St. Wendelin of Trier (554-617) German hermit; perhaps of Scottish ancestry. According to tradition; after returning from a pilgrimage to Rome; he stopped a hermit in the Diocese of Trier; here was criticized for a wealthy landowner for his idle life; then he offered him his services as a pastor. Again criticized because in order to pray in solitude had brought the herd too far away to be back at sunset; he surprised his master by being found already at home with the sheep on his return. Aware that only a divine miracle had been able to afford the unexpected return; the landowner granted to the Holy returning to the contemplative life; building his hermit's cell near the farm. Canonized by Pope Nicholas V in 1450; the patron saint of country people and shepherds; invoked against the plague and livestock protection; it is commemorated on October 21. Germany; circa 1900 engraving; Colorized version