Since my first parish in Oregon was
dedicated to this beloved saint, I developed a special affection towards her
and her touching life-story, a replica of what Mother Teresa would do 7
centuries later. St. Elizabeth was born in Bratislava, a Kingdom of Hungary in
1207, the daughter of Alexander II, King of Hungary. At the age of four she was
sent for education to the court of the Landgrave of Thuringia, and within a few
years she was betrothed to his son, Ludwig. As she grew in age, her piety also
increased by leaps and bounds. In 1221, aged 14, she married Ludwig of
Thuringia, the same year that he was crowned Ludwig IV, and the marriage
appears to have been happy. In 1223, Franciscan monks arrived, and the teenage
Elizabeth not only learned about the ideals of Francis of Assisi, but started
to live these ideals. Ludwig was not upset by his wife's charitable efforts,
believing that the distribution of his wealth to the poor would bring eternal
reward; he is venerated in Thuringia as a saint, though not canonized by the
church as his wife is. In spite of Elizabeth’s position at court she began to
lead an austerely simple life, practiced penance, and devoted herself to works
of charity. Her husband was himself much inclined to
religion and highly esteemed her virtue, encouraging her in her exemplary life.
They had three children, Hermann, Sophia and Gertrude. Then tragedy struck -
Ludwig was killed while fighting with the Crusaders. After his death, Elizabeth
left the court, made arrangements for the care of her children, and in 1228,
renounced the world, becoming a tertiary of St. Francis. Her family wanted her
to re-marry, but she made a vow of celibacy and never married. Elizabeth even built a small house next to hers so that
she could let the homeless and hungry sleep in there, after she would feed
them. She also built the
Franciscan hospital at Marburg, Germany and devoted herself to the care of the
sick until her death at the young age of 24 in 1231. St. Elizabeth is
frequently pictured distributing bread to the needy in her community, and thus
is the patron saint of bakers, countesses, the homeless, nursing services,
widows, and young brides. She was canonized in 1235, just 4 years after her
death.
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