He taught him carefully and instructed Meinrad so thoroughly
that he was instilled with no small knowledge of sacred Scripture.
For from the earliest age, the boy avoided the frivolities and
errors in which youth is usually entangled, and set his mind to
take in those things which his teacher had taught.
|St. Meinrad is sent to teach
When he was 25 years old, Meinrad was raised to the office of
deacon, and not long afterwards to the rank of priest, doing as did
his teacher. This was when Louis, the son of Charles, reigned as
emperor, and the abbot of the island was a man named Hatto. Hatto was very distinguished for
his teaching, good works, and nobility of life, and was bishop of
the church of Basel. He renounced the affairs of the active life,
however, and gave himself over to the beauty of the contemplative
So it was that, elected by all the brethren, Erlebald was put in
charge of the island and the brothers, and with the permission of
Louis, the emperor, placed in the office of abbot Once he took up this charge, he
immediately persuaded the venerable man Meinrad to accept the yoke
of the rule (Rule of St. Benedict) and undertake to keep
the standard of monastic life.
Meinrad consented to this sound advice, made his promise, and
strove with every effort to keep what he had promised. He was
always prompt to obey, strict in fasting, zealous in prayer,
generous in works of mercy, and most of all in humility did he
place himself beneath everyone else.
While he grew strong in these ways, Meinrad was assigned by the
abbot to a certain small cell belonging to the monastery, close by
Lake Zurich, into which the river Limmat empties, so that Meinrad
could be in charge of the school there, and share with many to the
Lord's advantage the talent with which he had been enriched.
- 4 Abbot 807-823. Thus, the
events are to be dated somewhere from 814 to 823. Return to text.
- 5 The year is 823; Hatto was
abbot from 823 to 838. Return to text.