ADOLFO, saint. — Twenty-eighth bishop of Osnabrück (1216–24), born ca. 1185 to the counts of Tecklenburg in Westphalia, died there on 28 or 30 June 1224. Embarking upon an ecclesiastical career, he soon became a canon of the cathedral of Cologne, and later a Cistercian monk at the abbey of Camp. While still very young, he was elected to the episcopal see of Osnabrück, for which he rendered outstanding service. Particularly noteworthy were his charity toward the clergy, his humility, and his devotion to the poor and the sick. After his death he was venerated as a saint. Although he was never solemnly canonized by the Pope, his feast in the diocese of Osnabrück is celebrated on 11 February.
BIBL.: Acta SS. Februarii, II, Parigi 1864, pp. 571 ff.; sources and literature: Wetzer-Welte, s. V. in Kirchelexikon, I, col. 237 ff.; A. Zimmermann, s. V. in LThK, I, col. 106; G. Allmang, s. V. in DHG, I, col. 579. Lucchesio Spätling