A lady of dignity and distinction in the Church
Saint Bridget of Sweden
Pope John Paul II named her one of the 6 patron saints of Europe. 1999
Pope Benedict XVI General Audience, October 27, 2010
Interesting Facts
- From Sweden’s most powerful family dynasties and was related to the royal family.
- Only woman to have founded a religious Order, that is a family of consecrated life which both men and women. The Bridgittines were established in Vadstna in 1346 which became the heart of Swedish Catholicism.
- Mystic and received revelations of Christ’s Passion known as the “Fifteen Prayers of St. Bridget.
- Was consulted by theologians and kings
- Like St. Catherine of Siena, wrote to the pops in Avignon to try and persuade them to return the Papacy to Rome.
- Strong influence on female writers and philosophers during the Renaissance in Italy.
- Travelled the breadth of Europe, going ton pilgrimages to Santiago de Compostela, Jerusalem, and finally to Rome.
Also Known As
Bridget of Sweden
Birgitta Birgersdotter
Birgitta of Vadstena
Princess of Nercia
Born
Died
July 23, 1373 Rome, Italy
(aged 69-70)
Mother of
Saint Catherine of Vadstena
Canonized
Council of Basel confirmed the orthodoxy of her revelations in 1436.
Feast Day
July 23
October 8
(General Roman Calendar of 1960)
October 7
(Sweden)
Venerated In
Anglican Communion
Lutheranism
Church of England
Married
About Saint Bridget of Sweden
In his 2010 General Audience, Pope Benedict XVI highlighted Saint Bridget of Sweden, a 14th-century saint, as a powerful example of feminine sanctity, a model for Christian families, and a figure whose life reflected sanctity in her domestic life and spiritual depth Pope Benedict XVI said “this holy woman has much to teach the Church and the world.”
We can distinguish two periods in this Saint’s life. (married and widow)
The first was characterized by her happily married state. Her husband was called Ulf and he was Governor of an important district of the Kingdom of Sweden. The marriage lasted for 28 years, until Ulf’s death. Eight children were born, the second of whom, Karin (Catherine), is venerated as a Saint. This is an eloquent sign of Bridget’s dedication to her children’s education. Moreover, King Magnus of Sweden so appreciated her pedagogical wisdom that he summoned her to Court for a time, so that she could introduce his young wife, Blanche of Namur, to Swedish culture. Bridget, who was given spiritual guidance by a learned religious who initiated her into the study of the Scriptures, exercised a very positive influence on her family which, thanks to her presence, became a true “domestic church”. Together with her husband she adopted the Rule of the Franciscan Tertiaries. She generously practiced works of charity for the poor; she also founded a hospital. At his wife’s side Ulf’s character improved and he advanced in the Christian life. On their return from a long pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela, which they made in 1341 with other members of the family, the couple developed a project of living in continence; but a little while later, in the tranquility of a monastery to which he had retired, Ulf’s earthly life ended. This first period of Bridget’s life helps us to appreciate what today we could describe as an authentic “conjugal spirituality”: together, Christian spouses can make a journey of holiness sustained by the grace of the sacrament of Marriage. It is often the woman, as happened in the life of St Bridget and Ulf, who with her religious sensitivity, delicacy and gentleness succeeds in persuading her husband to follow a path of faith. I am thinking with gratitude of the many women who, day after day, illuminate their families with their witness of Christian life, in our time too. May the Lord’s Spirit still inspire holiness in Christian spouses today, to show the world the beauty of marriage lived in accordance with the Gospel values: love, tenderness, reciprocal help, fruitfulness in begetting and in raising children, openness and solidarity to the world and participation in the life of the Church.