Saint Norbert of Xanten

Caught in a sudden lightning storm, Norbert of Xanten is thrown from his horse — the moment that broke his pride and began his conversion.

Medieval Christian scene of Saint Norbert of Xanten thrown from his horse during a lightning storm — the dramatic moment of divine intervention that shattered his pride and began his radical conversion; symbol of repentance, humility, and vocation.

Saint Norbert (c. 1080–1134) was born in Xanten, in the Rhineland, to a noble family. Groomed for courtly life and clerical rank, he was ordained a subdeacon and enjoyed high favor—until a lightning storm nearly killed him. Struck by grace, Norbert renounced worldly ambition and embraced a life of radical penance, barefoot preaching, and uncompromising reform.

But zeal has dangers. In his early austerity, Norbert drove three of his students to their deaths by overstrict discipline. That loss changed him. In time, silence, sorrow, and spiritual maturity tempered his fire with mercy.

Eventually appointed archbishop of Magdeburg, Norbert reformed lax clergy, defended the Real Presence with courage, and founded the Premonstratensians (Norbertines)—a canon order that remains active in liturgical and pastoral life today.

His feast is kept on 6 June in both the traditional and modern Roman calendars. Norbert is now invoked as a patron of peace, Eucharistic devotion, and true conversion.

Remembering Saint Norbert

View below our Tribute in Scripture and Prayer to Saint Norbert: