As bishop of Verdun, France, Magdalveus exhorted the clergy and laity under his care to confess their sins and do penance, reminding them to fear hell and hope for heaven. He urged them to frequent the churches and attend the liturgical services with reverence and silent attention. Later in his episcopate, Magdalveus resolved to make a pilgrimage to Jerusalem. During the voyage, the bishop preached to the sailors by day and prayed through much of the night. When at one point a storm threatened to sink the ship, he obtained by his prayers a sudden quieting of the winds and waves. In Jerusalem he manifested deep devotion, "watering the sepulchre of Jesus of Nazareth crucified with a shower of tears daily." Before departing for France, he returned repeatedly to the holy sepulchre to venerate the sacred stone with a parting kiss. At the moment of Magdalveus' death, two white doves were seen to alight upon a cross erected at the foot of his deathbed. The doves remained sitting upon the cross throughout the funeral rites until the moment that the bishop's body was lowered into the grave.
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