOW AND MARTYR Laura, a widow and martyr of Cordoba in Spain, is mentioned in the Spanish martyrology of Tamajode Salazar, who refers to Luitprand, where it says the following: St Laura is said to have been of a noble family, and according to the wishes of her parents she married an equally noble man and gave birth to two daughters. After the death of her husband and her daughters, she went to the monastery of St Aurea, named St-Maria de Cuteclara, and after her martyrdom led the same for nine years as her successor. After she had made wonderful progress in all virtues, she was finally summoned to renounce the faith before a Saracen judge. But since she remained steadfast, she was first beaten very cruelly and then thrown into a bath of boiling pitch, where she remained in praise of God for three hours and then flew to heaven on October...

SAINT FEAST DAY FOR EVERY DAY OF THE YEAR

Search This Blog