St. Bridget of Sweden
FOCCUS® Marriage Ministries’ Patron Saint
St. Bridget of Sweden –
A Model for Service and Married Life
Among her many roles, St. Bridget of Sweden is a model of religious piety, service and devotion to marriage and family life. That’s why FOCCUS® Marriage Ministries has chosen her as its patron saint.
To underscore its special bond with the saint, the organization commissioned a religious icon of St. Bridget and her family to be created and displayed in its office at the Chancery of the Archdiocese of Omaha. Its installation took place during a ceremony and blessing August 7, 2025.
St. Bridget’s Life
Born in 1303 to a wealthy and devout Catholic family in the Swedish province of Uppland, as a child, Bridget began receiving visions and messages from Jesus and Mary. These experiences, which continued throughout her life, were recorded in the written tome “Revelations of Saint Bridget of Sweden,” which was widely circulated throughout Europe years after her death.
In 1316, at age 13, she was married to 18-year-old Ulf Gudmarsson, a nobleman from the nearby province of Narke. Although an arranged marriage, their union was known to be one of loving devotion and deep commitment to their faith and family. They bore eight children, one of whom, Catherine, would also be declared a saint. Together, the couple also served the poor and sick, using a portion of their wealth to found a hospital for their care.
For a time, St. Bridget served in the court of King Magnus II as grand mistress, charged with educating the king’s teenaged bride, Blanche of Namur, in the Catholic faith and the language and culture of her new country.
Upon her husband’s death in 1344, St. Bridget donated her wealth to benefit the poor and began a life of austerity, sacrifice and religious devotion. She personally worked serving the needy, including unwed mothers and their children.
In 1346 she founded a religious order, the Order of the Most Holy Savior, also known as the Bridgettines, which still exists today. A contemplative order with special devotion to the crucified Savior, its mission includes serving the poor and sick.
During a period of great division and strife in the Catholic Church, she was active as a reformer, seeking to rid the Church of corruption and encouraging the pope, who had been living in France, to return the papacy to Rome.
St. Bridget (also known as Bridget of Sweden, Birgitta Birgersdotter, Birgitta of Vadstena, and Princess of Nericia) died in Rome in 1373, and only 18 years later, was canonized as a saint – Sweden’s first – by Pope Boniface IX. Recognized for two periods in her life – married and widowed – she is venerated in the Catholic Church, Anglican Communion, Lutheranism and the Church of England.
She is the patron saint of Sweden and co-patron of Europe. Her feast day is July 23, October 8 on the General Roman Calendar of 1960 and October 7 in Sweden.
The late-Pope Benedict XVI commented on St. Bridget’s spiritual depth and sanctity in domestic life during his general audience Oct. 27, 2010, in Saint Peter’s Square, holding her up as a powerful example of feminine sanctity and a model for Christian families, saying:
The Icon
The icon of St. Bridget of Sweden and Family, created by Father Richard Reiser in 2025, follows the traditional form and style of ancient iconography, prevalent during the Byzantine era, and carried on by the Eastern Orthodox Church and Roman Catholic Church.
Created as articles of devotion, icons are more than pictorial representations of Jesus, Mary and the saints – they are images designed for contemplation, sometimes called windows into heaven.
Symbols contained in this icon include:
a broach signifying the five wounds of Jesus and containing a first class relic of the saint (fastening St. Bridget’s cloak)
15 flowerets representing the prayer devotion developed by St. Bridget of praying 15 Our Father’s, Hail Mary’s and Glory Be’s with meditations on the Lord’s passion (bottom)
the logo for the Third Order Franciscans. St. Bridget and her husband were tertiaries of the order. (lower right)
the Narke provincial coat of arms (on Ulf’s cloak)
a pilgrim’s staff held by Ulf representing his and Bridget’s pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela (burial site of St. James the Greater) in Spain on the Camino de Santiago (the Way of St. James). The seashell on the staff is the symbol of this traditional pilgrimage.
With St. Bridget as the central figure, and her husband, Ulf, to her right, they are surrounded by their eight children: (in descending order, left) Birger (in the arms of Ulf), Bengt, Ingeborg (holding a bouquet of bluebells, the Swedish flower) and Gudman: (in descending order, right) Cecilia (on the arm of St. Bridget), Marta, Karl and St. Catherine of Sweden.
Also, bordering the icon is a reflection by the late-Pope Benedict XVI on the essential elements of a strong Catholic marriage and family.
About the Iconographer
Father Richard Reiser, a native of Butte, Nebraska, was ordained a priest for the Archdiocese of Omaha in 1980. He retired from active service in 2024 and resides in Arlington, Nebraska, where he is now able to devote more of his time to iconography.
As a child, Father Reiser exhibited an interest in drawing. He developed his artistic skills through elementary school and high school art classes, as well as a correspondence art course.
While originally planning to study art at Mount Marty College in Yankton, South Dakota, he also was discerning a priestly vocation, and was encouraged by a vocations director to attend a college seminary instead. So, he attended the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul, Minnesota, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in art, in addition to beginning seminary studies.
About 10 years into his priesthood, Father Reiser tried his hand at writing an icon, which is now displayed in St. John the Baptist Church in rural Holt County, Nebraska. To obtain more formal training, he attended a weeklong workshop in iconography and has studied numerous printed resources over the years.
A prolific iconographer, his more than 20 large works are displayed at parishes throughout the Omaha archdiocese as well as South Dakota.
These include:
- SS. PETER AND PAUL (two panels): Ss. Peter and Paul Parish, Butte, Nebraska
- THE TRANSFIGURATION (two panels): St. James Parish, Omaha, Nebraska
- THE HOLY FAMILY: Sacred Heart Parish, Dupree, South Dakota
- ST. LEO: St. Leo Parish, Omaha, Nebraska
- CHRIST IN GLORY WITH ALL THE SAINTS (two of three panels completed): St. John Vianney Parish, Omaha, Nebraska
He also has produced 20 smaller icons for private individuals.
For Father Reiser, iconography is both an avenue for his own personal prayer and an extension of his priestly ministry drawing others into reflection and prayer. He believes there is a spiritual element involved with such creative endeavors, which reflects something of God, the creator.
To produce the icon of St. Bridget and family, Father Reiser found no prototype image as a model that depicted her whole family, so he leaned on prayer, imagination and creativity.
“I wanted to show some regard for unity among them, all looking toward her as an influence, and seeing in her a reflection of God and God’s glory through her,” he said.
Specialized Inventories
Inventories for Every Journey
FOCCUS®
Pre-Marriage Inventory
REFOCCUS® Marriage Enrichment
Convalidation Inventory
Mid-Life & Beyond Inventory
Military Inventory
Coming March 2026 – for couples serving our nation.
First Responders Inventory
Coming June 2026 – for couples serving our communities.
Support our mission. Click here to Get involved.