According to legend Saint Wolfgang tricked the Devil into helping him build the first church on Lake Albersee in Austria. The Saint promised the Devil the soul of the first pilgrim to cross the threshold of the Church. The Devil took that first pilgrim down to Hell and then was astonished that Bishop Wolfgang had tricked him by disguising a wolf in the garb of a pilgrim. Wolfs howl at night they say for that poor wolf taken to Hell. Saint Wolfgang is occasionally included in the lists of the Fourteen Holy Helpers.
Saint of the Day Quote: Saint Wolfgang
- Donald R. McClarey
Donald R. McClarey
Cradle Catholic. Active in the pro-life movement since 1973. Father of three, one in Heaven, and happily married for 43 years. Small town lawyer and amateur historian. Former president of the board of directors of the local crisis pregnancy center for a decade.
There is a pilgrimage church dedicated to St. Wolfgang in the Salzkammergut region of Austria. The area seems to be a tourist destination on a big lake. Details of the church at
https://www.dioezese-linz[dot]at/stwolfgang
Details of the 15th Century altarpiece at
https://www.wga[dot]hu/html_m/p/pacher/wolfgang/index.html
There is also an historic church dedicated to St. Wolfgang, built into the city walls of Rothenburg auf dem Tauber in Germany. I visited in 2005. He is of course Mozart’s patron saint.