BL. ELIZABETH OF MANTUA, VIRGIN - 19 FEBRUARY

 

ALL SAINTS CELEBRATED IN FEBRUARY

 Saints celebrated on the 19th 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.

BL. ELIZABETH OF MANTUA, VIRGIN 

Blessed Elizabeth, commemorated on February 19, was a virgin of the Servite order. She was born to a wealthy family and had been taught to read and write and rudiments of Latin at home before she joined the Order. 

A LIFE OF PRAYER AND ASCETICISM

Already at her parental home, she had started to lead a life of intense prayer and asceticism. She wore a hair-shirt, too.

As a religious, Bl. Elizabeth was distinguished by holy conduct and miraculous gifts. 

A DIVINE MELODY

At the moment of her death, she heard a divine melody. She seemed, in fact, to be watching intently, as if she saw Jesus Christ our Lord and his holy Mother standing beside her. She died on February 19, 1468. 

Blessed Elizabeth is buried at Mantua.

PRAYER: 

O God, who gladden us each year by the feast of blessed Elizabeth, graciously grant that, as we rejoice in her merits, we may be inspired by her example. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, for ever and ever. Amen.