Saint Willibald
- Also known as
- Willebald
- Memorial
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7 July;
9 July (in England, by concession of Pope Leo XIII)
- Profile
- Son of Saint Richard the King.
Brother of Saint Winnebald and Saint Walburga.
Related to Saint Boniface.
He nearly died as an infant, leading his parents to pray for his life, vowing that he would be dedicated to God if he survived.
Entered the Abbey of Waltham, Hampshire at age five.
Educated by Egwald.
Benedictine monk.
Pilgrim to Rome in 722 with Saint Richard and Saint Winnebald; his father died on the way.
Suffered from malaria while there.
Pilgrim to the Holy Lands in 724.
He reached Jerusalem on 11 November 725, is the first known Englishman in the Holy Land, and the book of his travel, Hodoeporicon, is the first known English travelogue.
Pilgrim to assorted holy sites throughout Europe.
At one point he was arrested by Saracens at Emessa as a Christian spy, and imprisoned in Constantinople.
Spent ten years helping Saint Petronax restore the monastery of Monte Cassino; served there as sacristan, dean, and porter.
In 740 he was sent by Pope Gregory III to help Saint Boniface evangelize the area that is modern Germany.
Ordained on 22 July 741 by Saint Boniface, and consecrated as a missionary bishop by him on 21 October 741.
Founded a missionary monastery in Eichstätt, Franconia.
Worked with Saint Sebaldus.
First bishop of the diocese of Eichstätt.
With Saint Winnebald, he founded the double monastery at Hiedenheim in 752.
- Born
- 21 October 700 in Wessex, England
- Died
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7 July 781 of natural causes;
relics kept in a marble reliquary urn in Saint Willibald Cathedral, Eichstätt, completed in 1269
- Canonized
- 938 by Pope Leo VII
- Patronage
- diocese of Eichstätt, Germany
- Representation
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baby being dedicated by his parents at the foot of a cross
bishop holding two arrows
bishop overseeing construction of a church
bishop with a broken glass
monk or bishop with the words fides, spes, charitas on his cloak or arm
monk with a crown at his feet as he talks to a man cutting down a tree
pilgrim with Saint Richard and Saint Winnebald
receiving a bishop's mitre from Pope Gregory III
with Saint Richard and Saint Winnebald
- Additional Information
-
Hodoeporicon, by Huneberc of Heidenheim
Catholic Encyclopedia, by Francis Mershman
Catholic Online
For All The Saints, by Katherine Rabenstein
Google Directory
The Book of Saints, by the Monks of Ramsgate
Our Sunday Visitor's Encyclopedia of Saints, by Matthew Brunson
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