St. Bridget of Sweden

Their story

Bridget was born in 1303 into a noble family in Sweden. As a young girl she had a vision of Christ crucified that stayed with her all her life. At about thirteen she was married to Ulf Gudmarsson, a nobleman, and the two had a happy marriage and eight children, one of whom, Catherine, is also honored as a saint. Bridget served for a time at the royal court, where she tried to influence the young king and queen for good, and she and her husband made a pilgrimage together to Santiago de Compostela in Spain. After Ulf died in 1344, Bridget gave her life entirely to God. She experienced many visions and revelations, which were written down and widely read. She founded a new religious order, the Order of the Most Holy Savior, known as the Bridgettines, with its main monastery at Vadstena in Sweden. In 1349 Bridget traveled to Rome for the Holy Year, and she remained there for the rest of her life, caring for the poor and pilgrims and praying for the Church. Like St. Catherine of Siena after her, she urged the popes to return to Rome from Avignon. She made a final pilgrimage to the Holy Land, and soon after returning to Rome she died on July 23, 1373. She was canonized in 1391, and in 1999 Pope St. John Paul II named her a patron of Europe.