Vicelinus (also ''Vicelin'', german: Vizelin; 1086 – December 12, 1154) was a German

bishop A bishop is an ordained clergy member who is entrusted with a position of authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance of dioceses. The role or office of bishop is c ...

Oldenburg in Holstein Oldenburg in Holstein () is a town at the southwestern shore of the Baltic Sea. The nearest city is Lübeck. The town belongs to the (historical) region of Holstein, today in the state Schleswig-Holstein of Germany. Oldenburg was the chief tow ...

who was considered the

apostle An apostle (), in its literal sense, is an emissary, from Ancient Greek ἀπόστολος (''apóstolos''), literally "one who is sent off", from the verb ἀποστέλλειν (''apostéllein''), "to send off". The purpose of such sending ...

Holstein Holstein (; nds, label=Northern Low Saxon, Holsteen; da, Holsten; Latin and historical en, Holsatia, italic=yes) is the region between the rivers Elbe and Eider. It is the southern half of Schleswig-Holstein, the northernmost state of German ...

. Also known as – Apostle of Obodriten, of the Wends, Vicelinus, Vincelin, Vizelin, Wissel, Witzel.

Life

Vicelinus was born in Hamelin around 1086.Mershman, Francis. "St. Vicelinus." The Catholic Encyclopedia. Vol. 15. New York: Robert Appleton Company, 1912. 29 Jan. 2014
/ref> Orphaned at an early age, he was raised by his uncle Ludolf, a priest in a neighboring village.
/ref> He left secretly for

Paderborn Paderborn (; Westphalian: ''Patterbuorn'', also ''Paterboärn'') is a city in eastern North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, capital of the Paderborn district. The name of the city derives from the river Pader and ''Born'', an old German term for t ...

, where he enjoyed the home and instructions of Hartmann, and soon surpassed his companions and assisted in the management of the cathedral school. Vicelinus was called to Bremen to act as teacher and principal of the school, and was offered a

canonry A canon (from the Latin , itself derived from the Greek , , "relating to a rule", "regular") is a member of certain bodies in subject to an ecclesiastical rule. Originally, a canon was a cleric living with others in a clergy house or, later, i ...

by Archbishop Frederick of the Archbishopric of Hamburg-Bremen. In 1122 he may have gone to

Laon Laon () is a city in the Aisne department in Hauts-de-France in northern France. History Early history The holy district of Laon, which rises a hundred metres above the otherwise flat Picardy plain, has always held strategic importance. ...

to complete his studies under

Abelard Peter Abelard (; french: link=no, Pierre Abélard; la, Petrus Abaelardus or ''Abailardus''; 21 April 1142) was a Middle Ages, medieval French Scholasticism, scholastic philosopher, leading logician, theologian, poet, composer and musician. This ...

. In 1126, Vicelinus decided to travel to Madgeburg, in order to see

Norbert of Xanten Norbert of Xanten, O. Praem (c. 1075 – 6 June 1134) (Xanten-Magdeburg), also known as Norbert Gennep, was a bishop of the Catholic Church, founder of the Premonstratensian order of canons regular, and is venerated as a saint. Norbert was can ...

, who at that time was the archbishop. He hoped that Norbert would ordain him a priest and he could begin missionary work among the Slavs. For one reason or another this plan failed and so Vicelinus returned to Bremen, where Bishop Albero ordained him. Hamburg-Bremen's Archbishop Adalbero sent him among the

Polabian Slavs Polabian Slavs ( dsb, Połobske słowjany, pl, Słowianie połabscy, cz, Polabští slované) is a collective term applied to a number of Lechitic ( West Slavic) tribes who lived scattered along the Elbe river in what is today eastern Germ ...

, and in the fall of 1126

Henry Henry may refer to: People *Henry (given name) * Henry (surname) * Henry Lau, Canadian singer and musician who performs under the mononym Henry Royalty * Portuguese royalty ** King-Cardinal Henry, King of Portugal ** Henry, Count of Portugal, ...

, Prince of the

Obotrites The Obotrites ( la, Obotriti, Abodritorum, Abodritos…) or Obodrites, also spelled Abodrites (german: Abodriten), were a confederation of medieval West Slavic tribes within the territory of modern Mecklenburg and Holstein in northern Germany ...

, gave him a church in

Liubice Liubice, also known by the German name Alt-Lübeck ("Old Lübeck"), was a medieval West Slavic settlement near the site of modern Lübeck, Germany. Liubice was located at the confluence of the Schwartau with the Trave across from Teerhof Island, a ...

, near the site of the later

Lübeck Lübeck (; Low German also ), officially the Hanseatic City of Lübeck (german: Hansestadt Lübeck), is a city in Northern Germany. With around 217,000 inhabitants, Lübeck is the second-largest city on the German Baltic coast and in the state ...

. At the death of Henry (22 March 1127) Vicelinus returned to Bremen, and was appointed pastor at Wippenthorp. This gave him an opportunity to work among the

Wagrians The Wagri, Wagiri, or Wagrians were a tribe of Polabian Slavs inhabiting Wagria, or eastern Holstein in northern Germany, from the ninth to twelfth centuries. They were a constituent tribe of the Obodrite confederacy. In the Slavic uprisings of 9 ...

and neighbouring Obotrites. Vicelinus's preaching gathered crowds of eager listeners, and many priests aided him in founding the new monastery ( la, novum monasterium) in 1127, which became eponymous for Wippenthorp as

Neumünster Neumünster () is a city in the middle of Schleswig-Holstein, Germany. With more than 79,000 registered inhabitants, it is the fourth-largest municipality in Schleswig-Holstein (behind Kiel, Lübeck and Flensburg). History The city was fi ...

. This monastery of

Canons 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 ...

followed the Rule of St. Augustine, and was liberally endowed by the archbishop. Wars among the tribes in 1137 caused the missionaries to abandon their labours for two years. Vicelinus sent two priests to Liubice, but with little success. In 1134 he founded a second canonry at Segeberg. Some years later Vicelinus established a house at Hogersdorf. In

Harsefeld Harsefeld (in High German, in Low Saxon: Harsfeld; literally in ''horse field'') is a municipality situated south-west of Hamburg (Germany). Harsefeld has a population of c. 12,500 and belongs to the district of Stade, Lower Saxony. Harsefeld ...

Hamburg-Bremen's Archbishop Hartwig I made him Bishop of Starigard (or Aldinborg by the Saxons, today's Oldenburg) in 1149. There he did much for the spiritual and temporal welfare of his diocese. In 1152 he was struck by paralysis and lingered amid much suffering for two years before dying in Neumünster.Holweck, Frederick George. ''A Biographical Dictionary of the Saints''
B. Herder Book Company, 1924, p. 1011

Veneration

After in 1330 the Augustine canon-law college moved to Bordesholm his body was transferred there too in 1332, and buried before the main

altar An altar is a table or platform for the presentation of religious offerings, for sacrifices, or for other ritualistic purposes. Altars are found at shrines, temples, churches, and other places of worship. They are used particularly in paga ...

. In 1874 the small Catholic parish at Hamelin had his picture engraved on a new

bell A bell is a directly struck idiophone percussion instrument. Most bells have the shape of a hollow cup that when struck vibrates in a single strong strike tone, with its sides forming an efficient resonator. The strike may be made by an inte ...

. He is usually represented with a church resting on his left arm; his feast is celebrated on 12 December.

References

External links

* *
St Vicelinus
(with image) * http://www.santiebeati.it/dettaglio/81130 , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Vicelinus 1086 births 1154 deaths People from Hamelin German Roman Catholic saints 12th-century German Roman Catholic bishops 12th-century Christian saints Christians of the Wendish Crusade