St. Wolfgang of Regensburg

St. Wolfgang of Regensburg (c. 934 – 31 October 994) was born in Swabia and educated at the abbey of Reichenau. A gifted scholar, he taught in the cathedral school of Trier and worked for the reform of that church before becoming a monk at the great abbey of Einsiedeln. Sent as a missionary among the Magyars of the region of Pannonia, he was recalled and, in 972, consecrated bishop of Regensburg in Bavaria.

As bishop he proved one of the outstanding pastors of his age: he reformed the monasteries of his diocese, restored the strict Benedictine observance at St. Emmeram, promoted education, and was celebrated for his eloquent preaching, his personal austerity, and his generous charity to the poor, who called him their friend. He served for a time as tutor to the future Emperor Henry II, himself a saint. Renowned for humility, he sought at one point to retire to a hermitage. He was canonized in 1052 and became one of the most popular saints of Bavaria and southern Germany.