Also known as
• Bridget of Vadstena • Birgit, Birgitta, Bridgid, Brigida
Profile
Daughter of Birger Persson, the governor and provincial judge of Uppland, and of Ingeborg Bengtsdotter. Her father was one of the greatest landowners in the country, her mother was known widely for her piety, and the family were descendants of the Swedish royal house. Related to Saint Ingrid of Sweden.
Bridget began receiving visions, most of the Crucifixion, at age seven. Her mother died c.1315 when the girl was about twelve years old, and she was raised and educated by an equally pious aunt. In 1316, at age thirteen, Bridget wed prince Ulfo of Nercia in an arranged marriage. She was the mother of eight, including Saint Catherine of Sweden; some of the other children ignored the Church.
Friend and counselor to many priests and theologians of her day. Chief lady-in-waiting to Queen Blanche of Namur in 1335, from which position she counseled and guided the Queen and King Magnus II. After Ulfo's death in 1344 following a pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela, Spain she pursued a religious life, for which she was harassed by others at the court. She eventually renounced her title of princess. Franciscan tertiary. Cistercian. Mystic, visionary, and mystical writer. She recorded the revelations given her in her visions, and these became hugely popular in the Middle Ages.
Founded the Order of the Most Holy Savior(Bridgettines) at Vadstena, Sweden in 1346. It received confirmation by Pope Blessed Urban V in 1370, and survives today, though few houses remain. Pilgrim to Rome, to assorted Italian holy sites, and to the Holy Lands. Chastened and counseled kings and Popes Clement VI, Gregory XI, and Urban VI, urging each to return to Rome from Avignon. Encouraged all who would listen to meditate on the Passion, and of Jesus Crucified.
Born
1302 or 1303 at Finsta Castle, Uppsala, Sweden
Died
• 23 July 1373 at Rome, Italy of natural causes • buried in 1374 at the Vadstena, Sweden convent she had founded
Canonized
7 October 1391 by Pope Boniface IX
Patronage
• Europe • Sweden • widows
Representation
• abbess in Brigittine robes with a cross on her forehead, and holding a book and pilgrim's staff • book • head and cross • nun enthroned, with Christ above her and hell below, while she gives books to the emperor and kings • nun giving a book to Saint Augustine • nun in ecstasy before the crucifix with instruments of the Passion nearby • nun reading, holding a cross, with builders in the background • nun with a cross on her brow witnessing the Birth of Christ, which she saw in one of her visions • nun with shells, a sign of pilgrimage, sewn on her habit • nun writing with a pilgrim's equipage nearby • nun writing with an angel hovering over her shoulder, often whispering in her ear • nun writing while Christ and the Virgin appear before her • pilgrim's staff • small child at the Scourging of Christ, which she saw in one of her visions • heart marked with a cross
Eternal praise be to you, my Lord Jesus Christ, for the time you endured on the cross the greatest torments and sufferings for us sinners. The sharp pain of your wounds fiercely penetrated even to your blessed soul and cruelly pierced your most sacred heart till finally you sent forth your spirit in peace, bowed you head, and humbly commended yourself into the hands of God your Father, and your whole body remained cold in death. Blessed may you be, my Lord Jesus Christ. For our salvation you allowed your side and heart to be pierced with a lance; and from that side water and your precious blood flowed out abundantly for our redemption. Unending honor be to you, my Lord Jesus Christ. On the third day you rose from the dead and appeared to those you had chosen. And after forty days you ascended into heaven before the eyes of many witnesses, and there in heaven you gathered together in glory those you love, whom you had freed from hell. Rejoicing and eternal praise be to you, my Lord Jesus Christ, who sent the Holy Spirit into the hearts of your disciples and increased the boundless love of God in their spirits. Blessed are you and praiseworthy and glorious for ever, my Lord Jesus. - from prayers attributed to Saint Bridget
O Lord, make haste and illumine the night. Say to my soul that nothing happens without You permitting it, and that nothing of what You permit is without comfort. O Jesus, Son of God, You Who were silent in the presence of Your accusers, restrain my tongue until I find what should say and how to say it. Show me the way and make me ready to follow it. It is dangerous to delay, yet perilous to go forward. Answer my petition and show me the way. As the wounded go to the doctor in search of aid, so do I come to You. O Lord, give Your peace to my heart. Amen. - Saint Bridget