ST BERTHA OF AVENAY, ABBESS AND MARTYR - 1 MAY

 

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ST BERTHA OF AVENAY, ABBESS AND MARTYR

The name Bertha (Berta) is derived from the Old German bercht, brecht, bert etc., meaning shiny, splendid. 

Saint Bertha, a martyr and abbess of Avenay (Aveniacum) in the diocese of Rheims, was descended from a noble family. Married to St Gumbert (April 29), she obtained her husband's consent to join the monastic life. She then built the aforementioned monastery of Avenay. Following an apparition of the Blessed Virgin, she received many nuns there. Once, when Bertha was silently praying for water for her monastery, St Peter appeared to her and showed her a place where there was a spring, which then began to flow into the monastery in a running stream (ex quo fonte mox rivus egressus secutus est eam ad coenobium remeantem). 

Finally, towards the end of the 7th century, she was killed by her stepsons - for what reason is not specified, perhaps in order to seize some of the monastery's possessions, or for some other greedy and revengeful reason. Eventually, her body and her husband's mortal remains were buried in one and the same place, and when they were raised, their bodies were said to be so fresh that they exuded blood. Scholars argue whether Bertha belonged to the Order of St Benedict or not. 

(Information from Stadler's Complete Encyclopedia of Saints, Volume 1, Augsburg)

Stadler's Complete Encyclopedia of Saints - Sources and Abbreviations

PRAYER:

Grant, we beseech you, almighty God, that the venerable feast of Saint Bertha may increase our devotion and promote our salvation. 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.

Sources of these articles (in the original German): books.google.co.uk, de-academic.com, zeno.org, openlibrary.org