Benedictine Oblate Journal by Henry

  Lex orandi, lex credendi, lex vivendi   As we pray, so we believe, so we live. What makes Henry a saint? A better question is WHO made Henry a saint.  Of course it is God who ultimately makes saints. And most saints in heaven are not widely known. However, God uses the Church to give us saints to imitate, be inspired by, and ask for intercession. Henry was declared a saint in 1146 by Pope Eugene III. He was added to the calendar in 1631 as a commemoration. He was given his own feast day in 1668 at which time it was moved from July 13 to July 15, the first open day. Currently, it is back to July 13. Through many centuries, the Church has seen it worthwhile to present Henry as an example to the faithful. Pope Eugene III was beatified in 1872 by Pope Pius IX.  That is who. The next question is WHY does the Church give us St. Henry? To answer that, let's look at the Collect prayers the Church has composed for the mass when St. Henry is remembered. The old prayer (trans...

 Photos of a statue and stained glass window from St. Henry Church in St. Henry, Ohio. This building was completed in 1897.  File:St. Henry Church - front, detail Saint Henry, King of Germany.jpg - Wikipedia File:St. Henry - St. Henry interceding.jpg - Wikimedia Commons St. Henry's Catholic Church (St. Henry, Ohio) - Wikipedia The stained glass window shows Henry's reputation for Marian devotion. Henry lived before St. Dominic and St. Louis DeMontfort, both of whom were known for promoting Marian devotion. St. Dominic is known for the rosary and St. DeMontfort is known for his writings. 

 Alban Butler was an English priest who lived from 1711 to 1773. He wrote "Lives of the Saints". On page 250 and 251 of the 1894 edited edition he had this to say about St. Henry: "It was Henry's custom, on arriving in any town, to spend his first night in watching in some church dedicated to our blessed Lady." Under Henry's leadership "Stately cathedrals, noble monasteries, churches innumerable, enlightened and sanctified the once heathen lands." Lives of the saints, with reflections for every day in the year : Butler, Alban, 1711-1773 : Free Download, Borrow, and Streaming : Internet Archive The original edition was over 1200 pages.  According to one source the original edition also contains this quote: Prayer seemed the chief delight and support of his soul; especially the public office of the church. Assisting one day at this holy function at Strasburg, he so earnestly desired to remain always there to sing the divine praises among the devout c...