Rupert’s
origins are obscure, though there are strong indications that he was a
Frenchman, and, according to a certain tradition, a scion of the old
Frankish Merovingian family – and certainly a contemporary of Childebert
III, king of the Franks.
Rupert
was already a bishop and known for his great virtue, when he was
invited by Duke Theodo of Bavaria, himself still a pagan, to evangelize
his people. Although the Gospel had already been preached in Bavaria,
its people were, for all intents and purposes, but nominally Catholic,
as pagan practices and Arian heretical beliefs persisted in their midst,
adulterating the purity of the Christian doctrine.
Rupert and
his companions were warmly received in the ancient town of Ratisbon. The
Duke Theodo presently received Baptism and with him a number of his
nobles.
With no serious opposition to the missionaries’ work,
Christianity flourished under the apostolate of Bishop Rupert and his
companions who proceeded to confirm the faith of some, to evangelize
many, Christianize pagan temples, and build churches. In the course of
his work the saintly bishop worked countless miracles.
In his
generosity, Theodo gave Rupert the region of Juvavum, present-day
Salzburg in Austria, for his apostolic see. Returning to France, the
abbot-bishop convinced another twelve men, as well as his niece St.
Erentrudis, to join him in his mission. With his niece he founded a
Benedictine monastery for women in Nonnberg, and with the twelve men a
Benedictine monastery for men, St. Peter at Salzburg. The saint spent
his life dedicated to the work of not only evangelizing and guiding his
flock, but also of civilizing his people. He also did much to promote
the salt mines in the region for which he renamed the city Salzburg.
Rupert
died in Salzburg around the year 710. Many churches in the region are
named after this Apostle of Austria and Bavaria, and the first
Abbot-Bishop of Salzburg.
Monday, March 29, 2021
St. Rupert of Salzburg
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