Sunday, October 14, 2007

St. Hedwig

St. Hedwig, who lived from c1174 to 1243, was Duchess of Silesia. She had to deal with a large family, her husband's Duchy, and the general state of Europe, at the time. All three were rather tempestuous. Somehow, she found the time to found found monasteries, convents, and hospitals, do temporal works of mercy, and be more ascetic than is healthy. After her husband's death, she entered a convent.
St. Hedwig is a patron of brides, difficult marriages, widows, and victims of jealousy, which would tend to indicate she still has her hands full.
In case you were wondering, St. Hedwig was J.K. Rowling's source for the name of Harry Potter's owl.

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