Feast Day 23 July,
Patron of Sweden
by A.K., a high school student in Northern Virginia
Index
of Saints By Students
Home Page
Bridget was
born between 1302 and 1303 at Finsta Castle in Sweden. Her father was the governor of Upland and
her mother was the daughter of the governor of East Gothland. Bridget had many brothers and sisters. In 1315, Bridget's mother died and she was
sent to live with her Aunt in the small town of Aspenas.
Bridget
had a pleasant childhood but did not begin talking until she was nearly three
years old. After she learned how to
speak, she was reputed to have spoken, "Quite clearly with no hesitation,
rather than confusedly like a child, and her goodness and devotion matched her
speech."
As a seven-year-old, she had
a vision of being crowned by Mary. When
she was ten, she was profoundly touched by a sermon regarding the Passion of
Christ and the following night had another vision. She saw Christ hanging on the cross and he told her, "Look
upon me, my daughter." She replied,
"My Lord, who has treated you this way?" Christ replied, "Those who despise me and spurn my love for
them." This vision influenced her
entire life and always reminded her of the importance of a strong spiritual
life.
At fourteen Bridget
married Ulf Gudmarsson who was then only eighteen. They lived happily as husband and wife for 28 years on her
husband's estate at Ulfassa. Bridget
was content to be a feudal lady. From
their marriage there were eight children.
One daughter named Catherine, would later become a saint.
In 1335,
Bridget was appointed the principal lady-in-waiting to Queen Blanche of Namur,
the new wife of King Magnus II of Sweden.
Bridget found the king an inept ruler and mean-spirited. The queen was kind but preoccupied with
material goods. Bridget tried her
hardest to lead them to God more deeply by telling them of her visions, but
with little effect. A popular joke at
the court was, "What was the Lady Bridget dreaming about last
night?" During this time, Bridget
also suffered her own personal trials.
Her oldest daughter married an ill-mannered, unruly nobleman, and her
son Gudmar died. She took leave from
the court to make a pilgrimage with her husband to Santiago de
Compestella. On their return, he became
gravely ill and all seemed hopeless.
Bridget prayed diligently for his recovery. After many long prayers, he received a vision of Saint Denis and
temporarily recovered only to die a short time later.
The monastery housed sixty
nuns and in a separate enclosure, monks, priest, deacons, and brothers. The new community was named the Order of the
Most Holy Savior, or the Bridgettines.
All the extra income of the order was donated to the poor. Its members expected to study and were free
to own their own books. Because of this
policy, St. Bridget's monastery became the center of Sweden's intellectual
life.
In 1349, she journeyed
frequently to Rome to help the poor and encourage the pope to leave his residence
in France and return to Italy. In 1373,
she returned to Rome, took sick and soon died.
Her body was taken to Vadstena where it was buried.
The life of
St. Bridget was not always easy, but very inspiring. Her family underwent many tribulations, but her desire to share
the passion of Christ with others was a constant driving force. She not only founded an order of nuns but
also authored a book titled, " Revelations". She may not have confronted any military
foe, but she fought a constant battle against poverty and corruption. We can imitate St. Bridget in our own lives
by spreading the word of God and persevering through difficult situations.
Index
of Saints By Students
Top
Home Page