Saint Adalbert (956-997)
(EWTN) Born Wojtech in Bohemia Cidilnou into a noble family, Wojtech was ordained a Priest when he was 27 changing his name to ‘Adalbert’ when he was chosen as Archbishop of Prague–Those who resisted his program of standing up against the pagan practices of Central Europe according to Franciscan Media forced him into exile–where he went to Rome and released of his episcopal obligations by Pope John XV
Adalbert withdrew to a Monastery and occupied himself in the most humble duties of the house.
In time, the people of Prague requested that Bishop Adalbert return and he was received with great demonstrations of joy but within a short time again, he was expelled a second time and returned to Rome after excommunicating those who had violated the right of the sanctuary by dragging a Woman accused of adultery from the Church and murdering her.
The people of Hungary were just then turning to Christianity, Bishop Adalbert went there to work as a missionary, after a short stay, he left to minister and evangelize in Poland and was made Archbishop of Gensen but again, he relinquished his position and set out to minister and evangelize the idolatrous inhabitants of the Kingdom of Prussia.
Bishop Adalbert at first saw success however his authoritative manner in telling the people to abandon their paganism irritated them and he was killed together with two of his companions by pagan priests in 997 near Konigsberg–the city was renamed Kaliningard, now part of Russia.
In 999 Bishop Adalbert was Canonized and is the Patron Saint of the Czech Republic of Bohemia and Poland.
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