Blessed Adalberon II

A faithful imitator of the virtues of the venerable Adalberon I, his uncle, whose affection for religious and zeal for the restoration of regular observance had earned him the nickname Father of the Monks, he applied himself above all to making religious discipline flourish again in his vast diocese. One of the first cares of the holy bishop was to restore the abbey of the Holy Innocents, known since as Saint -Symphorien, whi Saint-Symphorien Abbey restored by Adalberon and his burial place. ch had suffered greatly from the recent wars. He repaired its buildings, had its property restored to it, gave it new property, and placed as abbot the blessed Fingenius, of Scottish origin, who had succeeded Saint Cadroël in the government of the abbey of Saint-Clément, and was at the same time abbot of Saint-Vannes, in Verdun. At the same time, Adalberon rebuilt the abbey of Saint-Pierre. He also founded, in the vicinity of Saint-Pierre, another abbey for nuns which took the name of the august Mother of God. He established a community of nuns in Épinal (Vosges) in the place where the blessed Theodoric I, his predecessor, had deposited the relics of Saint Goëric saint Goëric Saint whose relics are in Epinal, invoked for Saint Anthony's fire. .

Around the same time, the terrible disease known as the sacred fire and the mal des ardents prevailed, especially in th e region of Bur mal des ardents Medieval epidemic treated by Adalberon II in Epinal. gundy. The unfortunate people who were afflicted by it, having heard of the healings that were taking place in Épinal through the intercession of Saint Goëric, flocked there in crowds. Adalbéron, who often resided in the castle located above the monastery, took the tenderest care of them. Not content with providing them with the necessities of life and consoling them with his words, he himself dressed their ulcers, and often he performed this humble service for eighty or even a hundred people in a single day, considering himself happy to see his house thus turned into a hospital. The author of his life claims to have assisted him for seven consecutive days in this heroic exercise of charity. This action could not fail to be accompanied by all the Christian virtues. Indeed, Adalbéron, who loved and cared so tenderly for the suffering members of Jesus Christ in the person of the poor, was imbued with the deepest respect and the most affectionate piety for our holy mysteries. He never offered the august sacrifice of the Mass without first having donned a hair shirt, and he could not hold the sacred body and precious blood of the divine victim in his hands without watering them with his tears. He spent the eve of the principal feasts without taking any food; and to better sanctify the Lenten fast through prayer and recollection, he spent it entirely in a holy retreat.

All the provinces of the empire were then as if being pillaged; the lords, in order to meet the costs of the contributions they owed to the army that the emperor maintained almost continuously in Italy, were pillaging, and were forced to ruin their lands and oppress their subjects. Adalbéron knew through his wisdom how to avoid these extremes, and to satisfy his duties toward his sovereign without failing in what he owed to the people entrusted to him. To reduce the expense as much as lay within his power, he did not conduct campaigns, and took from his own revenues the greater part of the subsidies that his flock was to provide. Although the holy prelate was naturally inclined toward gentleness, he knew when circumstances required it to use severity. He was seen waging war against the lords who vexed his people, ruining their castles and their fortresses. He only came to these extremes after having employed the ways of gentleness. As for the goods of which he had made himself master, he never appropriated them for himself, but distributed them to the poor, or employed them for the repair of churches.

Adalberon went to Rome twice to satisfy his devotion to the holy Apostles. During a first journey he made in 994, he was very well received by Pope John XVI, who pres Jean XVI Pope who received Adalberon II in Rome in 994. ented him with some precious relics. On the second journey, he accompanied Emperor Otto III, whom he p ersuaded Othon III Holy Roman Emperor. to bestow great benefits upon his church. Always occupied with the reform of the monasteries of his diocese, he brought in Saint William, abbot saint Guillaume Monastic reformer called by Adalberon. of Saint-Bénigne of Dijon, and charged him with restoring regular discipline in the famous abbeys of Gorze and Saint-Arnould. He regularly performed ordinations there twice a year, at Christmas and at Easter, and they were so numerous for the time that more than a thousand priests and other ministers are counted upon whom he had laid his hands.

In 1005, the holy bishop was struck by paralysis. When he saw that his end was approaching, he distributed all his wealth to the poor and to the churches. He sent gifts as far as Saint-Martin of Tours, to Saint-Denis, to Saint-Remi of Reims, to Notre-Dame of Verdun, to Saint-Pierre of Cologne, and to several other famous places of devotion. He died on December 15, deeply mourned by all his people, even by the Jews who shed tears for him. Duke Thierry, his brother, and Bertaut, bishop of Toul, his pupil, attended his funeral amidst an immense gathering of the populations. The holy prelate was buried in the abbey of Saint-Symphorien, where he had chosen his burial place. His precious remains were kept there until the Revolution, along with the h air sh cilice Instrument of penance preserved until the French Revolution. irt he used in the fervor of his penance.

We owe this biography to Father Noël, of the diocese of Metz. — Cf. Saint Symphorica and his cult, by Father Binet.