Saints celebrated on the 17th of July
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 HEDWIG, QUEEN OF POLAND
Saint Hedwig (Jadwiga) was born in 1374 in Buda, Hungary as the youngest daughter of the Hungarian king Louis I of Anjou (1342-82) and his wife Elisabeth of Bosnia. Louis in 1370 became King Louis the Great of Poland (1370-82). He had no sons, only daughters. King Louis died unexpectedly in 1382, when Hedwig was only eight years old. After considerable diplomatic activity and political intrigue, Hedwig was chosen by the Poles as their queen and crowned on 16 October 1384 as rex ("king").
SHE WAS CHOSEN AS QUEEN
The only thing left now was to get her married, so that the succession could be secured. The Polish nobles decided that she should marry Jogaila (Jagiello), Grand Duke of Lithuania and Rutenia, who was not yet a Christian.
THE ROYAL WEDDING
Jagiello, his brothers and the leading Lithuanian nobles were baptised on February 15, 1386 in Krakow Cathedral, and the royal wedding took place on February 18.
THE ALLIANCE
Through his marriage in 1386, Jagiello became King Ladislas II of Poland (Wladyslaw II Jagiello), and with this began the 400-year alliance between Poland and Lithuania. The dynasty ruled until 1572 over Poland and Lithuania, occasionally also over Bohemia and Hungary.
SHE GENEROUSLY SUPPORTED CHURCHES
Hedwig generously supported churches and monasteries and helped the poor, widows and orphans, which made her highly respected by the people. In 1297, the 23-year-old queen received permission from Pope Boniface IX to establish the Faculty of Theology at the University of Krakow, which was founded in 1364 and which she restored. Krakow was then the capital of Poland. All her life she was known as the queen who cared for the poor. She became known for her charity, and her asceticism.
SHE WAS EXPECTING A CHILD
Early in 1399, Hedwig withdrew from public life because she was expecting a child. A daughter was born prematurely in June, but died after only three days. Four days later, on July 17, 1399, Hedwig also died in Krakow, only 25 years old. She was buried in the city's 14th century cathedral.
She was officially canonised on June 8, 1997 by Pope John Paul II in Krakow.
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