BLONDA, WIDOW - 2 SEPTEMBER

VENERABLE BLONDA, WIDOW

Blonda was a widow and tertiary of the Servite Order, whose memory is observed in Verruculo in Northern Italy (Emilia), within the Diocese of Rimini, on September 2. The Bollandists* list her as "Venerable."

The story of this widow’s conversion is remarkable enough to warrant inclusion here. She hailed from the Foschi family of Verrucolo, in the Diocese of Rimini. Her husband died only a few years into their marriage, leaving behind a son - an heir to the virtues of both parents - who was subsequently murdered in a cruel act by the enemies of their family. Consumed by this, she became filled with the most tormenting thoughts of revenge. Meanwhile, the enemies of her house escalated their hatred toward the unfortunate mother to an extreme degree of inhumanity. One day, after she had eaten what she believed to be a calf’s heart during her midday meal, her tormentors - to her profound shock - asked her whether she had enjoyed the taste of her son’s heart. Yet, it was precisely this unnatural act that, through God’s grace, granted her the strength to love her enemies; she forgave them and took the habit of the Servants of the Sorrowful Mother of Jesus. She passed away in the odor of sanctity on September 2, 1411.

(Information from Stadler's Complete Encyclopedia of Saints, Volume 1, Augsburg, 1858, and footnote in the appendix)

*A hagiography source used by the authors

Stadler's Complete Encyclopedia of Saints - Sources and Abbreviations

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

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