SAINTS IN SUMMER SERIES: SAINT Norbert

Yesterday, June 6th, we celebrated the feast day of Saint Norbert. Saint Norbert was born in 1080 in Germany. He spent his early life indulging in worldly pleasures. One day, as he was riding a horse during a thunderstorm, lightning struck and he was thrown to the ground and went unconscious for almost an hour. When he woke up, he asked, "Lord, what do you want me to do?", and he heard, "Turn from evil and do good. Seek peace and pursue it." At this moment, he knew he had to turn towards the Lord and converted. He was ordained a priest in 1115. After becoming a priest, he formed a community in the city of Loan and started an order called Premonstratensians, or Norbertines. He was later nominated to be the Archbishop of Madgeburg. He died in 1134 and was canonized by Pope Gregory XIII in 1582.