The Canons Regular of Prémontré

Today the order of the Canons Regular of Prémontré (Norbertine fathers) has spread to all parts of the world. They all revere St Norbert from Xanten as their spiritual father. He was born in about 1080 in the Lower-Rhine. He was a canon at the St-Victor Cathedral in Xanten, and wholly given to worldly pleasures like his fellow nobles. After his conversion he gave up his property and began preaching the Christian gospel of God´s love, reconciliation and judgement throughout Germany, France and Belgium. In Prémontré near Laon in France he founded the order of the Canons Regular of Prémon-tré, which was to develop into the largest canonical order of the Catholic Church.
 
The imperial diet at Speyer appointed Norbert Archbishop of Magdeburg in 1126. He accompanied Emperor Lothair as chancellor to Italy in 1133. He gained special merit as a fighter for the Gregorian Reform and as a peacemaker in the investiture controversy. His life ended on June 6, 1134 in Magdeburg. His relics were eventually transported to the Praemonstratensian abbey of Strahov in Prague.

The order counted more than 600 independent monasteries at its height. Most numerous were the monasteries in France, Belgium, the Netherlands, the Rhineland, Swabia, Bohemia and Hungary. The order did great things for the christianisation of the east.
 
For his order St Norbert adopted St Augustine's proven teachings of brotherly love, poverty, celibacy, obedience and a life of common prayer. These were the very same teachings which St Augustine had provided for those clerics who wanted to stay with him in his Episcopal see in Hippo. St Norbert thought that the spirit of Christ and that of the original church would best be realized through Augustine's teaching.
 
Today there are twelve canons in Roggenburg. Their motto is: "Prepared for every good work", such that any kind of spiritual good work is possible, be it pastoral care, catechesis, youth and adult education, studies, research or science.