His story is especially moving because despite being completely helpless, he contributed so much not only to his contemporaries, but to us. Born with many disabilities--cleft palate, spina bifida, cerebral palsy--he was given to the Benedictine monastery when his parents could no longer care for him at age seven. He must have been a very curious child and the monks must have cared for him with a great deal of attention because he became proficient in languages, mathematics, music, astronomy, and much more. He became a Benedictine monk at the age of 20 and has given us some of the most beautiful hymns that we sing more than a thousand years later--the Salve Regina, Alma Redemptoris Mater, Veni Sancte Spiritus.
Pray for us, Blessed Hermann, that we may use the gifts God has given us to glorify Him.
2 comments:
Salve Regina is beautiful. He sounds like an amazing person.
The months of May and October, we sing the Salve Regina after every Mass. But at home, we sing it daily. And I think of Hermann and his brief life in the 11th century and give thanks that the monks recognized his brilliant mind and nurtured it. What a gift to us all! Deo gratias!!!
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