Saint Alberic of Utrecht, Dutch: Alberik I van Utrecht, (died 21 August 784) was a Benedictine monk and bishop of Utrecht, in what is today the Netherlands.

Alberic of Utrecht
Bishop
Died21 August 784
Venerated inRoman Catholic Church, Eastern Orthodox Church
Feast14 November

Life

edit

Alberic was the nephew of Saint Gregory of Utrecht. Little is known of Alberic before he joined the Order of Saint Benedict.[1] It is known that he served as prior of the Monastery of Saint Martin in Utrecht. When Gregory died in 775, Alberic succeeded his uncle in administering the diocese of Utrecht.[a] He later traveled to Cologne where he was consecrated Bishop of Utrecht.

Alberic strove to deepen the faith of his faithful who still preserved many pagan traditions.[2] His bishopric was noted for the success of its mission among the pagan Teutons,[3] as well as the reorganization of the school of Utrecht. In addition, Alberic directed the mission of Ludger in Ostergau.

Alberic was a good friend of Alcuin, a teacher and poet from York, England, preeminent among the scholars of that era. This relationship likely speaks to Alberic's own intelligence,[3] as the saint has been noted for his "encyclopedic knowledge of the faith."

Notes

edit
  1. ^ Although sources state that Alberic succeeded his uncle to the see of Utrecht, Gregory was not a bishop, but in fact an "administrator," an abbot.[1][4] It is, however, certain that Alberic was a bishop, since he was consecrated at Cologne in 777.[5]

References

edit
  1. ^ a b "St. Alberic". Saints and Angels. Catholic Online. Archived from the original on 31 October 2007. Retrieved 2007-11-14.
  2. ^ "Saint Albéric", Nominis
  3. ^ a b Rabenstein, Katherine (March 1999). "Alberic of Utrecht, OSB B (AC)". Saints O' the Day for November 14. Archived from the original on 2007-11-05. Retrieved 2007-11-14.
  4. ^ Herbermann, Charles, ed. (1913). "St. Gregory of Utrecht" . Catholic Encyclopedia. New York: Robert Appleton Company.
  5. ^ Herzog, Johann Jakob; Schaff, Philip; Hauck, Albert (1910). The New Schaff-Herzog Encyclopedia of Religious Knowledge. Funk and Wagnalls Company. pp. 505. alberic of utrecht.
edit
Preceded by Bishop of Utrecht
775–784
Succeeded by