Today the Church remembers a holy man with a weak body but a strong heart and soul: Herman the Cripple, also known as Herman the Lame and Herman of Reichenau, (1013-1054). He is a 'Blessed' of the Roman Catholic Church. He was born in 1013 with a cleft palate, cerebral palsy and spina bifida. As a result he had great difficulty moving and could hardly speak. At the age of seven he was placed in a Benedictine monastery by his parents who could no longer look after him. He grew up in the monastery, learning from the monks and developing a keen interest in both theology and the world around him.
At the age of twenty Herman was professed as a Benedictine monk; he spent the rest of his life in the monastery. He was literate in several languages, including Arabic, Greek and Latin and wrote about mathematics, astronomy and Christianity. He built musical and astronomical instruments and was also a famed religious poet. When he went blind in later life he began writing hymns. His best known is Salve Regina (Hail Holy Queen).
Herman died at the age of forty in the monastery in 1054. The Church beatified him in 1863.
To learn more about this wonderful saint please click here.
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