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ST ADELA OF NORMANDY - 24 FEBRUARY

 

ALL SAINTS CELEBRATED IN FEBRUARY

Saints celebrated on the 24th of February

Prayer to the Angels and the Saints

Heavenly Father, in praising Your Angels and Saints we praise Your glory, for by honouring them we honour You, their Creator. Their splendour shows us Your greatness, which infinitely surpasses that of all creation.

In Your loving providence, You saw fit to send Your Angels to watch over us. Grant that we may always be under their protection and one day enjoy their company in heaven.

Heavenly Father, You are glorified in Your Saints, for their glory is the crowning of Your gifts. You provide an example for us by their lives on earth, You give us their friendship by our communion with them, You grant us strength and protection through their prayer for the Church, and You spur us on to victory over evil and the prize of eternal glory by this great company of witnesses.

Grant that we who aspire to take part in their joy may be filled with the Spirit that blessed their lives, so that, after sharing their faith on earth, we may also experience their peace in heaven. Amen.

ST ADELA OF NORMANDY, WIDOW

Saint Adela was born sometime around the year 1067 and was the youngest daughter of William the Conqueror, Duke of Normandy and King of England, and his wife Mathilde of Flanders. Adela was very well educated, spoke several languages, and was deeply religious. 

SHE GOT MARRIED

Around the year 1080, she married Stephen III, Count of Blois, who was one of the richest men in Europe. Together they had eleven children although some of them may have been Stephen’s children from a previous marriage because he was twenty years older than Adela.

SHE SUPPORTED SCHOLARS AND POETS

Adela supported scholars and poets at her court, and this significantly contributed to the spiritual and cultural life of her time. She continued this support all of her life. She also generously endowed abbeys and churches with money so they could expand and preserve the culture and arts of the time. Adela also corresponded on ecclesiastical matters with the Bishop of Le Mans.

THE FIRST CRUSADE

In 1095, Stephen became one of the leaders of the First Crusade, whose purpose was to reclaim the Holy Land for the Christians. During the four years that he was away in the Holy Land where Jesus had lived, Adela controlled hundreds of his estates in France and was so effective in her governance that she became known as “the heroine of the First Crusade.” 

HER GOOD ADVICE

Stephen returned home for a time, during which Adela conceived their youngest son, but then went back to the Holy Land where he was killed in battle in 1102. Adela then became regent for their eldest son Thibaud who ruled his father’s estates. In 1109 Thibaud was old enough to rule on his own, but Adela continued to exert influence over the estates by her good advice.

SHE TOOK THE VEIL

In 1122, when her children were grown, Adela became a nun in a convent that followed the rule of life given by St Benedict. While in the convent, she was overjoyed that her youngest son Henry was made a bishop in 1129. Adela lived in the convent in prayer and humility until her death in 1137.

 ADVANCING THE KINGDOM OF GOD

Adela is an excellent example of how people with money and power can use these to advance the Kingdom of God. We may not have as much money and power as she did, but what we have we can use to help others learn about and follow Jesus. 

(From Patron Saint Stories)

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