ST HEMMA OF GURK, WIDOW - 29 JUNE

 

ALL SAINTS CELEBRATED IN JUNE

Saints celebrated on the 29th of June

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SAINT HEMMA OF GURK, WIDOW

[Saint] Hemma [commemorated on June 27 and June 29] is the foundress of the former double monastery of Gurk in Carinthia. She was born in the Archduchy of Carinthia in the year 983. Her parents were Engelbert and Tuta of Peilenstein. On her mother's side, she was closely related to the holy Emperor Henry II. Even her early childhood revealed the most splendid talents and a great inclination towards a devout life. At the Emperor's court, under the watchful eye of Saint Cunigunde, her education was completed. In marriage, she set an example of all Christian virtues for the world and her family. Her husband was Landgrave William, Lord of Friesach and Seltschach. They were a noble couple, of one heart and one soul, husband and wife imbued with the same childlike piety. They attended Holy Mass daily and received Holy Communion every Sunday. They had two sons who, as young men, were murdered in revenge by miners whose immorality they had punished. 

Her husband then made a pilgrimage to Rome and died on the way home. She herself transformed her castle, Gurkhofen, into a convent, which she entered with 70 virgins. She also granted other houses of worship increased amounts of goods and property. She welcomed all the poor and oppressed with maternal care. In prayer, she served God so ceaselessly that she was compared to incense, constantly fragrant in the service of the Lord. 

She lived for another 22 years after her husband's death. She died in 1045. Her tomb is located in the beautiful church at Gurk, where numerous miracles occurred. In 1070, a solemn elevation of her relics took place; however, she was not formally canonized [at the time of writing] because the Turkish Wars, in particular, interrupted the proceedings. Her foundation was elevated to a bishopric in 1072; the title is Klagenfurt. 

(Information from Stadler's Complete Encyclopedia of Saints, Volume 2, Augsburg, 1861, p. 629)

Stadler's Complete Encyclopedia of Saints - Sources and Abbreviations

PRAYER:

Grant, we beseech you, almighty God, that the venerable feast of Saint Hemma 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