Catherine of Vadstena

Saint

Catherine of Sweden
Saint Catherine in Trönö Old Church
Born1331 or 1332
Died(1381-03-24)24 March 1381[1][failed verification]
Venerated inRoman Catholic Church
Church of Sweden[2]
Canonized1484 (cultus confirmed) by Innocent VIII
Feast24 March (Roman Catholic Church)
2 August (Church of Sweden)
AttributesA hind at her side
PatronageWomen who suffer miscarriage

Catherine of Sweden, Katarina av Vadstena, Catherine of Vadstena or Katarina Ulfsdotter (c. 1332 – 24 March 1381) was a Swedish noblewoman. She is venerated as a saint in the Roman Catholic Church. Her father was Ulf Gudmarsson, Lord of Ulvåsa, and her mother was Saint Bridget of Sweden (known as Birgitta Birgersdotter of Finsta in her lifetime).[3]

Life

At the age of twelve or thirteen she married Lord Eggert van Kyren, a religious young nobleman of German descent, whom she persuaded to take a vow of absolute chastity, and both lived in a state of virginity.[3] Catherine accompanied her mother to Rome in 1349 and soon upon arrival heard news of her husband's death.

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 monastery of Vadstena.[4] Catherine became head of the Brigittine convent at Vadstena Abbey, founded by her mother.[3] 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. Later, 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.[4] She was spurred by a vision to visit the Holy Land in 1372, and she died soon after her return to Rome.

Sainthood

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. 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 sought to ensnare her".[3]

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

In the Church of Sweden the feast of St. Catherine (Katarinamäss) is celebrated on 2 August.[7]

See also

References

  1. ^ Monks of Ramsgate. "Catherine of Sweden". Book of Saints, 1921. CatholicSaints.Info. 1 October 2012Public Domain This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
  2. ^ "Helgon- och minnesdagar i Domkyrkan". 5 February 2019.
  3. ^ a b c d  Kirsch, Johann P (1908). "St. Catherine of Sweden". In Herbermann, Charles (ed.). Catholic Encyclopedia. Vol. 3. New York: Robert Appleton Company.
  4. ^ a b "St. Catherine of Vadstena". www.ewtn.com. Retrieved 29 April 2018.
  5. ^ Beyer, Jürgen (1999). "On the Transformation of Apparition Stories in Scandinavia and Germany, c. 1350–1700". Folklore. 110 (1–2). Taylor & Francis Online: 39–47. doi:10.1080/0015587X.1999.9715979. Retrieved 21 February 2014. Fee required for full article.
  6. ^ "Katarina Ulfsdotter". Nordisk Familjebok (1910). pp. 1281–1283. Retrieved on 21 February 2014. (in Swedish)
  7. ^ "Heliga Birgitta". 9 March 2023.

Further reading