<p>St. Norbert, also known as St. Norbert of Xanten, was born in 1080 and was a Bishop of the Catholic Church.&nbsp; He was also the founder of the Premonstratensian Order of the Canons Regular.&nbsp; He was born in Xanten, on the left bank of the Rhine near Wesel, Cologne. &nbsp; This is where he grew up and was educated there as well.&nbsp; His father was related to the Imperial house of Germany. &nbsp;</p> <p>St. Norbert was ordained a subdeacon, and was appointed to a canonry at Xanten where he lived a life of pleasure.&nbsp; Soon, he was summoned to the court of Frederick of Cologne and later to Henry V, Holy Roman Emperor, where he became the Emperor&rsquo;s Almoner, the position that is in charge of distributing the King&rsquo;s charity.&nbsp; He avoided ordination to the priesthood, and even declined an appointment as Bishop of Cambria.&nbsp; Soon he had a conversion after a near fatal horse riding accident, and denounced his appointment to the King.&nbsp; He returned to Xanten to lead a life of penance, and placed himself under the direction of a Spiritual Advisor.&nbsp; He founded the Abbey of Furstenberg, and endowed it with a portion of his property.&nbsp; Soon afterward, he was ordained to the Priesthood. &nbsp;</p> <p>He then attempted to reform the other canons of Xanten, but his asceticism did not sit well with them and they denounced him at the local Church Council of Fritzlar.&nbsp; He then resigned his position and sold his all of his property and gave the proceeds to the poor.&nbsp; He visited Pope Gelasius II, and gained permission to become and itinerant preacher and he preached throughout northern France, performing many miracles. &nbsp;</p> <p>During the Council of Reims in October of 1119, Pope Calixtus II requested Norbert to found a Religious Order at the Diocese of Laon in France.&nbsp; He founded an order about 10 miles from Laon called Premontre.&nbsp; It wasn&rsquo;t long and he had a following of his first thirteen disciples.&nbsp; By the second year the community had grown to over forty.&nbsp; They all took their vows and the Order of the Canons Regular of Premontre was founded.&nbsp; He soon had his community living in camp surrounding the chapel of St. John the Baptist.&nbsp; He had discovered through a dream the spot where the relics of St. Ursula and her companions and other martyrs lay hidden.&nbsp; In 1125 Pope Honorius II approved the constitution for the Order. &nbsp;</p> <p>Pope Honorius II appointed Norbert to the Archbishopric of Magdeburg in 1126.&nbsp; Several assassination attempts were made as he began to reform the lax discipline in his See.&nbsp; He was especially vigilant in protecting the Church&rsquo;s rights against the secular power.&nbsp; In the schism following the election of Pope Innocent II in 1130, Norbert supported Innocent and resisted the ways of the Antipope Anacletus II.&nbsp; In his last years, he was chancellor and adviser to Lothair II, the Holy Roman Emperor.&nbsp; He persuaded him to lead an army in 1133 to Rome to restore Pope Innocent to the Papacy.&nbsp; He died in Magdeburg on June 6, 1134.&nbsp; His body was buried in the Norbertine Abbey.&nbsp; Martin Luther preached in the city of Magdeburg and as a result, the city became Protestant.&nbsp; On May 2, 1627, his body was finally brought to Prague where it remains to this day, displayed as an icon in a glass fronted tomb.&nbsp; Pope Gregory XIII in 1582 canonized him and his statue appears above the Piazza Colonnade of St. Peter&rsquo;s Basilica in Rome. &nbsp;</p> <p><span style="font-size: medium;"><strong>Practical Take Away&nbsp;</strong></span></p> <p>St. Norbert, also known as St. Norbert of Xanten, was born in 1080 and was a Bishop of the Catholic Church.&nbsp; He was also the founder of the Premonstratensian Order of the Canons Regular.&nbsp; His father was related to the Imperial house of Germany.&nbsp; He fought himself spiritually to avoid being ordained to the priesthood, but after a near fatal accident he had a conversion.&nbsp; He went on to found the Order of the Canons Regular of Premontre, and was known for his asceticism.&nbsp; Pope Honorius II appointed Norbert to the Archbishopric of Magdeburg in 1126, and he spent his time defending the true faith, and reforming the lax Catholic attitude in his See. &nbsp;</p>