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 St. Bridget of Sweden
1303-1373
St. Bridget of Sweden and
Foundress of the Bridgettine Congregation, was born in
Finsta in Sweden in 1303 and died in Rome on July 23, 1373.
She was born in a royal family, married and had eight
children, one of whom was St. Catherine of Sweden.
After the death of her husband,
she distributed all her wealth to the poor and led a life of
prayer, abstinence, penance and good work, contemplating and
meditating upon the Passion of our Lord on the Cross, which
she loved from her quite early childhood.
God has chosen her particularly
for a special purpose, to be an instrument and mouthpiece of
God, to give warnings and admonition to the kings and clergy
and to speak to the Pope, to come back to Rome who lived in
Avignon and to all the consecrated person who neglected
their spiritual duties towards the people of God, and the
sacramental celebration which is the source of life in the
Church.
She died in Rome in July 23,
1373 and was canonized in 1391. Now she has been called
Co-Patroness of Europe especially as Patroness of Sweden.
And today her fame spread throughout the world.
Prayer to St. Bridget
With hearts full of confidence, we turn to you, O Saint
Bridget, in these times of darkness and unbelief, to invoke your powerful intercession on behalf of those who are separated from the true Church of Jesus Christ. Conscious of your deep knowledge of the cruel sufferings of our crucified
Savior, we beseech you to obtain the gift of Faith for all those who are outside the one fold, so that all the scattered sheep may be return to the one true Shepherd, our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen!
St. Bridget, fearless in the service of God, pray for us.
St. Bridget, patient in sufferÂing and humiliation, pray for us.
St. Bridget,
marvelous in thy love towards Jesus and Mary, pray for us.
(Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory be)
 Blessed Mother Elizabeth
Hesselblad
1870-1957
Blessed Mother Elizabeth
Hesselblad was born in Foglavik in Sweden on June 4, 1870.
She was of a Lutheran family and was baptized in the
Lutheran Church. As she was a quite young girl, she went to
America to find a job to support her large family.
After a long re-searching and
study of the true Church of God, she was baptized into the
Catholic Church. Following the example of her country Saint,
St. Bridget, she took the residence in Rome in the same
house where St. Bridget lived and died.
With the approval of Pope St.
Pius X, she revived the Order of the Most Holy Savior of St.
Bridget, which was almost wiped away during the French
Revolution and found a new branch for the apostolate and
prayer life, following the same charism of St. Bridget.
Mother Elizabeth died in Rome in
1957 after a life of whole-hearted dedication to the ideals
of religious life and to constant prayer and apostolate in
favor of Church unity. She was beatified by his Holiness
Pope John Paul II on 9th April of the great Jubilee year
2000.
The Order of the Most Holy Saviour of St. Bridget is present today in
Europe
Sweden: Djusholm, Falun
Norway: Heimdal
Finland: Turku, Stella Maris
Denmark: Maribo
Estonia: Tallin
Poland: Czestochowa, Danzica
Germany: Bremen
Holland: Weert
England: Iver Heath, Birmingham, Holywel
Switzerland: Lugano
Italy: Piazza Farnese, Via delle Isole, Olgiata, Farfa, Assisi, Camaldoli
Mideast
Palestine: Bethlehem
Israel: Jerusalem
Asia
India: Marikunnu, Kalamassey, Thruvananthapuram, Kannur, Amachal, Bangalore, Mysore, Chickmagalur, Kurnool, Nantoor, Puttur, Belgaum, Sipcot, Chennai, Goa, Mumbai.
Philippines: Tagaytay, Montevista
Indonesia: Bali, Flores
America
North America: United States
Central America: Mexico, Cuba
And now all her spiritual
daughters keep up the same charism and spirit. And they work
for the unity of all the Christians according to the present
needs of our Holy Mother Church.
Prayer to obtain the
Canonization of Bl. Mo. Mary Elizabeth Hesselblad
O Father, God of infinite goodness, I thank you enriching with the gifts of Your Spirit the Blessed Mother Mary Elisabeth Hesselblad, who consecrated her whole life to loving and adoring you, in order to do Your will in all things.
Following the example of Saint Bridget of Sweden she lived the Word of life and worked untiringly for the unity of Christians, so that all might profess, in the fullness of Catholic faith, Christ the
Savior, who desired the visible communion of those who, immersed in the waters of Baptism and signed with the seal of the Spirit of love, live in one fold under one Shepherd.
I ask you, in communion with the whole Church, to increase in me and in all Christians faith, hope and charity, so that, following the example of Mother Elisabeth, our lives may always be an expression of everlasting praise and thanksgiving to you. O God, One and Three. With humility and trust, I beg you to grant me, through the intercession of Blessed Mother Elisabeth, this grace
(mention the grace one wishes to obtain) so that, for your glory and for the good of all Christians, there may soon come the day of her
Canonization, when she will be venerated by the Universal Church in the Communion of Saints.
Through Christ our Lord. Amen.
(Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory be) |
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