Erkembode

Saint Erkembode , “the Holy which makes go”, was Moine Benedictine with Saint-Omer (Pas-de-Calais) at the end of the 7th century and at the beginning of the 8th century. Erkembode, nickname which means Envoyé Recognized, is the name which remained to him.

It came from Ireland and in 723, it became, by acclamation of all, because of holiness of its life, abbot of Saint-Bertin to Saint-Omer and bishop of Thérouanne. He is thus the fourth successor of Bertin saint (Abbé) and of saint Omer (bishop). The diocese of Thérouanne was immense: it went from Ypres to the valley of the Sum. Saint Erkembode traversed it in all directions, anxious to repurchase grounds to redistribute them with the poor. No doubt these long apostolic races were the cause of the difficulties of the walk of which it was reached: he died indeed almost paralyzed in 742 and one buried it in the primitive church, near the tomb of saint Omer (Audomar), who had rested there for 72 years: the small church was transformed with the length of the centuries into the imposing cathedral of Saint-Omer, where its Châsse is always a place of devotion for the parents of crippled children.

Why shoes on this tomb?

The tomb of Erkembode saint is a very old tank monolith of Porphyre gray dark. It was formerly in the middle of the small primitive church, and from now on is leant with the chorus, in the Northern déambulatoire of the Cathédrale. What intrigues everyone, in fact the small shoes are posed above. Here is the origin: as of the death of Erkembode saint, pilgrims came to request everywhere on this tomb, undoubtedly saying themselves: “it went so much for us, go in our turn towards him”. These pilgrims deposited on the tomb their shoes out of use in " ex voto" to attest their long walk. One remembered that he died almost paralyzed and that he had to often request to go correctly. Today in fact shoes of child took over those of the adults of formerly. It is that holy Erkembode was always the saint who makes walk! In the hope to obtain the cure of their child, the parents deposit small shoes on the tomb of the saint. One comes to request it each time a child has evil to start to walk and the moms place here, while requesting with confidence, the shoes. The people responsible for the cathedral remove them when it is necessary to leave the place for others!

The depressive ones come too.

Saint Erkembode is well “the saint who makes walk” and the saint that it is necessary to call upon when one suffers from nervous depression, and that nothing “goes”. This is why depressed make the Pèlerinage to ask for the intercession of Erkembode saint and to leave this kind of paralysis, so frequent today.

Prayer availability of faithful beside the mounting of Erkembode saint

Prayer to ask for the assistance of Erkembode saint, " the saint who makes marcher"

Lord our God,

You who mets walks the universe from there,

You with which we owe the life, the movement and the being,

Listen to our prayer: we entrust it

With Erkembode saint, whose body rests here!

You sent your Jesus Sons to us,

to restart us towards You,

and he said one day: " Rise and goes! "

Initially give us to overcome the paralysis

of our heart and to go towards You

by an alive Faith, enlightened and trustful

Also give to our bodies to be driven

without problem and to overcome any difficulty.

With Erkembode saint, who intercedes for us,

we request from you for all the small children

motionless, handicapped or delayed

who deposited these small shoes here.

We also request from you for those and those

who know depresses it:

that holy Erkembode helps us to surround them

and to help them so that they restart,

by us, that it tightens the hand to them!

External bonds

falls It from Erkembode saint in the cathedral Notre-Dame de Saint-Omer
the official site of the town of Saint-Omer
Saint Erkembode on the site of the Christian Media library
Some saints of the diocese of Arras of which holy Erkembode

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