THEODORIC, BISHOP OF METZ - 7 SEPTEMBER

 

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Saints celebrated on the 7th of September

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VENERABLE THEODORIC, BISHOP OF METZ

Venerable Theodoric I. (Deodericus), Bishop and Confessor, is remembered on September 7, and also on February 3, and July 18. The first Bishop of Metz of this name, Theodoric was formerly Archdeacon in Trier (Treves), and a Saxon by birth (ex pago Saxoniae Hamalant oriundus). He mounted the episcopal chair in 961 and governed his diocese with great prudence and piety for 20 years. The reform of the monasteries was one particular task he dedicated himself to, and he also played a very significant role in the political history of his time. (cf. Pertz, mon. scr. IV. 461-483.) He is described in the chronicles as a nephew of Emperor Otto I and also accompanied him to Italy in 970, from where he brought many relics for his episcopal church, including those of Saint Vincent, and of Saint Protus and Saint Hyacinth. Venerable Theodoric founded the monastery of Saint Vincent in Metz. He went to his eternal reward on September 7, 984. 

Some writers, among them Blessed Canisius* in his German Martyrology, list him as "Saint Theodoric", other hagiographers call him "blessed," but the Bollandists* mention him among their Praetermissi.

His legend recounts that one day his holy guardian angel showed him the names of all his ancestors and finally his own. To his astonishment, some were written in gold, others in silver, and still others in colored letters, according to the magnitude of their merits. His name was inscribed in silver, whereupon he promised to work diligently until it could be written in gold. When he died, he saw the book again and, in amazement, praised divine grace when he now beheld his name in golden letters.

(Information from Stadler's Complete Encyclopedia of Saints, Volume 5, Augsburg, 1882)

*A hagiography source used by the authors 

Stadler's Complete Encyclopedia of Saints - Sources and Abbreviations

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