Hermann Joseph, (c. 11507 April 1241) was a German
Premonstratensian
The Order of Canons Regular of Prémontré (), also known as the Premonstratensians, the Norbertines and, in Britain and Ireland, as the White Canons (from the colour of their habit), is a religious order of canons regular of the Catholic Church ...
canon regular
Canons regular are priests who live in community under a rule ( and canon in greek) and are generally organised into religious orders, differing from both secular canons and other forms of religious life, such as clerics regular, designated by a ...
and
mystic. Never formally
canonized, in 1958 his status as a saint of the
Roman Catholic Church
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...
was formally recognized by
Pope Pius XII
Pope Pius XII ( it, Pio XII), born Eugenio Maria Giuseppe Giovanni Pacelli (; 2 March 18769 October 1958), was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 2 March 1939 until his death in October 1958. Before his e ...
.
Life
Hermann was born in
Cologne
Cologne ( ; german: Köln ; ksh, Kölle ) is the largest city of the German western States of Germany, state of North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW) and the List of cities in Germany by population, fourth-most populous city of Germany with 1.1 m ...
, the son of Count Lothair of
Meer and his wife
Hildegund. His sister was
Hadewych of Meer
Hadewych, O.Praem., ( – 14 April, ) a.k.a. Hadewig or Hedwig, was abbess of the Premonstratensian monastery of Meer, (now part of Meerbusch) in modern North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany.
Life
Hadewych was the daughter of Count Lothair of Meer a ...
. Though of the nobility, the family was not overly wealthy. According to the biography by Razo Bonvisinus, a contemporary and
prior
Prior (or prioress) is an ecclesiastical title for a superior in some religious orders. The word is derived from the Latin for "earlier" or "first". Its earlier generic usage referred to any monastic superior. In abbeys, a prior would be l ...
of
Steinfeld Abbey
Steinfeld Abbey (''Kloster Steinfeld'') is a former Premonstratensian monastery, now a Salvatorian convent, with an important basilica, in Steinfeld in Kall, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany.
History
The origins of the site go back to about 920. ...
, at the age of seven Hermann attended school and very early was known for devotion to the
Blessed Virgin
Mary; arc, ܡܪܝܡ, translit=Mariam; ar, مريم, translit=Maryam; grc, Μαρία, translit=María; la, Maria; cop, Ⲙⲁⲣⲓⲁ, translit=Maria was a first-century Jewish woman of Nazareth, the wife of Joseph and the mother of ...
. At every available moment he could be found at the church of
St. Maria im Kapitol
St. Maria im Kapitol (St. Mary's in the Capitol) is an 11th-century Romanesque architecture, Romanesque church located in the Kapitol-Viertel in the old town of Cologne, Germany. The name “im Kapitol“ refers to the Roman temple for the Capi ...
, where he would kneel rapt in prayer to Mary. Bonvisinus claims that the boy once presented an apple, saved from his own lunch, to a statue of Jesus, who accepted it.
[ According to still another legend, on another occasion, when on a cold day he made his appearance with bare feet, Mary procured him the means of getting shoes. ][Mershman, Francis. "Bl. Hermann Joseph." The Catholic Encyclopedia]
Vol. 7. New York: Robert Appleton Company, 1910. 22 October 2021
At the age of twelve he entered the abbey
An abbey is a type of monastery used by members of a religious order under the governance of an abbot or abbess. Abbeys provide a complex of buildings and land for religious activities, work, and housing of Christian monks and nuns.
The conce ...
of the Premonstratensian (more commonly known as Norbertine
The Order of Canons Regular of Prémontré (), also known as the Premonstratensians, the Norbertines and, in Britain and Ireland, as the White Canons (from the colour of their habit), is a religious order of canons regular of the Catholic Church ...
) Canons Regular at Steinfeld. As he was too young to be accepted into the Order, he was sent to study, probably at Mariengaarde at Hallum
Hallum is a village in the province of Friesland, the Netherlands. It is a village in the municipality of Noardeast-Fryslân and it had a population of around 2,746 in January 2017. The primary language spoken is West Frisian. Before 2019, the vil ...
in Friesland.["Herman Josef of Steinfeld", Salvatorian Monastery Steinfeld]
/ref> Upon his return, he made his vows
A vow ( Lat. ''votum'', vow, promise; see vote) is a promise or oath.
A vow is used as a promise, a promise solemn rather than casual.
Marriage vows
Marriage vows are binding promises each partner in a couple makes to the other during a weddi ...
and was given the habit
A habit (or wont as a humorous and formal term) is a routine of behavior that is repeated regularly and tends to occur subconsciously. and the additional name "Joseph". As a novice
A novice is a person who has entered a religious order and is under probation, before taking vows. A ''novice'' can also refer to a person (or animal e.g. racehorse) who is entering a profession
A profession is a field of work that has ...
, he was entrusted initially with the service of the refectory and later of the sacristy
A sacristy, also known as a vestry or preparation room, is a room in Christian churches for the keeping of vestments (such as the alb and chasuble) and other church furnishings, sacred vessels, and parish records.
The sacristy is usually located ...
.[
After his ]ordination
Ordination is the process by which individuals are Consecration, consecrated, that is, set apart and elevated from the laity class to the clergy, who are thus then authorization, authorized (usually by the religious denomination, denominational ...
, Hermann was sometimes sent out to perform pastoral duties and was also in frequent demand for the making and repairing of clocks. He was also active in pastoral care outside the monastery, especially in women's monasteries in the Eifel region.[Huber, Augustinus Kurt, "Hermann Joseph von Steinfeld" in: Neue Deutsche Biographie 8 (1969)]
/ref> Herman was characterized by his child-like devotion to Mary. Late in his life, he had under his charge the spiritual welfare of the Cistercian nuns at , near Zülpich
Zülpich ( ksh, Zöllech) is a town in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany between Aachen and Bonn. It belongs to the district of Euskirchen.
History
The town is commonly agreed to be the site with the Latin name of ''Tolbiacum'', famous for the ...
, whom he served as chaplain
A chaplain is, traditionally, a cleric (such as a Minister (Christianity), minister, priest, pastor, rabbi, purohit, or imam), or a laity, lay representative of a religious tradition, attached to a secularity, secular institution (such as a hosp ...
. There he died and was buried in their cloister
A cloister (from Latin ''claustrum'', "enclosure") is a covered walk, open gallery, or open arcade running along the walls of buildings and forming a quadrangle or garth. The attachment of a cloister to a cathedral or church, commonly against a ...
.[
]
Works
His works include: "A Commentary on the Canticle of Canticles", which is lost; "Opuscula" (new edition, Namur, 1899), including: "Duodecim gratiarum actiones"; "Jubilus seu Hymnus de SS. undecim millibus Virginibus"; "Oratio ad Dominum nostrum Jesum Christum", taken to a great extent from the Canticle of Canticles; "Alia Oratio"; "Precula de quinque Gaudiis B. Mariae V." It is not quite certain whether the last three are the works of Hermann, though they are generally ascribed to him. He possibly created the oldest hymn to the Sacred Heart of Jesus (“Summi regis cor aveto”).[
]
Veneration
Reports of miracles that are said to have happened immediately after his death testify to the veneration of the saint in the late Middle Ages. The miracle stories show well-known hagiographic patterns. Miraculous healings deal with the blind or almost blind, paralyzed and possessed, but also with everyday complaints such as toothache, sore throat, headache, etc.[
His body was later transferred back to Steinfeld, where his marble tomb and large picture may be seen to the present day. By custom apples are left at his tomb, in reference to a legend that Hermann once offered an apple to the Christ Child in the arms of the Madonna in the church of St. Maria im Kapitol at Cologne - who took it.][ Portions of his relics are at Cologne and at Antwerp. His grave in Steinfeld became a pilgrimage destination. In the Middle Ages especially by mothers, in modern times by children and pupils.][ The Hermann Josef Festival is held at Steinfeld on the sixth Sunday after Easter.][Döring, Alois, Hermann Josef, in: Internetportal Rheinische Geschichte]
/ref>
The process of his canonization was begun in 1626, at the request of Archbishop Ferdinand of Cologne and the Emperor Ferdinand II
Ferdinand II (9 July 1578 – 15 February 1637) was Holy Roman Emperor, King of Bohemia, Hungary, and Croatia from 1619 until his death in 1637. He was the son of Archduke Charles II of Inner Austria and Maria of Bavaria. His parents were dev ...
, but was interrupted. His feast, however, continued to be celebrated on 4 April, by the members of his Order and the name of Hermann was listed in the Premonstratensian supplement to the ''Roman Martyrology
The ''Roman Martyrology'' ( la, Martyrologium Romanum) is the official martyrology of the Catholic Church. Its use is obligatory in matters regarding the Roman Rite liturgy, but dioceses, countries and religious institutes may add duly approved ...
''. They also celebrate the translation
Translation is the communication of the Meaning (linguistic), meaning of a #Source and target languages, source-language text by means of an Dynamic and formal equivalence, equivalent #Source and target languages, target-language text. The ...
of his relics on 24 May. Pope Benedict XIII consecrated an altar in honor of the Blessed Hermann Joseph in the Roman College of the Norbertines in 1728.
His status as a saint
In religious belief, a saint is a person who is recognized as having an exceptional degree of Q-D-Š, holiness, likeness, or closeness to God. However, the use of the term ''saint'' depends on the context and Christian denomination, denominat ...
was confirmed by Pope
The pope ( la, papa, from el, πάππας, translit=pappas, 'father'), also known as supreme pontiff ( or ), Roman pontiff () or sovereign pontiff, is the bishop of Rome (or historically the patriarch of Rome), head of the worldwide Cathol ...
Pius XII
Pius ( , ) Latin for "pious", is a masculine given name. Its feminine form is Pia.
It may refer to:
People Popes
* Pope Pius (disambiguation)
* Antipope Pius XIII (1918-2009), who led the breakaway True Catholic Church sect
Given name
* Pius B ...
in 1958. (The Salvatorian
The Society of the Divine Saviour ( la, Societas Divini Salvatoris), abbreviated SDS and also known as the Salvatorians, is a clerical religious congregation of Pontifical Right for men in the Roman Catholic Church. The members of the congrega ...
Fathers, who had come to occupy the abbey in Steinfeld in modern times, opted to perform this less costly and involved process—known as ''Confirmatio Cultus''—rather than to carry out a full canonization process.) His current feast day on the calendar of the diocese of Cologne is 21 May. (His mother and sister are listed among the "Blessed".)
Iconography
Hermann Josef is depicted as a religious with Mary and the baby Jesus, often offering an apple; his attributes are a chalice or three roses
Patronage
Hermann Joseph is the patron of watchmakers, and of children and young people."Hermann-Joseph von Steinfeld", Bonner Münster
/ref> As a former sexton, he was held up as a model for sextons, acolytes, and altar servers.
Hermann Josef received calls from expectant women who asked for a good delivery. The patronage of expectant mothers ("patronus puerperarum") has been handed down since the 17th century in the use of "touch relics", such as needles, brooches and clasps left on the reliquary and retrieved to fastened to their hairstyle or clothes in the hope of a happy pregnancy through the intercession of the saint.[
]
References
External links
* http://www.santiebeati.it/dettaglio/48750
{{DEFAULTSORT:Joseph, Hermann
1150s births
1241 deaths
Year of birth uncertain
12th-century Christian mystics
13th-century Christian mystics
German Christian mystics
German Roman Catholic saints
Premonstratensians
Rhineland mystics
Roman Catholic mystics