Norbertine Sisters Share Representations of St. Norbert

Statuettes of Norbert of Xanten and medals bearing his image have been almost impossible to find in the United States – until now. The college bookstore has recently been able to add both to its stock, thanks to the work of a Norbertine community in California. 

The Norbertine nuns of the Bethlehem Priory of St. Joseph who commissioned the custom-made pieces based on their design are no strangers to the De Pere Norbertines. Canonesses of the order, they make their home in Tehachapi, Calif., where they founded the first American community of cloistered Norbertine women. 

The proceeds from the sales of the St. Norbert medals and statues are being put toward their convent-expansion and land-acquisition projects. 

Store manager Monica Wittrock says: “These pieces are one of a kind. You cannot find St. Norbert medals anywhere else.” 

Staff at the college are used to fielding inquiries on occasion from members of the general public looking for help in finding devotional objects portraying the saint. The name of Norbert of Xanten is more widely known to the rest of the world, but representations of the college’s eponymous saint have proven hard to find in religious goods stores in the U.S.

Buyers now have their choice. The campus bookstore carries two different medals bearing a depiction of Norbert: a ¾-inch diameter medal with an 18-inch chain, and a 1¼-inch medal with a 24-inch chain. Both are made of pewter, gift boxed and made in the United States, and priced at $35. The 10-inch statue is made of antique white resin with gold accents, and priced at $100. Images and purchase information are available online.


Nov. 4, 2014