St. Albert of Jerusalem

St. Albert of Jerusalem was born to a noble family in Italy around 1150. He was an intelligent man and studied theology and law. He joined the Canons Regular of the Holy Cross then served as bishop of Bobbio and Vercelli. He then served Pope Clement III as a diplomat. For his mediation between the papacy and the Holy Roman Emperor, the pope made Albert an imperial prince.

In 1205, Pope Innocent III named Albert the Patriarch of Jerusalem. The title had been established in 1099 when Jerusalem had come under control of Christian crusaders. However, by Albert’s time, the Saracens had recaptured the city. The title was an honor, but not one many accepted, as the position led to persecution and possible martyrdom under the Saracan rule. Still, Albert accepted the position and moved to Palestine. He lived in the port city of Acre, as Jerusalem was too dangerous. There, he helped the hermits on Mount Carmel establish the Carmelite Order and wrote what became called the Carmelite Rule of St. Albert.

He continued his work of diplomacy, mediating disputes between various kingdoms whose interests intersected in the Holy Land. In 1214, he was invited to the Fourth Lateran Council. In calling the council, Pope Innocent III wrote of the urgent matter of reclaiming the Holy Land alongside several needed reforms of the Church. It is clear that Albert’s role in the Holy Land and his experience with diplomacy would have been most useful at the council.

Yet, before he left Acre for Rome, the Master of the Hospital of the Holy Spirit, a man Albert had earlier rebuked for immorality, stabbed Albert to death during a procession on the Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross.

St. Albert died that day on Sept. 14, 1214. His feast day is Sept. 25. He is the patron of the Carmelite Order.