He was a German, a native of Cologne. He became a Premonstratensian canon regular. He had a great devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary. When the canons added the name Joseph to his original name, Herman, Our Lady gave her approval to this addition by placing a ring on his finger. Saint Herman Joseph was ardently devoted to the memory of Saint Ursula and her 11,010 companions, martyred in Cologne, all as virgins, in the year 383, and whose bodies are kept in one of the churches there.
The Vision of the Blessed Hermann Joseph, by Sir Anthony van Dyck (credits)
