Saint Hedwig:

Feast day : 16 October

Today the Church celebrates the feast of Saint Hedwig, Dutchess of Silesia who lived during the period 1174-1243. Though she was born into a royal family and married to the Duke of Silesia, she lived a pious, penitential life, serving the sick, poor and needy; spending all her wealth for the welfare of her people. For her virtuous life, she was abundantly blessed with several mystical gifts. Her deep faith in God and virtuous life had a powerful influence on all the people who knew her, most of all her husband who imitated her virtues and lived a pious life serving his people with humility.

Early life:

Saint Hedwig was born in Bavaria as the daughter of Count Berthhold IV of Andechs and Agnes, daughter of the Count of Rotletchs. She had three sisters and four brothers. Her eldest sister was married to the King of France, Philip Augustus, her second sister was married to Andrew, King of Hungary to whom was born St. Elizabeth of Hungary and her third sister was abbess of Lutzingen. Her brother Bertold was Archbishop of Kalocsa and Patriarch of Aquileia, Elebert was the bishop of Bamberg and her other two brothers were renowned Generals. Her mother was a devout catholic who raised her to be virtuous. She was placed in a monastery at Lutzingen where she grew in virtues and practiced great piety till her marriage, at the age of twelve to Henry, Duke of Silesia. She consented to the marriage only out of obedience to her parent’s will.

Married life:

After her marriage she continued her pious life aiming to always please God above all. Their marriage was blessed with six children, three sons and three daughters. After the birth of the sixth child, she and the Duke made a mutual vow of perpetual continence. From thereon they only met in public places. Her husband, the Duke, remained faithful to his vow for the remaining thirty years of his life. He too wore simple clothes and kept a beard that he never shaved, earning him a nickname ‘Henry, the Bearded’.

Upon Saint Hedwig’s request, her husband founded the great monastery of Cistercian nuns at Trebnitz, near Breslaw, the capital of Silesia. The construction of the monastery and the church began in 1203 and was completed and dedicated in 1219. The monastery had religious women who lived a life of prayer and penance. There were also a large number of young women from poor families who were educated and supported by the monastery till they were either married or joined any religious order.

Saint Hedwig herself practiced great austerities in her palace and is known to have lived a monastic life of prayer, fasting and other penances. She used all her abundant wealth to reach out to the poor and needy. Whenever she travelled, she took thirteen poor people with her and fed them, always waiting for them at the table and serving them. She used to wash and kiss the ulcers of lepers.

Penitential life:

After she separated from the Duke, she too wore simple clothing, mostly of grey color. With the consent of her husband, she left the palace and lived in a house near the monastery at Trebnitz. At the house, she lived as one among the community following all the penitential practices of the community. She wore the same cloak and tunic throughout all seasons, often wearing a rough hair shirt beneath. She fasted on all days except Sundays and festivals. For forty years she never had meat except when she was sick and ordered to eat. On Wednesdays and Fridays her food was only bread and water. She would travel barefoot to the Church, walking over ice and snow that left blisters on her feet. Her clothing was the same in summer and harsh winters. She slept on the bare floor and often spent most of the night in deep prayer and tears. Her confessor and daughter-in-law were witnesses to her fervent prayers and devotion during Holy Mass and during her private prayers. She often kissed the ground with tears flowing from her eyes. In her profound humility she believed herself to be the greatest of sinners. No provocation could make her angry and she bore her afflictions with an amazing peace.

When her husband was taken captive by the Duke of Kirne, her eldest son began preparing to go into battle to rescue his father. Saint Hedwig would not hear of bloodshed and went personally to meet the captors of her husband. On meeting her, their rage was diffused and her husband released. She had a powerful influence over her husband too who permitted her to live her pious life and eventually began imitating her virtues. He became the father of his people, caring for all the poor and needy. When he died in 1238, there was a great sorrow among his people. Saint Hedwig bravely accepted his death and comforted his people saying “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 as to that of our friends.”

After the death of the Duke, she put on the religious habit at Trebnitz and lived in obedience to her daughter Gertrude who was the abbess of the monastery. She however did not take the religious vows. Three years later, she lost her beloved son Henry in the battle with the Tartars. She accepted this too with great restrain of emotion and comforted her daughter and daughter-in-law saying “God hath disposed of my son as it hath pleased Him. We ought to have no other will than His”. Her faith and hope had a powerful influence on people around her and gave them strength to endure the grief. For her deep faith and virtues she was blessed with abundant graces and mystical gifts. Several miraculous cures were reported through her prayers during her lifetime. She had the gift of prophecy too and rightly predicted her own death.

Death & Sainthood:

She died on 15 October 1243 and was laid to rest at Trebnitz. She was canonized by Pope Clement IV in 1267. Her sacred relics are preserved at Andechs Abbey and Saint Hediwg’s Cathedral in Berlin. She is the patron saint of Silesia, of Andechs, and of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Wroclaw and the Roman Catholic Diocese of Görlitz.