mechtilde of magdeburg (1210-1297)
Mechtilde of Magdeburg (1210-1297)
Mechtilde of Magdeburg was born in Magdeburg in 1210 – the daughter of noble people and the ‘best beloved’ of her family. Although she claimed to be unlearned, she had some Latin language as she often quoted passages from the Divine Office and the Psalms which were all written in Latin. It was when she was 12 years old, she had an overpowering experience of the Holy Spirit so that ‘she could no longer have given way to serious daily sins’. She claimed that up to that time her faith was nominal and that she knew ‘nothing of God save the usual Christian beliefs’. From then on, she saw ‘all things in God and God in all things’.
convent of st agnes in neustadt magdeburg
Location of St Agnes Cistercian Convent founded in 1230 by Archbishop Albrecht. It is the site of St Agnes Church, Neustadt Magdeburg. The monastery ceased as a convert in 1810.
At the age of 23 she broke away from her home, seeking a more spiritual way of life. She moved into the City of Magdeburg and started to live as a ‘Beguine’. The Beguines were named after Lambert le Bѐgue, a priest from Liège in Belgium, who encouraged Lay Women to live in communities without taking religious vows and to care for the poor and the sick. In Germany the movement was adopted by the Dominicans and later Mechtilde herself became a Dominican Tertiary. Since leaving home she had her first experience of God:
‘Such sweetness of love, such heavenly knowledge, such inconceivable wonders… Then first was my spirit brought out of my prayer and set between Heaven and Earth. And I saw with the eyes of my soul the beautiful manhood of Jesus Christ.’
The Convent of St Agnes was situated in the eastern part of New Magdeburg and is now the site of St Agnes Catholic Parish.
‘Such sweetness of love, such heavenly knowledge, such inconceivable wonders… Then first was my spirit brought out of my prayer and set between Heaven and Earth. And I saw with the eyes of my soul the beautiful manhood of Jesus Christ.’
The Convent of St Agnes was situated in the eastern part of New Magdeburg and is now the site of St Agnes Catholic Parish.
the flowing light of the godhead by mechtilde of magdeburg
She practiced asceticism, which caused her to become ill. She said ‘I looked at my body; it was so heavily armed against my poor soul with all the forces of nature’.
Following her recovery, she felt inwardly compelled to start writing down what God was telling her. Her confessor encouraged her to write, telling her that God would support her in her weakness and unworthiness. She wrote that she was ashamed that
‘I a poor woman should write this book out of God’s heart and mouth’.
Over the following 15 years Mechtilde wrote down what came to her and wrote it in her Low German language. These writings subsequently became the first six parts of her book she called ‘The Flowing Light of the Godhead’. In her writing Mechtilde had much in common with other reform minded Christians, both Catholic and Protestant, including the community that developed in Magdeburg in the 16th century which was called ‘The Chancery of the Lord’.
Following her recovery, she felt inwardly compelled to start writing down what God was telling her. Her confessor encouraged her to write, telling her that God would support her in her weakness and unworthiness. She wrote that she was ashamed that
‘I a poor woman should write this book out of God’s heart and mouth’.
Over the following 15 years Mechtilde wrote down what came to her and wrote it in her Low German language. These writings subsequently became the first six parts of her book she called ‘The Flowing Light of the Godhead’. In her writing Mechtilde had much in common with other reform minded Christians, both Catholic and Protestant, including the community that developed in Magdeburg in the 16th century which was called ‘The Chancery of the Lord’.
The opening words of Chapter One of her book read:
THIS IS THE FIRST PART OF THE BOOK
This book is to be joyfully welcomed for God Himself speaks in it
This book I now send forth as a messenger to all spiritual people both good and bad for if the pillars fall,¹ the building cannot stand. The book proclaims Me alone and shows forth My holiness with praise. All who would [seek to] understand this book should read it nine times.
This Book is called The Flowing Light of the Godhead
Ah! Lord God! Who has written this book? I, in my weakness have written it, because I dared not hide the gift that is in it. Ah! Lord! What shall this book be called to Thy Glory? It shall be called The Flowing Light of My Godhead into all hearts which dwell therein without falseness.
1. The ‘pillars’ in the text refer to the clergy and rulers of the Church.
THIS IS THE FIRST PART OF THE BOOK
This book is to be joyfully welcomed for God Himself speaks in it
This book I now send forth as a messenger to all spiritual people both good and bad for if the pillars fall,¹ the building cannot stand. The book proclaims Me alone and shows forth My holiness with praise. All who would [seek to] understand this book should read it nine times.
This Book is called The Flowing Light of the Godhead
Ah! Lord God! Who has written this book? I, in my weakness have written it, because I dared not hide the gift that is in it. Ah! Lord! What shall this book be called to Thy Glory? It shall be called The Flowing Light of My Godhead into all hearts which dwell therein without falseness.
1. The ‘pillars’ in the text refer to the clergy and rulers of the Church.
Hildegard of Bingen (1098-1179)
Mechtilde was similar to another German mystic Hildegard of Bingen who, according to Menzies, saw the church and state in her day ‘suffering from materialism, indulging in magnificent buildings, while clergy neglected their duties and convents were slack’. 2 Mechtilde suffered for her writing, was deprived of Communion and the Daily offices of the Church while it was rumored that she was a ‘heretic’. She was charged with being ‘unlearned’ and ‘a woman’.
2. Menzies Lucy, The Revelations of Mechtilde of Magdeburg (1210-1297) Longmans NY 2012 Introduction XX
THE CONVENT OF HELFTA IN SAXONY AND DEVOTION TO THE SACRED HEART
In spite of a following she had in Magdeburg amongst the clergy, religious life became unbearable for Mechtilde in the City. She moved to Saxony to the Cistercian Convent of Helfta. Her reputation had preceded her through her writings, and the convent was already a center for mystical writing of Sisters Mechtilde of Hackeborn and Gertrude the Great. Mechtilde became one of the main promoters of devotion to the Sacred Heart, a devotion that was further established later in the 17th century by St Margaret Mary Alacoque and recognized by the Catholic church in the 19th century. Mechtilde reported that Jesus appeared to her in a vision and commanded her to love Him ardently and to honor his Sacred Heart in the Blessed Sacrament.
THE cONVENT IN HELFDA, 1229-1545 rESTORED IN 1999.
MECHTILDE'S FINAL CHAPTER
In latter years Mechtilde became completely blind and became increasingly dependent on her fellow sisters. At this stage of her life she said she wished to be ‘clothed with the wedding garments of the soul’ (Book 7:68) In spite of the blindness she dictated her final seventh book of ‘The Flowering Light of the Godhead’ to her fellow sisters. This final writing took her almost to her death in 1297. The last words from her Lord she wrote:
‘It shall be that: I draw my breath and my soul will follow on to me as a needle to a magnet.’
‘It shall be that: I draw my breath and my soul will follow on to me as a needle to a magnet.’
saint norbert of xanten - archbishop of magdeburg ( 1126-1134)
One of the most famous Christians associated with Magdeburg was Saint Norbert of Xanten (1180-1134). He became Archbishop of Magdeburg in 1126. His story goes back a long time before his tenure as the Archbishop, as he was the founder of one of the greatest religious orders of the early middle ages called the 'Premonstratensians' or the 'Norbertine Fathers'. His time as Archbishop of Magdeburg was a tremendous challenge to the saintly preacher, and it was by no means sure he would have desired such a prominent position in the church Heirarchy. He was at home in the Cloister with his fellow monks practicing an ascetic life of prayer and being a wandering preacher. He had instructed his followers to 'love the cloister which protects you and keeps the mind pure.' He told them only to leave the monastery only if they had to, 'less they be tempted by the snares of the devil'. Something that might have disturbed Norbert before his call to be Archbishop happened before a planned trip to Rome. He was meditating with his fellow brothers before dawn one day when all the brothers suddenly heard a disembodied voice saying that 'that year Norbert would become the Bishop of Parthenopolis' - the Greek name for the City of Magdeburg.(3) Norbert and his brothers were visibly shaken by the experience. He now had the feeling that if he himself left the monastery he might never return. He gave according to tradition what seemed to be a farewell speech:
This, indeed, is the narrow road to heaven, our true country. This is the road which Jesus Christ has pointed out to us by his life and his death, his words and his deeds, and which infallibly leads to their heavenly country all who persevere to the end in that path. You cannot go to Christ unless you enter upon this narrow road with courage and confidence, and do your best to follow it. An apostle has said, "For he also that striveth for the mastery, is not crowned except he strive lawfully." And another: "He that saith he abideth in him ought himself also to walk, even as [Christ] walked."(4)
3,4 Kunkel, Thomas Man on Fire The life and spirit of St Norbert of Xanten St Norbert College Press 2019 p.123, p.124
It was doubtless then with a sense of forboding he left the monastery in June 1126 to fulfill an obligation with regard to arranging and officiating at the wedding of a nobleman. On his way to Regensburg he passed through the City of Speyer as a place where he would be able to cross the Rhine. At the same time however the Holy Roman Emperor Lothair III had decided to lead a convocation of German princes and bishops in Speyer. In attendance were several Cardinals who were envoys of Pope Honorius II as well as a delegation from the City of Magdeburg who had been seeking a Bishop. Lothair had been trying unsuccessfully to fill the position of Archbishop of Magdeburg as no suitable candidates had so far been found. The arrival of Norbert at the Speyer Diet caused quite a stir, as people were aware of the miraculous healing he had recently affected on a blind woman in Weurtzburg. Accordingly, they asked for Norbert to give the Diet's opening sermon. All listened attentively as Norbert spoke eloquently 'on the duties of Christian rulers and their subjects, on the Government and the election of Bishops'. Immediately after the service Norbert was anxious to leave to continue his journey to Regensburg, but the Emporer, probably impressed by Norbert's demeanor and eloquence, convinced him to stay.
Lothair III Holy Roman Emperor 1133-1137 Organiser of Speyer Convocation
A little while later the debate opened up again on the nomination for the Archbishop of Magdeburg. Two candidates were announced again but all were suprised by the addition of a new candidacy of Norbert. Norbert was completely taken aback and indeed horrified by this proposal: the prophesy he had heard in the woods seemed to be being fulfilled. The debate continued until one of the candidates stood up and declared, while pointing at Norbert, that the man that should become the Archibshop was in fact the founder of the Premonstratensians, Norbert of Xanten.
the conversion of St norbert of xanten .
The Conversion of St Norbert by Richard van Orley (1663-1732)
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Norbert's early life marked a strong contrast to the possibility of life in the Hierarchy of the Catholic Church. Born as a second son of a wealthy noble family of Gennep, he was raised in the town of Xanten in Nordrhein Westphalia, close to the Dutch border. His father was the Count of Gennep and was related to the Imperial family and it was the custom of a family of means that their second son should be destined for a life in the Clergy. In spite of then being elevated to the role of Sub-Deacon - the first rung of priestly ordination - he refused all the discipline that might entail. In a manner very similar to both St Paul and the Reformer Martin Luther, his life however changed dramatically when he was thrown from his horse by a thunder and lightning strike while out riding. He fell unconscious for a period, experiencing a foul sulfuric odor coming from the gound before him. When he regained consciousness he heard disembodied voice speaking to him, saying: " Turn from evil and do good and seek peace and pursue it' - a passage from the 34th Psalm. Fearing for his life , he turned from all earthly pleasures to persue a life of devotion to Christ. Norbert was a changed man: He desided to radically change his lifestyle and live in austerity. His initial discipline was so severe that it caused the demise of his first disciples. This sad experience led him to resign all the benefices that accompanied his life as a Subdeacon, selling practically all his property giving the proceeds to the poor. |
the founding of the premonstratensians - the norbertine fathers.
St Augustine gives his Rule to St Norbert. Book illustration c.1140
With the permission of Pope Gelasius (Pope from 1118-1119) Norbert then became an itinerant preacher
(Wanderprediger) ministering throughout Germany, Holland, Belgium and France. He witnessed like other like minded reformers before and after his time, a demoralized and sometimes immoral clergy. In contrast he preached a radical commitment to Christ, with a charismatic ministry which included miraculous healings and exorcisms. At the Council of Reims in 1119 Pope Calixtus asked Norbert to establish a religious order in the French Diocese of Laon and in 1120 he founded what was initially called the Canons Regular of Prémontré, modelled on the Rule of St Augustine. Choosing a remote valley called Prémontré just ten miles north of Laon he established his monastery together with thirteen of his disciples. This initial group soon grew to 40 and the order was approved by the Church and Pope Honorius in 1125/26. Houses of the order subsequently grew across Germany, France, Belgium and Hungary. Any move thus to Magdeburg was thus neither wanted nor desired, as Norbert was full-time taking care of his widely spread monastic community, which now numbered several hundred monks in four countries.
(Wanderprediger) ministering throughout Germany, Holland, Belgium and France. He witnessed like other like minded reformers before and after his time, a demoralized and sometimes immoral clergy. In contrast he preached a radical commitment to Christ, with a charismatic ministry which included miraculous healings and exorcisms. At the Council of Reims in 1119 Pope Calixtus asked Norbert to establish a religious order in the French Diocese of Laon and in 1120 he founded what was initially called the Canons Regular of Prémontré, modelled on the Rule of St Augustine. Choosing a remote valley called Prémontré just ten miles north of Laon he established his monastery together with thirteen of his disciples. This initial group soon grew to 40 and the order was approved by the Church and Pope Honorius in 1125/26. Houses of the order subsequently grew across Germany, France, Belgium and Hungary. Any move thus to Magdeburg was thus neither wanted nor desired, as Norbert was full-time taking care of his widely spread monastic community, which now numbered several hundred monks in four countries.
History or FABLE, COINCIDENCE OR PROVIDENCE?
Ordination of Norbert of Xanten
In many ways the story of Norbert sound a little far-fetched and hard to believe: it sounds like passages from the Acts of the Apostles where the Apostles were led by dreams and premonitions. ( Acts 8: 26-39: 10, 1-23: 16:6-10.) St Paul was warned by the prophet Agabus what would happen to him if he went to Jerusalem but he still decided to go. ( Acts 21:10-14)
Norbert too heard a voice and then was speaking to his disciples as if it were his closing remarks to them. He then was unable to fulfill an obligation and ended up in Speyer where he was chosen - seemingly against his will to go to minister in Magdeburg as the Archbishop. Magdeburg was from all reports a city in great difficulty for several leadership with poor or no leadership. Some commentators have expressed doubts about some of the story of Norbert and his call to Magdeburg, but he did - unwillingly- accept the call, causing hims trauma and trial.
When Norbert arrived in Magdeburg he was greeted with fanfare and celebration - not unlike when Jesus arrived in Jerusalem on Palm Sunday as the promised Messiah (Mark 11:8-11). But, just as Jesus was a suffering Messiah and not a military savior, Norbert was not a finely clothed Archbishop full of royal and clerical grandeur waiting to greet and lead his people. He entered the City barefoot as a sign of his humilty, with a lack of pomp and splendor. When he came to attend a special celebration in his honor at what would now be his Archbishop's palace, he arrived in his ragged clothes. He was thus stopped by a porter at the gate before reaching the house. The porter presumed that Norbert was indeed a beggar. Several of Norbert's companions were taken aback by this reception and immediatly scolded the porter. Norbert however was unruffled and gave the porter a smile and words of quiet assurance about his role. He said " Do not be afraid: you know me better and see me with a clearer eye than those who force me to this palace to which I, poor and simple, ought not to be raised'. 5
5. Kunkel, Man on Fire, 132.
Norbert too heard a voice and then was speaking to his disciples as if it were his closing remarks to them. He then was unable to fulfill an obligation and ended up in Speyer where he was chosen - seemingly against his will to go to minister in Magdeburg as the Archbishop. Magdeburg was from all reports a city in great difficulty for several leadership with poor or no leadership. Some commentators have expressed doubts about some of the story of Norbert and his call to Magdeburg, but he did - unwillingly- accept the call, causing hims trauma and trial.
When Norbert arrived in Magdeburg he was greeted with fanfare and celebration - not unlike when Jesus arrived in Jerusalem on Palm Sunday as the promised Messiah (Mark 11:8-11). But, just as Jesus was a suffering Messiah and not a military savior, Norbert was not a finely clothed Archbishop full of royal and clerical grandeur waiting to greet and lead his people. He entered the City barefoot as a sign of his humilty, with a lack of pomp and splendor. When he came to attend a special celebration in his honor at what would now be his Archbishop's palace, he arrived in his ragged clothes. He was thus stopped by a porter at the gate before reaching the house. The porter presumed that Norbert was indeed a beggar. Several of Norbert's companions were taken aback by this reception and immediatly scolded the porter. Norbert however was unruffled and gave the porter a smile and words of quiet assurance about his role. He said " Do not be afraid: you know me better and see me with a clearer eye than those who force me to this palace to which I, poor and simple, ought not to be raised'. 5
5. Kunkel, Man on Fire, 132.
reforming the archdiocese of magdeburg
Whatever the obstacles, Norbert immediately set about his task - seeking to find out why the magnificent Diocese of Magdeburg which had been established by the Emperor Otto had fallen into such a state of lethargy and spiritual decline. After investigation, he found that previous clerics and prelates had been squandering benefices with relatives and colleagues, while much of the Diocesan finances had been stolen. Norbert immediately notified all the holders of ill-gotten properties of the Diocese to return them immediately to the church. When most of these simply ignored these commands of the Archbishop, he decided to use the biggest weapon at his disposal: excommunication. The punishment worked, as one by one the offenders began to return their benefices and stolen properties. Not to do so would have deprived them no only of spiritual benefits with the Church but of all protection in Civil Law. Norbert was detremined to challenge the lax morals of the clergy, many of whom were married or had mistresses. Previous Bishops had overlooked the rules of celibacy. Norbert on the other hand decided to enforce there rules, declaring all existing marriages of clergy to be invalidated and that all mistresses should be dismissed. From now on all clergy would follow the rules. Not to do so would result on clerics losing their privileges and benefits . The reaction to all of these changes was immediate: clergy were not going to take such discipline and challenges to their way of life.
the premonstratensians come to magdeburg
None of this growing resentment to his leadership fazed Norbert. Rather, it emboldened him and in 1129 he decided to bring some of his own clergy to Magdeburg from the Premonstratensians to give an example how clergy should live and serve and minister and to be loyal to the church and its hierarchy. He had been concerned about the state of some of the secular Canons at the Church of St Mary and decided that they should each serve in other places in the Diocese while St Mary's - which had fallen badly in a state of disrepair - could function as an Abbey for his own followers. The reaction to this proposal was intense, both from the Canons themselves and from the Cathedral Chapter clergy. The clergy appealed to the Emporer but to no avail and St Mary's became the first Norbertine foundation in Saxony. St Mary's would now be the place where Norbert would retreat for solace, prayer and fellowship. Resentment had now reached a fever pitch: Norbert's actions were regarded as impudent and disrespectful and uncalled for. The arrival of the White Fathers was the last straw: retribution of the most severe type was planned and a first of three plots to assassinate Norbert was planned
persecution follows
rThe first attempt happened while Norbert was hearing Confessions. An agitated young cleric sought to skip the Confession queue. Growing inceasingly disturbed while he was forced to wait, Norbert sensed something was amiss and asked his servant to remove the man's cloak. This action exposed a long knife the cleric was concealing. On questioning he revealed he had been bribed to murder the Archbishop. He then recounted that the conspirators were administrators from the Diocesan Offices. According to his biography the evening of the attempted assassination was Holy Thursday - the night when Judas betrayed Jesus. A second assassination attempt happened in the Cathedral during a procession when the assailant mistook another Prelate for Norbert. The third attempt was the most serious and amounted to a revolt against the new Archbishop. The fracas lasted a full 12 hours and started when Norbert was told an [undisclosed] crime had been committed in the Cathedral which meant it needed to be re-consecreated. The idea did not gain a reception with the Cathedral staff who refused any such rededication, leading to a long acrimonious debate. Norbert decided to take matters into his own hands and brought a group of suffragan Bishops into the Cathedral to perform the rededication in the evening. In the meantime Norbert's enemies had been tipped off and rushed into the Cathedral believing that Norbert wished to ransack the building. As the mob drew near Norbert and his group fled the Cathedral and took refuge in a nearby tower, locking the entrance. The mob chased the prelates, banging down the door, before wounding one of the group with a sword and striking Norbert. Even at this stage Norbert was able to mollify the mob while the local authorities were able to disperse the crowd outside. Norbert was left in no doubt as to the personal cost of his reform program: it was a far cry from the blessedness of the vocational work at Prémontré. It surely recalled to him the words of scripture:
'All who delight in pursuing righteousness and are determined to live Godly lives in Christ Jesus will be hated and persecuted.' (2 Timothy 3:12)
'All who delight in pursuing righteousness and are determined to live Godly lives in Christ Jesus will be hated and persecuted.' (2 Timothy 3:12)
norberts achievement.
Norbert persisted in his reforms in spite of persecution. He put the Archdiocese on a firm financial footing with the returned assets and his clerical reforms sparked Christian renewal amongst the faithful. He lay the foundation for the conversion of the Wends - something that had been planned since the time of Charlemagne but never achieved . The White Fathers were the torchbearers of the Gospel to these pagan tribes on the far side of the Elbe. A papal bull then authorized that Magdeburg to oversee the church affairs of Poland and Pomerania in the far eastern corner of Germany, the northwest corner of Poland. After a period in which he was involved with wider church and state affairs with both the Emperor and the Pope he arrived back in Magdeburg on Ash Wednesday 1134, doubtless tired and probably ill with malaria from his travels. By the time of his death later in 1134, there were already over one hundred Premonstratensian fundations across Europe. At its peak in the mid 14th century there were an estimated 700 Premonstratensian Abbeys and institutions across Europe and beyond. Norbert was canonized by Pope Gregory XIII in 1582 with his feast day established for June 6th each year. Hermann of Tournai said not long after his death:
" There has been no-one since the time of the Apostles who in such a brief space of time has acquired to Christ so many imitators of the perfect life through his institute. "
" There has been no-one since the time of the Apostles who in such a brief space of time has acquired to Christ so many imitators of the perfect life through his institute. "
the decline and rebirth the 'ginko tree' in Doksany.
Caspar von Questenberg Abbot of the Norbertine Monastery in Strahov
In 1134 Saint Norberts remains were placed in St Mary's Abbey in Magdeburg. His graveside however did not however become a place of final rest. In the contrary the Magdeburg that Norbert had known continued to be a place of religious turbulance over the centuries, and Magdeburg became a major centre of the Lutheran movement in the 16th century. These changing events led to the attempt by the Catholic armies of Tilly to retake Magdeburg in what became one of the greatest tragedies of the Thirty Years War. In the ensuing fire The City itself was completely destroyed in 1631.
In the run up to this tragic time an attempt was made to bring the mortal remains of Norbert out of what was then a predominantly Protestant City to a more placid resting place outside Germany. As Norbert was indeed a great church reformer, the followers of Luther did not wish to let him go easily. They regarded him as 'one of their own'. However in December 1626 the Abbot of Strahov Caspar von Questenberg from Prague was able to gain access to the Church of St Mary's. While a detatchment of soldiers surrounding the Abbey, he and his companions were able to extract the mortal remains of St Norbert to bring them on a long journey to Czech and a final resting place at the Strahof Abbey in Prague. On route they stopped at the village of Doksany just inside the Czech border where there was a small convent of the Premonstratensians Sisters. They decided to stay over in Doksany until the winter was over and when Norbert's remains would be brought with great fanfare to the City of Prague. To commemorate this stay at Doksany the Norbertine nuns planted a small Ginko Tree just beyond the convent walls. Though later the convent went into decline and was later suppressed under Emperor Joseph II in the 18th century it opened again after the fall of communism in the 1990's. As if to welcome the sisters back, the tree had grown to enormous proportions, demonstrating indeed though it is small and can grow to become a great tree offering shade to all who come to it for shelter. Though faith is often persecuted it never dies and the breath of the spirit can turn embers into a living flame of faith.
In the run up to this tragic time an attempt was made to bring the mortal remains of Norbert out of what was then a predominantly Protestant City to a more placid resting place outside Germany. As Norbert was indeed a great church reformer, the followers of Luther did not wish to let him go easily. They regarded him as 'one of their own'. However in December 1626 the Abbot of Strahov Caspar von Questenberg from Prague was able to gain access to the Church of St Mary's. While a detatchment of soldiers surrounding the Abbey, he and his companions were able to extract the mortal remains of St Norbert to bring them on a long journey to Czech and a final resting place at the Strahof Abbey in Prague. On route they stopped at the village of Doksany just inside the Czech border where there was a small convent of the Premonstratensians Sisters. They decided to stay over in Doksany until the winter was over and when Norbert's remains would be brought with great fanfare to the City of Prague. To commemorate this stay at Doksany the Norbertine nuns planted a small Ginko Tree just beyond the convent walls. Though later the convent went into decline and was later suppressed under Emperor Joseph II in the 18th century it opened again after the fall of communism in the 1990's. As if to welcome the sisters back, the tree had grown to enormous proportions, demonstrating indeed though it is small and can grow to become a great tree offering shade to all who come to it for shelter. Though faith is often persecuted it never dies and the breath of the spirit can turn embers into a living flame of faith.
St Norbert's Ginko tree in Doksany Czech Republc