St Henry patron of Benedictine oblates?

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Barzillai

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I saw the following question on another forum:

**Question: :confused: **“In my oblate handbook St Henry is said to be the patron of Benedictine oblates, yet I cannot find his feast in either the traditional O.S.B. Diurnal nor in the new post-1962 edition. In the O.S.B. supplement to the Old (1945) St Andrew Daily Missal, likewise he is missing, but the feast is in the main Proper of saints. He is in the wall calendar (pre-1955 rules) from St Gertrude the Great Church.”

**Background to the mystery. :cool: ** What is odd is that I had the same question. I did some checking and found the following:

The Orthodox Oblates blog states that the good emperor was a Benedictine oblate.

It may be interesting that the OSB website pages here and here on oblates only mention St. Maurus, despite the fact that OSB site links to the Saint Vincent Archabbey formation booklet which mentions St. Henry II on page 52 as patron saint of oblates.

Was an old Wiki the Source? :eek: The Orthodox Oblates blog appears to be quoting a wikipedia article, but the current version of the wikipedia article does not mention Henry being an oblate or patron of oblates.

But the text in the Orthodox Oblates blog is virtually the same (in the applicable section) as the text of the wikipedia article except for the few words regarding St. Henry being an oblate.

The Sherlock Holmes in me might conclude that the wikipedia article has been changed from how it once was written and quoted by the Orthodox Oblates blog.

I wonder if Saint Vincent Archabbey and the Orthodox Oblates blog both used the same older version wikipedia article that appears to the source for the Orthodox Oblates blog article.

**Help Solve This Mystery. 👍 **So, I ask, what’s the tradition about good St. Henry, is he an oblate, why is he not in the Monastic Diurnal (he’s not there, right?) , is he the patron of oblates? Was he an oblate?

Additional Info: 🙂

The wikipedia article says this about his feast day, “Saint Henry’s name, which does not appear in the Tridentine Calendar, was inserted in 1631 in the Roman Calendar as a commemoration within the celebration of Saint Anacletus on 13 July, the day of his death and the traditional day for his celebration on a local level. In 1668, it was moved to 15 July for celebration as a Semidouble. This rank was changed by Pope Pius XII in 1955 to that of Simple, and by Pope John XXIII in 1960 to that of Third-Class Feast. In 1969, it was returned to its original date of 13 July as a non-obligatory Memorial.”
 
I see 3 people listed as patrons of Oblates
  1. St Francesca Romana
  2. St Maurus
  3. St. Henry II
Check HERE and HERE

🙂
 
More on Henry II

catholic.org/saints/saint.php?saint_id=3719
Feastday: July 13
1024
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Emperor, called the Good, declared the patron saint of the Benedictine Oblates by Pope St. Pius X. He was probably born in Hildesheim, Bavaria, Germany, on May 3,973. When his father died he became the duke of Bavaria in 995 and emperor in 1002 when his cousin Otto III died. His wife was St. Cunegundis, and St. Herisbert was his chancellor. A patron of the Benedictines, he was crowned Holy Roman Emperor by Pope Benedict VIII. He was also miraculously cured by St. Benedict. Tradition states that Henry wanted to be a Benedictine and lived as an Oblate. He was canonized in 1146 by Pope Eugene III.
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Another (listing Henry and Santa Francesca as patrons)

saintjohnsabbey.org/oblates/history.html
Oblates Regularized
A more precise status was given to Oblates by Blessed William, Abbot of Hirschau (+1091). He established definite rules for two types of Oblates. The Interns or Regular Oblates lived in the monastery and submitted to its discipline without, however, making formal vows. The Externs or Secular Oblates lived in the world but were affiliated with the monastery. They promised obedience and sometimes perfect chastity, and made over a part or the whole of their possessions to the monastery, either immediately or by way of legacy. Historians tell us that large numbers of the faithful thus consecrated themselves to God and to the Order of Saint Benedict by uniting themselves as Oblates to such famous monasteries as Cluny, Hirschau, Saint Blase, and others. The Holy Roman Emperor, Saint Henry II (972-1024), showed such great love and veneration for the Order that he has been chosen the special patron of the Oblates. His wife, Cunegond, was canonized in 1200.
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Saint Frances of Rome
In the fifteenth century, Saint Frances of Rome (1384-1440) induced a number of noble Roman women to renounce their worldly and extravagant life for a more perfect Christian life in their homes and the exercise of charity to the poor. They made no vows, nor did they wear a special religious habit, but placed themselves under the spiritual direction of the Olivetan Benedictines. Some years later they began to live a community life but merely promised obedience to the superior whom they had chosen to rule over them, styling themselves Oblates of Saint Benedict. This original Institute of Oblates, founded by Saint Frances, exists in Rome to this day, and the Oblates engage in daily common prayer and acts of charity to the poor and the unfortunate. It is therefore proper that Saint Frances of Rome has been made the heavenly patroness of the Oblates of Saint Benedict. Her feast is celebrated on March 9.
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Excellent detective work on the Internet – thank you everyone for the links. LOL, they all support the conclusion that St. Henry is the patron of oblates, so the Wikipedia article and the OSB site should be revised to add the good Saint Henry as a patron of oblates.

Thanks again – this was very helpful.
 
Barzillai said:
Excellent detective work on the Internet – thank you everyone for the links. LOL, they all support the conclusion that **St. Henry is the patron of oblates, **so the Wikipedia article and the OSB site should be revised to add the good Saint Henry as a patron of oblates.

Thanks again – this was very helpful.
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And Santa Francesca Romana and St Maurius 😉
 
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