![[statue of Saint Wendelin]](saintw30.jpg "??kb jpg photograph of a statue of Saint Wendelin, Saint Wendelin Church, Fostoria, Ohio, USA, date unknown, artist unknown; if you have information about this statue, please contact me; please do not write to ask about the image")
Wendel Wendolinus Wendelinus
Pilgrim to many holy sites, reaching Rome in 574. During an audience with Pope Benedict I, the pope told him to follow his desire for a life with God. Lived for a while in Einsidel, Germany. Hermit in the forest wilderness of Westerich.
During a trip to the shrines in Trier, he reportedly met a wealthy highwayman. The thief admonished him for begging when he was so obviously capable of earning his living. Worked for the thief as a swineherd until he found there was no time for his prayers. Transferred to work tending cattle, Wendelin again had time for prayer. However, the herd he tending grew so fast that he soon found himself again overworked. This time he was transferred to tending sheep, traditionally a job for children or older men as it was less physically demanding. Even when his flock grew large, he still had time for prayer. Legend says that God transferred Wendelin and his flocks back to the old hermitage many times, and then brought them back in the evening.
Hermit near Tier in 590. Abbot of Tholey in 597.