Medard was born in the territory of modern France, in the small town of Salency, close to the ancient city of Noyon. He was born in 456 or 458 A.D. Jesus was glorified in a special way in the life of Medard and that’s why we all venerate this medieval saint.

In the middle of nervous and boisterous social transformations, the bishop Medard was a servant for people of his time. He was deeply inspired and fascinated by the person of Jesus. He wanted to help other people and share the values that exalt human dignity and show the greatness of our Creator. He presented a vision of humanity and mutual respect for all men and women. He showed them the real value of mutual respect and the importance of appreciating works and moral dimensions of other people. Medard’s strongpoint were his extraordinary generosity and magnanimity in providing help to his neighbour.

In 489 Medard became a priest and in 530 he was elected as bishop. Back then, in the Kingdom of the Franks, the message of the Gospel was gradually penetrating the society as a whole, but the evangelic values were not so rapidly accepted. He knew very well the difficulties of the society in which he lived. He also knew the ongoing transformations of marriage. He had direct relationships with married couples and he knew their concrete needs. Indeed, as a bishop, he spent long time marching and visiting towns, villages, hamlets, and isolated groups of houses. He was aware of the social and cultural transformations of his time and he was able to give marriage its right meaning. He was looking for new paths for the Church of married people. The bishop Medard died on 8 June 560.

Our heavenly Father, we thank Thee for Thy Son and our Lord, Jesus Christ. He is for us the way and the truth and the life. Thank Thee Lord, because the bishop St. Medard glorified Thee through his life. He took his way and lived a life of truth and blessing. He was full of true generosity and magnanimity in providing help for his neighbour. Through his life, he showed us how we can love Thee and how we can imitate Jesus in our lives. Give us Thy Holy Spirit so that we can live according to his example and we can glorify Thee throughout our existence on earth. Amen.