Feast day: September 5
Saint Bertin was born in France in the beginning of the seventh century. He began his religious life at the Abbey of Luxeuil and then joined the bishop of Therouanne (Saint Omer), who was sharing the message of Christ with the pagans. To spread their mission even farther, the monks founded two monasteries.
For almost 60 years, Bertin ran the second monastery they founded. Saint Bertin practiced great severities throughout his lifetime and was in continuous communion with God. He traveled far and wide to share God’s message and trained his disciples to carry on his ministry after he was gone.
Saint Bertin passed away at a very old age, some say older than 100, surrounded by his fellow monks. The Abbey of St. Bertin survived until the French Revolution, when it was closed. The church was demolished in 1830, but the tower was spared. The tower collapsed in 1947, due to the shelling of the town during World War II.
(Image Romainberth, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons)