Saint Henry II, Emperor & Confessor
S. Henrici Imperatoris Confessoris
Saint Henry II, Holy Roman Emperor, ruled a vast realm in the eleventh century yet sought first the kingdom of God, governing his people in justice and devoting his power to the good of the Church.
Saint Henry was born in the year 973, of the ducal house of Bavaria, and was raised in piety under the care of Saint Wolfgang, Bishop of Regensburg. In 1002 he was chosen King of Germany, and in 1014 he was crowned Holy Roman Emperor by the Pope at Rome. The Church honours him not for the breadth of his dominion but for the holiness with which he bore the heavy burden of earthly rule.
A ruler who sought God’s kingdom
Saint Henry understood his office as a trust from God, to be exercised for the welfare of his people and the peace of the Church. He laboured to reform the monasteries, to strengthen the bishoprics, and to spread the faith to peoples who had not yet received it. He founded and richly endowed the see of Bamberg, which became a centre of learning and worship and where his body rests to this day.
In his marriage to Saint Cunegund he is honoured by ancient tradition as having lived in great purity and mutual devotion to God. Husband and wife are venerated together as saints, a sign that the married state and the duties of a Christian household may be a path to holiness no less than the cloister. Henry supported the reforming popes of his age and used the resources of empire to serve the things of heaven rather than his own glory.
A crown laid down for an eternal one
Saint Henry died in 1024 and was canonised by Pope Eugene III in 1146. The collect of his feast captures the heart of the Church’s veneration: that God, who took blessed Henry from the throne of an earthly empire to the everlasting kingdom, may grant us, in emulation of him, to shun the allurements of this world and to come to God with pure hearts. In him the faithful behold a prince who held power without being held by it, and who treated the goods of this passing world as means to the world that does not pass away.
The Collect
O God, who on this day didst take blessed Henry, thy Confessor, from the throne of an earthly empire unto the eternal kingdom: we humbly beseech thee, that as thou didst enable him, fortified by the abundance of thy grace, to overcome the allurements of the world, so thou wouldst grant us, in imitation of him, to shun the enticements of this world and to come unto thee with pure hearts.
Deus, qui hodiérna die beátum Henrícum Confessórem tuum e terréni cúlmine impérii ad regnum ætérnum transtulísti: te súpplices exorámus; ut, sicut illum, grátiæ tuæ ubertáte prævéntum, illécebras sæculi superáre fecísti, ita nos fácias, ejus imitatióne, mundi hujus blandiménta vitáre, et ad te puris méntibus perveníre.
Patronage
He is venerated as a patron of kings and rulers, of the childless and of those in difficult marriages, and of the city and diocese of Bamberg, which he founded; he is honoured together with his wife, Saint Cunegund.
In the Modern Calendar
In the modern calendar his feast is observed on 13 July as an optional memorial.
Common Questions
When is the feast of Saint Henry the Emperor?
In the calendar of the 1962 Roman Missal his feast is kept on 15 July as a Third Class feast. In the modern calendar it is observed on 13 July.
Who was Saint Henry II?
He was Holy Roman Emperor in the early eleventh century (crowned emperor in 1014, died in 1024). Renowned for his justice and piety, he reformed the Church in his lands, founded the see of Bamberg, and is honoured as a saint together with his wife, Saint Cunegund.
Why is an emperor honoured as a saint?
The Church venerates Saint Henry not for his earthly power but for the holiness with which he used it — serving his people in justice, supporting the Church and the reform of religious life, and treating his crown as a trust from God rather than a possession of his own. He shows that high office can be a path to sanctity when ordered to the love of God.
See where this feast falls in the Church’s year on the liturgical calendar, or find a Traditional Latin Mass near you.
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