Saints
St. Hedwig of Poland
“The work of justice shall be peace, and the service of justice, quietness, and security forever.” (Isaias, Ch. 32, v. 17.)
St. Hedwig, also known as Jadwiga, was a medieval queen and patron saint of Poland and Lithuania. She was born in 1174 and was the daughter of Duke Boleslaus of Silesia. She was known for her piety, her charitable works, and her support of the Church.
Hedwig was married to Duke Henry the Bearded of Silesia at the age of 12. The couple had several children and during her marriage, she devoted herself to charitable works, founded several hospitals and monasteries and was actively engaged in the care for the poor and the sick.
Hedwig supported her husband in his political pursuits and helped establish the Piast dynasty in Silesia, which later became the ruling dynasty of Poland. After her husband’s death, she became actively involved in the government and became known as a wise and just ruler. She supported the Church and the spread of Christianity in Poland and Lithuania.
One of her most famous acts of charity was the foundation of a hospital in Trzebnica, in Lower Silesia. She also founded the Cistercian monastery of Trzebnica and the monastic city of Trebnitz. She also supported various religious orders, such as the Dominicans, who she invited to Poland to help spread Christianity.
St. Hedwig died on 17th July, 1243 and was buried in the Cistercian Monastery of Trzebnica, which she had founded. Her cult quickly spread, and she was canonized by Pope Innocent IV in 1267. Her feast day is celebrated on 17th July, and she is the patron saint of Silesia and Lower Silesia.
St. Hedwig is considered a model of Christian virtues, charity, and selflessness. Her devotion to the Church and her charitable works made her a beloved figure, and her cult spread quickly after her death. Her tomb at the Cistercian Monastery of Trzebnica became a pilgrimage site for many people.
Her life and deeds are the subject of many artistic works, such as sculptures, frescoes, and paintings, which can be found in churches, monasteries and other religious buildings throughout Poland and Europe. St. Hedwig is also commemorated in literature, hymns, and prayers.
St. Hedwig continues to be a revered figure in Poland and Lithuania, known for her devotion to the Church, her charitable works, and her support of the spread of Christianity in the region. Her legacy is celebrated to this day in many religious traditions, art, and culture and she continues to be an inspiration to many people.
Biography of St. Hedwig of Poland
St. Hedwig of Poland was born in 1174, the daughter of Bertold III, the marquis of Meran, count of Tirol, and prince of Carinthia and Istria. Her mother, Agnes, was also of royal blood. Hedwig had three sisters and four brothers, all of whom were deeply religious. Her oldest sister, Agnes, was married to the King of France. Her second oldest sister, Gertrude, was married to King Andrew of Hungary, and their daughter was St. Elizabeth of Hungary. Her third sister was the abbess of the monastery at Lutzingen in Franconia. Her brother Bertold was patriarch of Aquileia. Elebert was bishop of Bamberg, and it was he who later came to the aid of St. Elizabeth, his niece, when she was evicted from her kingdom after her husband’s death. Her brothers, Otho and Henry, divided between themselves her father’s principal cities and became great generals.
At a very early age, Hedwig was placed in the monastery at Lutzingen in Franconia. When she was twelve years of age, she was betrothed to Henry, the duke of Silesia, and she married him only to comply with the will of her parents. She bore her husband three daughters, Agnes, Sophia and Gertrude, and three sons, Henry, Conrad and Boleslas.
St. Hedwig’s commitment to live a simple life
After the birth of her sixth child, Hedwig and her husband mutually agreed to keep the vow of continence which they made together in the presence of the bishop. Thereafter, Hedwig and Henry met only in public places, and Henry kept this vow faithfully during the remaining thirty years of his life. During this time, we are told, he never wore gold, silver or purple, and never shaved his beard, which practice of austerity earned for him the name of “Henry the Bearded”.
The nobility of Greater Poland expelled their own duke and conferred this principality on Henry in 1233. Even against the pleas of his wife, Hedwig, Henry, in the year 1233, quietly and systematically took possession of that territory, also annexing some other provinces of Poland. He then became known as the Duke of Poland and one of that country’s best-loved rulers.
In the years that followed, Hedwig witnessed with sadness the struggle between her two sons, Henry and Conrad, for the lands which their father, out of favoritism, wished to bestow upon Conrad, the youngest son. Out of justice, Hedwig supported Henry, the oldest son, who then waged a great battle against Conrad for his rightful claims. He completely routed his younger brother’s army, and then, Conrad, the loser, died soon after this conflict in retirement and penance. His death occurred several years before his father’s demise and this was a great grief for the Duchess Hedwig.
St. Hedwig spent the remaining years of her life in penance and private austerities. She wore rough clothing with a hair shirt concealed beneath. Whenever, and wherever she travelled, she was always accompanied by thirteen poor people, in memory of Christ and His Apostles.
Hedwig had the custom of waiting upon them personally giving them the best of food, and then would take very little food, herself. She spent nearly all of her revenue on the needy and she would frequently wash the feet of lepers. Giving her husband, Henry, her entire dower for the purpose, she persuaded him to found a monastery of Cistercian nuns at Trebnitz, which was started in the year, 1203, and finally completed in 1219. It was at this monastery that her own daughter, Gertrude, later became Abbess, and Hedwig, herself, died.
St. Hedwig always fought for justice
The deep sense of justice possessed by this saintly woman of royal blood, even when it came to the individual claims of her own sons, as well as her appreciation of the rights and dignity of all men, had such a tremendous influence over her husband, that he not only began to follow her example in practices of piety, but he became keenly conscious about administering all the affairs of his subjects with complete justice. He became a real father to his people and did everything within his power to foster the growth of religion in his domain.
With the consent of her husband, Hedwig left the palace and lived near the monastery at Trebnitz, where her penances increased in their severity. She continued to wear the rough hair shirt beneath the same cloak and tunic she wore both summer and winter. It is said that St. Hedwig did not eat flesh-meat for forty years, and she fasted every day except Sundays and Feast days, when she would allow herself small portions of food but twice a day. She could be seen walking to Church in her bare feet, very often through the ice and snow, sometimes leaving traces of blood from her blistered feet. In her complete holiness and humility, however, she always carried her shoes with her in the event that she might meet someone, whom she did not want to know her penitential practice.
During her prayers, we are told, which were very prolonged, Hedwig would often kiss the ground, wetting the earth with her tears. Of all the virtues, including her great justice and humility, which this saint possessed, the most outstanding perhaps, were her supreme resignation to the will of God in every adversity and her complete faith and hope in His Divine Mercy.
When Henry died a happy death in the year, 1238, and all the nuns at Trebnitz expressed their sincere grief to Hedwig, she replied: “Would you oppose the will of God? Our lives are His. We ought to find our comfort in whatever He is pleased to ordain, whether as to our own death or to that of our friends.” Upon his death, Hedwig put on the religious habit of the Cistercian nuns at Trebnitz, and although she took no monastic vows in order that she still might financially aid the poor, she moved into the monastery and became subject to her own daughter, Gertrude, who was then Abbess.
St. Hedwig faces the threat to Catholicism in Europe
At this time a great scourge had arisen in the far east, and the Tartars, in great numbers, poured out of northern Asia seeking to swallow up all of Europe, and tear down the fabric of Christian civilization and culture. These Tartar invaders plundered all the country before them as they swept through Russia, Bulgaria and Poland.
Henry, the Pious, as he came to be known, had succeeded his father in the rule of Greater and Lesser Poland, and of Silesia. He had to marshal all his forces to meet this destructive invasion. When the fierce Tartars arrived at Cracow, then a deserted city, they burnt it to the ground, and only one building, the Church of St. Andrew remained relatively intact. They continued their march into Silesia, and laid siege to the citadel of Breslaw, which was the Capital city. This fortress was saved, it is believed, only through the prayers St. Ceslas, a famous and holy Dominican, who was also spiritual director of St. Hedwig.
As the barbarians were about to scale the walls, St. Ceslas appeared on the walls imploring God, and then a miraculous event occurred which has been verified by all the historians of the period. Suddenly a great globe of fire fell from Heaven upon the Tartar encampment terrifying the barbarian horde, causing them to flee in confusion as they witnessed many of their number being devoured by the flames from the heavens! From Liegnitz, whence the infidels had fled, Henry the Pious summoned his forces and pursued the invading host, fighting with great courage and fervor, only to meet his death in battle in the year 1241.
When St. Hedwig received the sad news of a her son’s death, she comforted her daughter-in-law, Anne, who was with her at the monastery of Trebnitz, and her own daughter, the Abbess Gertrude. Again, she shed not a single tear on the occasion of a loved one’s death, but uttered the magnificent words of confidence in God and resignation to His holy will: “I thank you, my God, for having given me such a son who always loved and honored me, and never gave me the least occasion of displeas ure. To see him alive was a great joy; yet I feel a still greater pleasure in seeing him, by such a death, deserve to be united to you forever in the kingdom of your glory. Oh my God, with my whole heart, I commend to you his dear soul.”
We can certainly hope that this great sovereign and saint, today commends the souls of so many of her beloved sons who have fallen beneath the onslaught of the god less hordes in Poland of the twentieth century, upon the same soil which she bathed with her holy tears so many centuries ago.
Miracles of St. Hedwig
Almighty God rewarded the great humility of St. Hedwig, even upon earth, by the miraculous cures He allowed her to perform and by her power of prediction. One nun at Trebnitz, who had been blind, had her sight completely restored, when Hedwig blessed her with the sign of the Cross, and the saint predicted the time of her own death, which occurred at the monastery of Trebnitz on October 15, 1243.
This noble woman of a great country, wife, mother, ruler, and Cistercian nun, was finally canonized twenty-two years after death in the year 1266 by Pope Clement IV. Seven centuries have elapsed since the time when St. Hedwig must have prayed with her nuns at Trebnitz for the liberation of Poland and Christian Europe from the scourge of the Tartar invaders who had no respect for God or man.
Lessons from St. Hedwig for today
Over the past century, once more and perhaps, with a more diabolical intent, the great Christianity that this noble woman strived so bravely to practice and spread among the Slavic peoples has been trodden underfoot by a barbaric host even more treacherous than savage invaders of 12th and 13th century Europe. Let us review some of the possible antidotes, from a religious and moral standpoint, that might help counteract its malignancy, antidotes of justice, love of God, and good example so found in the life of St. Hedwig.
Historically we are all aware of the beginnings of Communism at the time of the great In industrial Revolution when the German, Karl Marx, and his associate, Frederick Engels, spread the idea that man has not the right of owning property; that everything had to be shared by all the people; that Religion was the opiate of the people, and that Capitalism was essentially evil. The overthrow of the Czarist regime in Russia, in 1917, by the Bolsheviks occurred within the lifetime of many, following the extreme and godless principles outlined by Marx in his book, “Das Kapital”.
The 20th century witnessed the long line of followers of the false gospel, Lenin, Trotsky, Joseph Stalin, who saw the shadow of the hammer and sickle cast its darkness over the eastern and western world. These men and their clique of followers have doped the Russian people, who are essentially a religious people, into a trance of submission by their vicious campaign of propaganda against the West, in a regime that is one of blood and conquest.
We witnessed the ruination of entire nations and the enslavement of their peoples – Poland, Lithuania, Estonia, Latvia, Germany, Hungary, Czechoslovakia, the Red Chinese Republic and other once-free nations. The terms, “Iron Curtain” and “Bamboo Curtain” mean for us today gigantic shrouds that literally bury the living dead and shut them off from God and love of their neighbors in other countries, who constantly pray for their liberation.
Their program was one of deceit and slaughter, crafty intrigue, Siberian prison camps, enforced labor, burning of churches, mock-trials, the slaughter of priests, imprisonment of nuns, bishops and Cardinals.
St. Hedwig of Poland, in her own life can be an example for the modern Catholic still to this day to combat continuing injustices. She loved justice, she was enamored the dignity of all men, which others will not acknowledge, and she instilled this same belief in the mind of her husband who ruled a nation with dignity and justice, as every nation must be ruled under God, and not enslaved by godless invaders of their land.
St. Hewig had a supreme Faith and trust in Almighty God, which we must pray that every man, woman and child, victims of Soviet oppression, must strive for and possess in their initial struggle against those who take away their Church, their families, and their nationality.
Christ, Himself, has said: “I have come to cast fire on the earth, and what will I but that it be kindled.” That fire can only be kindled, if we imitate a great saint like St. Hedwig, and intercede for her assistance to free all lands from the grasp of godless invaders, for she will gladly lead the way for us. Then, if we pray, and teach, and trust in God’s Providence, in the words of Isaias, the prophet: “The work of justice shall be peace, and the service of justice, quietness, and security forever.“
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PRAYER TO ST. HEDWIG OF POLAND:
O God, you taught Blessed Hedwig to turn from the attractions of the world to follow your cross humbly and devotedly. May her merits and example teach us to spurn the passing pleasures of this earth and overcome all our difficulties by embracing your cross; who lives and rules with God the Father.
Prayer to St Hedwig
St Hedwig,
in this world you rejected the honours of the Court,
its pomp, luxury and pleasures,
and went to be with the poor to help them
in the destitution and misery of life.
There in Heaven, cast a kind look on us poor mortals,
and obtain for us the grace
(Mention your request here…)
and that of living in the peace
and friendship of God.
Prayer to Saint Hedwig
Grant, we pray, almighty God,
that the revered intercession of Saint Hedwig
may bring us heavenly aid,
just as her wonderful life
is an example of humility for all.
Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever.
Prayer to St Hedwig
All powerful God, may the prayers of Saint Hedwig bring us your help and may her life of remarkable humility be an example to us all.
We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen
Prayer to St. Hedwig
Dear St. Hedwig, who lived a life of love, devotion, and selflessness, I turn to you today seeking your guidance and intercession. You were known for your devotion to the poor and marginalized, and for your unwavering commitment to your faith.
Please pray for me that I may follow in your footsteps, and that I may live my life with the same compassion, kindness, and generosity that you displayed. Help me to be a beacon of hope for those in need, and to live my life with the same love and devotion that you showed to all those you met. Amen.
A prayer for the Family of St. Hedwig
Dear St. Hedwig, I pray for your family today, that they may find comfort and solace in their memories of you, and in the love and devotion that you showed to them throughout your life.
I ask that you intercede for all families, that they may find peace and happiness in their love for one another, and that they may be strengthened by their bonds of affection. Help us to be there for one another in times of need, and to support each other in all of life’s challenges. Amen.
A prayer for the Intercession of St. Hedwig
Dear St. Hedwig, I turn to you today in need of your intercession. You were known for your unwavering faith and your devotion to the poor and marginalized, and I ask that you intercede for me and for all those in need of your help.
Please pray for those who are struggling, that they may find comfort and hope in their trials. Pray for those who are ill, that they may be healed and restored to health. And pray for those who have lost their way, that they may find their way back to the Lord. Amen.
St. Hedwig: The Patron Saint of Silesia and Widows
St. Hedwig is the patron saint of Silesia and widows. She lived in the 12th and 13th centuries and was known for her charitable works and her devotion to God.
St. Hedwig was married to Duke Henry I of Silesia and was known for her charitable works and her devotion to the poor. She founded several monasteries and hospitals, and was also a strong advocate for the rights of widows and orphans.
Because of her charitable works and her devotion to God, St. Hedwig has become a symbol of compassion and selflessness. Her life serves as a reminder that even in the midst of our own struggles and challenges, we can still find ways to serve others and make a positive impact on the world.
For those who are facing challenges, such as the loss of a spouse or the care of orphans, St. Hedwig offers a source of inspiration and comfort. She is a reminder that we can still make a difference in the lives of others, even in the midst of our own difficulties.
Reflection on the feast day of St. Hedwig
The feast day of St. Hedwig is October 16th.
St. Hedwig, also known as St. Hedwig of Silesia, was a queen and a patroness of Silesia, a region in central Europe. She was known for her charity and her devotion to the poor and the sick. She was also known for her devotion to the Eucharist and for her efforts to promote the establishment of monasteries and convents in her kingdom.
On her feast day, we can reflect on the importance of charity and service to others. St. Hedwig’s devotion to the poor and the sick is an example of the true meaning of charity. She dedicated her life to helping others and her actions continue to inspire us to do the same. By following her example, we can make a difference in the lives of those around us, whether it be through volunteering our time, giving money to charity, or simply being there for a friend or family member in need.
St. Hedwig’s devotion to the Eucharist is also a reminder of the central importance of this sacrament in our lives. The Eucharist is the source and summit of our faith and it is through this sacrament that we truly encounter Jesus. By following St. Hedwig’s example of devotion to the Eucharist, we can deepen our own relationship with Jesus and experience his love and grace in a powerful way.
St. Hedwig’s efforts to promote the establishment of monasteries and convents in her kingdom also remind us of the importance of religious communities in the Church. Monasteries and convents provide a place for people to live out their vocation and to deepen their spiritual lives. They also provide a source of spiritual guidance and support for the rest of the Church. By supporting religious communities, we can help to ensure that the Church will continue to be a source of spiritual growth and guidance for generations to come.
In conclusion, the feast day of St. Hedwig is an opportunity for us to reflect on the importance of charity, service to others, devotion to the Eucharist, and the role of religious communities in the Church. Let us follow the example of St. Hedwig and strive to make a difference in the lives of those around us, to deepen our relationship with Jesus through the Eucharist, and to support religious communities so that they can continue to be a source of spiritual growth and guidance for the Church.
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