Saint Who?
Saints Who Were Poets
Saint Rabanus Maurus
Bishop († 856)Feast: February 4
Rabanus lived during the time of Charlemagne, under whose rule the Christian faith was firmly established in much of Europe. As a boy he studied at the famous monastery of Fulda, founded by Saint Boniface. The abbot was so impressed he sent Rabanus to study with Charlemagne’s own tutor and advisor, Alcuin. Here, Rabanus received the additional name Maurus, recalling the name of Saint Benedict’s beloved disciple.
Rabanus Maurus was ordained a deacon in 799. Sixteen years later he was ordained a priest. He returned to Fulda, where he was made head of the school and later abbot. Under his leadership the school blossomed, and the monks whom he formed helped to shape the tradition of Christian education.
After two decades as an abbot, Rabanus retired to devote himself to prayer and study. But he was soon recalled to active work. At the age of seventy-one he was appointed Archbishop of Mainz, a role he held until his death in 856. He was a prolific author, writing treatises, homilies, and poems. He wrote the powerful hymn Veni Creator Spiritus—“Come, Holy Ghost.”
O Holy Spirit, through the prayers of Saint Rabanus Maurus, fill all the Church’s places of learning
with the fire of your love.
