Catherine of Vadstena

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Saint Catherine of Sweden

Saint Catherine in Trönö Old Church
Born 1331 or 1332[1]
Died 24 March 1381(1381-03-24)
Honored in Roman Catholic Church
Feast 24 March
Attributes Generally represented with a hind at her side
Patronage patron saint of protection against abortion and miscarriage

Saint Catherine of Sweden, Katarina av Vadstena or Catherine of Vadstena (c. 1332 – 24 March 1381) has been called the patron saint of protection against abortion and miscarriage. Her father was Ulf Gudmarsson, Lord of Ulvåsa, and her mother was the better known Saint Birgitta (in their lifetime known as Birgitta Birgersdotter of Finsta).[2]

Life

At the age of about twelve or thirteen she married Lord Eggert van Kyren,[1] a young half-Swedish, half-Westphalian nobleman, with whom she took a vow of celibacy. Catherine accompanied her mother to Rome in 1349, and soon upon arrival heard news of her husband's death. Catherine is said to have written a devotional work entitled Consolation of the Soul (in medieval Swedish Siælinna tröst, or Själens tröst in modern Swedish), a dated copy from 1407 is still in existence.

She stayed on with her mother, accompanied her on several journeys, including one to the Holy Land. At the death of Bridget, Catherine returned to Sweden with her mother's body, which was buried at the great monastery of Vadstena. [3] Catherine became head of the Brigittine convent at Vadstena Abbey, founded by her mother.[4] Catherine took on the task of forming the community in the rule her mother had written and directing the Order of the Holy Savior, or Bridgettines. After some years, she returned to Rome to work for her mother's canonization. She stayed there five years and formed a close friendship with Catherine of Siena.[3]

In 1484, Pope Innocent VIII gave permission for Catherine's veneration as a saint and her feast was assigned to 22 March in the Roman martyrology. St Catherine is generally represented with a hind (female red deer) at her side, which is said to have come to her aid when unchaste youths tried to rape her.

In 1488, Pope Innocent VIII gave permission for the translation of her relics in Vadstena. The beatification and canonization process (which also documented the required miracles[5]) was never completed because of the Protestant reformation.[1][6]

See also

References

  1. ↑ "''St. Catherine of Sweden''". CatholiCity. Retrieved 2013-11-24. 
  2. ↑ 3.0 3.1 "Stevens, Clifford. ''The One Year Book of Saints'', Our Sunday Visitor Publishing Division, OSV, Inc., Huntington, Indiana". Ewtn.com. Retrieved 2013-11-24. 
  3. ↑ St. Catherine of Sweden - Catholic Encyclopedia
  4. ↑ "Beyer, Jürgen, ‘On the transformation of apparition stories in Scandinavia and Germany, c. 1350-1700’, ''Folklore'' 110 (1999), 39-47". Findarticles.com. Retrieved 2013-11-24. 
  5. ↑ Nationalencyklopedin September 1, 2008
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