Guest Post from The Shield of St. Hubertus
Who do you think of when you think of the Catholic Saints? Perhaps the Apostle St. John, the great martyrs of Saint Peter, Paul, and Cecilia? Or maybe the greatest Saint of all: St. Mary, the Mother of God? But how about the smaller ones, who few know about? They lived a Godly life, and yet are largely unknown. St. Hubertus of Liège is one of these. While not an Apostle, martyr, or God-Bearer, his life has important lessons for all, especially those who struggle with sin.
Hubertus had it all:
St. Hubertus (656-727 A.D.) was born in Toulouse, present day France to a noble family, and was heir to much Earthly wealth and power. He had world-class education, good military training, strong intelligence, and plenty of leisure time that comes with a noble life. In addition, as typical of young noblemen, he found a passion: the hunt, or la chasse, at a young age. Being his primary activity, his religious devotion dwindled, with him instead spending all of his days in the woods and fields, hunting and trapping. He would even hunt on Holy Days, a major offense to God.
Encounter with God:
In 682, he married a woman named Floribanne, who bore him a son. Soon after, at the beginning of Holy Week in 684, she passed away. He subsequently spent that Good Friday, one of the most important days in Christianity, on the hunt, and did not set foot in the Church. It was then that he had a sudden encounter with God, who appeared before him and said, “Hubert, unless you turn to the Lord, and lead a holy life, you shall quickly go down into Hell.” Astonished, he fell to his knees, and asked God, “Lord, what would You have me do?” God replied, saying to go to Bishop Lambert, who will instruct him.
Renouncing Earth, Embracing God
Soon after this encounter, Hubertus renounced all of his worldly possessions: his immense amount of wealth, which he gave to those in need, and his right of succession as Duke. Hubertus then visited the city of Maastricht to meet Bishop Lambert, who later became his spiritual advisor. He was then told by Lambert to go to the Ardennes Forest to lead a life of prayer. He did so, and was eventually ordained to the priesthood. After Lambert’s death, he was consecrated as Bishop of Maastricht, and then of Liège, in present-day Belgium. He faithfully prayed and fasted, and greatly cared for the needs of the people.
Apostle of the Ardennes
He was known to make frequent missions to the Ardennes Forest, to convert the Pagans and bandits that inhabited it. Using his archery skills to gain their trust, and risking his life, he made them more receptive to the Gospel, converting many to Christianity, all who did so voluntarily. Thus, he became known as the Apostle of the Ardennes. Like a true man of God, he gave up his worldly life, and did everything for God.
He Gave up the World for God. With His Help, So can You
So what can we learn from this? Here was a man, with everything the world could offer, but the World can only offer us so much. God, the author of all that is, can offer us abundantly more, if we follow Him, conforming ourselves to the way of the Spirit, not the way of the world. If you, a sinner, are ever struggling on a temptation, a sin; something holding you back from being the one God called you to be, remember, St. Hubertus freed himself from this. If he could, so can you, with God’s help.
His Patronages
He is the Patron Saint of hunters, dogs, trappers, opticians, mathematicians, smelters, metalworkers, foresters, forest inhabitants, and the City of Liège, Belgium. These represent what he did in his life, and those he preached to.
How to Remember Him
To honor the life of St. Hubertus, his feast day is on November 3. I celebrate it with prayers for the Non-Christians, a life of purity and holiness, and a prayer for the healing of all who need it. I then have some European-style soup, some Belgian beer to celebrate his life, and end the day with a Rosary!
St Hubertus of Liège, Pray for us
Author’s note: As the historical record for this Saint is not as well-established as with better-known figures, such as Jesus Christ, some details in this account may be legendary rather than historical. Much of the information presented here comes from the International Order of Saint Hubertus, who took care to verify source documents and dates. The story of Saint Hubertus being visited by a stag was omitted in this account due to the possibility of it being a later interpolation.
Sources
“The History of St. Hubertus.” International Order of Saint Hubertus • Established Anno Domini 1695, www.iosh-usa.com/about-us/history-of-st-hubertus. Accessed 7 Sept. 2025.
“Hubertus.” Catholic Saints Day, 4 July 2023, catholicsaints.day/hubertus/#google_vignette.
“La Forêt – Syndicat Mixte Du Parc Naturel Régional Des Ardennes.” Wayback Machine, web.archive.org/web/20101226180628/www.parc-naturel-ardennes.fr/le-territoire/nature/la-foret.html#federation=archive.wikiwix.com&tab=url. Accessed 7 Sept. 2025.
