July 23, Feast of Saint Bridget of Sweden
Saint Bridget of Sweden, born Birgitta Birgersdotter, was the wife of the governor of an important territory in the Swedish kingdom, although she had felt called to the religious life since her teenage years. After having eight children (whom she raised in the Christian faith by reading the Bible or the Lives of the Saints to them daily) with her husband and living a pious and holy married life (they walked the Camino de Santiago together, and she succeeded in drawing her husband closer to the Christian faith), Birgitta moved to the Cistercian monastery in Alvastra, where divine revelations began and continued until the end of her life.
In 1346, she founded the convent of Vadstena and, with it, a new order: the Order of the Most Holy Savior. The nuns of this order are called “Brigittines” and follow the Rule of Saint Augustine. A distinctive feature of the Order of the Most Holy Savior is that it brings together monks and nuns under the leadership of an abbess. Three years later, she set out on a pilgrimage to Rome for the Great Jubilee of 1350. She took the opportunity to seek the pope’s approval for her new order. She ultimately remained in Rome for twenty years, with her daughter Catherine, where she lived a life of prayer (during apparitions, Christ taught her prayers known as the 15 Prayers of Saint Bridget and the 7 Our Fathers of Saint Bridget) and holiness. Saint Bridget undertook many other pilgrimages, in Italy, to Assisi, and even to the Holy Land (her greatest dream was to visit Jerusalem and all the holy sites and to walk in the footsteps of Christ). She worked tirelessly to ensure that the pope—who was then in exile in Avignon—could return to Rome and resume the See of Saint Peter, and to restore peace to Europe. Unfortunately, this did not happen during her lifetime. The holy woman passed away in Rome on July 23, 1373. Her children, Saint Catherine of Sweden and Birger, brought her body back to the monastery in Vadstena, Sweden, which their mother had founded. The order expanded considerably after her death, and many miracles took place. Saint Bridget was canonized shortly after her death, in 1391, by Pope Boniface IX.
On October 1, 1999, Saint John Paul II proclaimed her co-patroness of Europe alongside Saint Catherine of Siena, Saint Teresa Benedicta of the Cross, Saint Benedict, and Saints Cyril and Methodius. He explained at the time how “the Church, without passing judgment on her particular revelations, has accepted the complex authenticity of her inner experience.” Saint Bridget’s feast day is July 23. She is particularly honored for founding her order, for defending the pope, and for attempting to restore peace in Europe (she had written to princes to put an end to the Hundred Years’ War, among other things). In fact, she is often prayed to for this very reason.
So let us pray with Saint Bridget of Sweden that she may help us defend our Christian faith in Europe and throughout the world, and that we may be, in her image, peacemakers.
Praying with Saint Bridget of Sweden
Saint Bridget’s Prayer to the Virgin Mary
“We pray to you, O most merciful Virgin Mary, Queen of angels and men, to obtain refreshment for the souls enduring the fires of Purgatory, forgiveness for sinners, and perseverance for the righteous. We also implore you to come to the aid of our frailty and to defend us in all dangers; through our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.”
Saint Bridget’s Prayer of Gratitude
“O eternal and incomprehensible virtue, O Jesus Christ, my God and my Lord, you pour good thoughts into our hearts; you grant the gift of prayer and tears. May all creatures praise you, adore you, and be grateful to you. O most gentle God, I love You more than I can say; I love You more than my life and my soul. Amen.”
Continue your prayer with Saint Bridget thanks to Hozana!
Thanks to Hozana, !
; may the Lord guide our leaders and inspire them to make just decisions.
Take part in this beautiful novena for the deliverance of the Armenian people to defend our Christian faith.
