Life of St. Norbert

Norbert was born of noble parents around the year 1080 in Xanten (northern Rhineland). Already as a small child he was presented to the Cathedral Chapter of St. Victor in Xanten where he was later ordained subdeacon. Emperor Henry V soon took note of Norbert's gifts and charm and called him into his personal service at the imperial court. There Norbert led a worldly lifestyle. In the year 1115, Norbert was thrown from his horse and nearly killed in a thunderstorm. He interpreted this as an invitation to repent and immediately began to lead the life of a penitent, barefoot and dressed in sheepskin. Ordained to the diaconate and priesthood on one and the same day by Archbishop Frederick of Cologne, he wandered about the countryside, preaching the word of God and railing against the abuses of the clergy. Criticized and persecuted by members of the hierarchy, Norbert sought and obtained approval for his preaching from Pope Gelasius II and later, Pope Calixtus II. But Callixtus also encouraged him to settle and found a community in the diocese of Laon in northern France. There, in the desolate valley wilderness of Prémontré, Norbert laid the foundations for his religious Order. He chose the rule of St. Augustine as the guidling light for the new community, becoming one of the most avid Augustinian reformers of the day. The community was marked by its austerity of life, its poverty, its intense liturgical life of prayer and, above all, its complete fidelity to the ideal of community life as depicted in the Augustinian rule. In the meantime, Norbert continued to preach and attracted many men and women to the lifestyle of his new Order. On July 25, 1126, Norbert was ordained archbishop of Magdeburg and relinquished the leadership of his Order to begin the work of shepherding the vast diocesse on the northeastern frontier of the German Empire. During his years as archbishop Norbert fought strenuously for the freedom of the church against secular princes and proved himself an ardent champion of the cause of the Roman Pontiff. He was instrumental in the downfall of the anti-pope Anacletus II and the return of Pope Innocent II to his throne. Weakened by his travels and labors, and probably by malaria contracted at Rome, Norbert returned to Magdeburg where he died on June 6, 1134. He is pictured with the double runged staff and pallium of an archbishop and with a chalice which recalls his Eucharist-centered spirituality.

Lord God, through his preaching, his founding of our Order, and his work as archbishop of Magdeburg, St. Norbert became a man after your own heart. Help us, his followers, to be faithful to the way of life he taught us and, like him, to preach to good news with zeal to all the world. We ask this through Christ our Lord, AMEN.

This is the earliest depiction we have of Norbert calling him a Saint. It is found in the abandoned abbey of Orvieto in north-central Italy.
Norbert receives the rule for his Order from St. Augustine.
Norbert receives the white habit of his order from the Blessed Virgin herself.
Norbert as apostle of the Holy Eucharist.
Norbert praying before the Holy Eucharist.
Norbert, patron of Bohemia and of the city of Prague.
A more modern depiction of St. Norbert.
Detail of Norbert from another painting showing the reception of the Premonstratensian habit from the Blessed Virgin.
Norbert adoring the Holy Eucharist.
A modern depiction: Norbert of the Young Churches.
The "slavic" Norbert -- original in St. Norbert Priory, Philadelphia, PA.
Norbert as young, energetic preacher.
St. Norbert.