From: rich <
richarra@gmail.com>
August 24th - St. Audoenus, or Ouen, Bishop of Rouen
d. 684
St. Ouen (Dado) was born at Sancy, near Soissons, about 6oo, of a
Frankish family, his father being St. Authaire. While he and his
brother Ado were still children, living at Ussy-sur-Marne, their
father entertained the exiled St. Columban in his house.=C2 The brothers
were educated well and when they were of sufficient age were put at
the court of King Clotaire II, where Ouen became one of a group of
remarkable young men which included St. Eligius, St. Wandrille and St.
Didier of Cahors.=C2 Ouen was in great favour with the king and with his
son and successor, Dagobert I, who made him his referendary or
chancellor; in this office Ouen steadily opposed the prevalent simony.
=C2 He obtained of the king a grant of a piece of land situated in the
forest of Brie where, in 636, he erected a monastery, called at
present Rebais. By the advice of St. Faro, Bishop of Meaux, he sent
for Aile, a disciple of St. Columban from Luxeuil, and had him
appointed the first abbot. St. Ouen would have retired himself to
Rebais, but Dagobert and his nobles could not be induced to give their consent.=C2 St. Ouen and St. Eligius, though yet laymen, were for their
zeal, piety and learning considered as equals even of the bishops, and
they promoted the cause of religion and virtue through the whole
kingdom. Dagobert dying in 639, Clovis II, his son and successor,
testified the same esteem for St. Ouen, and kept him in the office of referendary. At length Clovis was prevailed upon to give Ouen leave
to receive ordination from Dieudonn=C3=A9, Bishop of Macon, and he was
shortly after elected bishop of Rouen ; at the same time his friend
St. Eligius was chosen bishop of Noyon. They took a considerable time
to prepare themselves for this dignity, by retreat, fasting and prayer,
and received the episcopal consecration together at Rheims in 641.
St. Ouen in this new office increased his humility, austerities and
charities. His zeal was indefatigable, and by his kindness and
patience he was truly all things to all men.=C2 He encouraged learning
by the foundation of monasteries, and sent missionaries to those parts
of his diocese that were still pagan=C2 nor did he slacken his efforts
for extirpating simony and other abuses. He was a trusted adviser of
King Thierry III and upheld the policy of Ebroin, the mayor of the
palace, to such a degree that he was, perhaps inculpably, involved in
Ebroin's ill-treatment of St. Leger and of St. Philibert.=C2 Returning
from a political mission to Cologne, St. Ouen went to Clichy, and
there fell ill and died, on August 24, 684.
The earliest of the lives of St. Ouen dates from the beginning of the
eighth century, and has been critically edited by W. Levison in MGH.,
Scritores Merov., vol. v, pp. 536-567. Levison also comments (pp. 548
seq.) on the two ninth-century lives the formee of which is printed
with the first-named in the Acta Sanctorum, August, vol. iv, and the
latter in the Analecta Ballandiana, vol. v, pp. 76-146.=C2 By far the
best modern contribution to the history of St. Ouen is that of E.
Vacandard, Vie de Saint Ouen (1902).=C2 He has in particular rectified
in several points the chronology of previous writers.=C2 For miracles attributed to relics of St. Ouen at Canterbury, see Analecta
Boliandiana, vol. li (1933), pp. 285-292, and vol. lxiv (1946), pp.
50-53.
Saint Quote:
I am a Christian.=C2 It seemed a while ago as if God rejected me as a
stone unfit to enter His building, but He has the goodness to take me
now to be placed in it; I am ready to suffer all things for His name,
that I may have a part in His kingdom with His Saints.
--St Serenus
Bible Quote
This is my commandment, that you love one another, as I have loved
you.=C2 Greater love than this no man hath, that a man lay down his life
for his friends.=C2 You are my friends, if you do the things that I
command you.=C2 (John 15:12-14)
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A Prayer of Self-Dedication
Lord my God,
rescue me from myself
and give me to You.
Take away everything
that draws me from You
and give me all those things
that lead me to You,
for the sake of Christ, our Lord. Amen
Abbot Louis de Blois O.S.B. (1506-1566)
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