Saint Burchard

At that time, the great S aint Boniface saint Boniface Apostle of Germany who called upon Burchard to assist him. was working with incredible zeal to destroy idolatry and re-establish Christianity in Germany, and was asking on all sides for workers to assist him in this enterprise. Burchard, upon being informed of this, came to find him and offered himself to go wherever he wished to announce the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Saint Boniface immediately recognized the eminent virtue of this holy missionary, and, having new proofs of his holiness every day, he resolved to have him created Bishop of the city of Würzburg, which had been won to the faith by the preaching of Saint Kilian and his companions, martyrs. He took him to Rome for this purpose, and presented h im to Pope Saint Za pape saint Zacharie Pope who consecrated Burchard as Bishop of Würzburg. chary; the latter, at the re quest of Pepi Pépin le Bref King of the Franks whose accession to the throne was supported by Burchard. n the Short and of Saint Boniface himself, erected this city into a bishopric; then, having assured testimonies of the merit of Burchard, he consecrated him bishop with his own hands. After this consecration, the two prelates, provided with the blessing and apostolic letters, returned to Germany, and Saint Boniface solemnly installed Saint Burchard in his new bishopric, and gave him for his subsistence a sufficient income, which he took from the goods of his own archbishopric of Mainz.

Burchard, seeing himself established as pastor of the sheep of the Son of God, applied himself entirely, for forty years, to governing them well and leading them in the ways of salvation. He was the father of orphans, the support of the poor and widows, the refuge of the afflicted, and the hope of the sick. He took such care to root out vice and to make Christian virtues flourish throughout the extent of his diocese that a marvelous change was seen there in a short time. He made himself the model for his flock. His humility was so great that he never wanted to have anything but ornaments of little value. His very crozier was only of elder wood. He had such sweetness and benignity that he made himself loved by everyone: there were no spirits that he did not bend and win over. Finally, he acquired such a reputation among the great of the kingdom of France that they made him one of their deputies to Pope Saint Zachary in the important and delicate matter of the exaltation of Pepin the Short, scion of the second race of our kings, in place of Childeric, who ended th e first r Childeric Last king of the first dynasty (Merovingians) replaced by Pepin. ace.

His devotion led him to honor the relics of the first apostles of Würzburg, Saint Kilian, Saint Colman, and Saint Totnan, martyrs; thus, after fervent prayers, he raised them from the earth, and, having placed them in precious reliquaries, he installed them in a monastery he had built specifically in their honor. But, as he desired nothing so much as to join the rest of the contemplative life to the busyness of the active life, he founded, on the river Main, another abbey which he dedicated under the invocation of Our Lady and Saint Andrew, for twelve choir religious bound to the canonical hours. He came there very often to enjoy with more tranquility the ineffable delights of union with his God. Finally, after having carried, for forty years, the heavy burden of the episcopate, he died full of merits at the castle of Hohenbur g, where he had reti château d'Hohenbourg Place of the saint's retreat and death. red with six of his religious. It was February 9, 752. His body was carried to the monastery he had built on the Main; but, in the course of time, after several miracles performed through his intercession, it was transported to his church of Our Lady and Saint Andrew. Hugh, Bishop of Würzburg, authorized by an order of Pope Benedict VII, performed the tra nslation of his pape Benoît VII Pope who authorized the translation of relics in 983. relics around the year 983, on October 14, the day on which his principal feast has since been celebrated.

Saint Burchard is the patron of Würzburg; he is invoked against gravel and kidney ailments.

Surtus, Godescard, *Acta Sanctorum*.

This monastery, rebuilt in the village of Saint-Paul, was soon enriched by the liberality of the bishops of Beauvais and the neighboring lords.