St. Hedwig

Their story

Hedwig was born around 1174 into a noble family at Andechs, in Bavaria, Germany. At twelve she was married to Henry, a duke of Silesia, a region now in Poland. The couple had seven children, and Hedwig was a devoted wife and mother. She and her husband used their wealth to serve God and their people, founding hospitals, churches and monasteries, including a convent of Cistercian nuns at Trzebnica. Hedwig lived simply in the midst of a noble court. She fasted, prayed for long hours, and often went barefoot, even in winter, as an act of penance. She cared personally for the sick, the poor and lepers, fed the hungry at her own table and visited prisoners. When her husband was captured in a war, she went herself to negotiate his release and helped make peace. Hedwig's life was also full of sorrow. She outlived her husband and most of her children. In 1241 her son Henry was killed fighting against an invading Mongol army. Hedwig accepted these losses with deep faith in God's will. In her last years she lived at the convent of Trzebnica, where her daughter Gertrude was abbess, though she never took vows herself, so that she could keep using her wealth for the poor. She died in October 1243 and was canonized in 1267. She is a patron of Silesia and of Poland.