Franciscan Friar (d. 1261)
His life
+Blessed Adolf was born into the German nobility and served as count of Scauenburg, Germany.
+ In 1225, he conquered what is now known as the Holstein region of modern-day Germany from the Danes. Three years later, Adolf participated in a crusade in Livonia.
+ Following his time as a soldier, Adolf dedicated his fortune to establishing religious houses in Hamburg and Kiel.
+ In 1239, Adolf renounced his wealth and became a Franciscan friar. He was ordained a priest in 1245.
+ Blessed Adolf died on July 8, 1261, and his remains were interred in the friars’ church in Kiel.
Spiritual bonus
On this day, the Church also remembers Saints Prisca (or Priscilla) and Aquila, companions of Saint Paul the Apostle, who supported and shared in his mission to the Christian community in Corinth (see Acts 18:1-3). It is clear that Saint Paul held the couple in high regard. It seems that they later returned to Rome and in his letter to the Romans, Saint Paul greets the members of the church who met in their home (see Romans 16:3-5). Although nothing more is known of their lives, certain traditions relate that they were martyred in Rome.
For reflection
“Amen I say to you, that you who have left all and followed me, will receive a hundredfold and possess eternal life.”—Matthew 19:27-29
Prayer
O God, by whose gift blessed Adolf persevered in imitating Christ, poor and lowly, grant us through his intercession that, faithfully walking in our own vocation, we may reach the perfection you have set before us in your Son. Who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
(from The Roman Missal: Common of Holy Men and Women—For Religious)
Saint profiles prepared by Brother Silas Henderson, S.D.S.
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