Saint Drogo

Saint Drogo was born on March 14, 1105, in Épinoy in the County of Artois, in the French part of Flanders. Orphaned at birth—his father having died before he was born and his mother dying in childbirth—he was raised by relatives. When he learned the sorrowful circumstances of his beginning, his heart turned more fully toward God. At twenty he gave away his wealth, renounced his inheritance, and embraced a life of poverty and penance. After visiting holy places, he settled near Sebourg as a shepherd in the service of a noblewoman, Elizabeth de la Haire. In the quiet of the fields he devoted himself to prayer, charity, and humble work, sharing his skill in caring for animals and giving away any gifts he received. Tradition even held that he was seen in church and in the pastures at the same time, a sign of his deep union with God. Longing to flee praise, he made many pilgrimages, especially to Rome. Later, hindered by illness, he lived as an anchorite in a small cell against the church wall for forty-five years, worshiping through a window and offering counsel to those who came. Venerated especially as patron of shepherds—and also invoked by some as patron of ugliness—he died in Sebourg on April 16, 1186. His feast day is April 16.