Feast day: November 29
Saint Radboud lived a very quiet and holy life. He was the grandson of the last pagan king of the Frisians in the Netherlands. Radboud was raised and educated by his uncle, the bishop of Cologne. After his uncle’s death, Radboud became a Benedictine monk in the famous monastery of St. Martin in Tours, France. Later he was elected bishop of the diocese of Utrecht in the Netherlands.
Radboud discovered that his association with the influential Benedictines was helpful in governing his diocese. He was very concerned with the welfare of the poor, and he was also a very intelligent writer and poet. Saint Radboud was forced to leave his diocese in Holland when the Danes invaded and lived his last years in exile in Deventer, France. In the Netherlands, Radboud is the patron of Catholic scientific practice.
In 2004, the Catholic University of Nijmegen officially changed its name to Radboud University Nijmegen.
(Image in public domain-100)