St. Elizabeth of Hungary: Feast Day, Patronage & Prayers
Feast day: November 17 (Memorial of St. Elizabeth of Hungary, Religious)
Patron of: Secular Franciscans, bakers, and those who serve the sick and poor.
About St. Elizabeth of Hungary
St. Elizabeth was born in 1207, a daughter of King Andrew II of Hungary. As a small child she was betrothed to Ludwig, the son of the ruler of Thuringia in Germany, and was raised at his court at the Wartburg castle. They married when she was fourteen, and theirs was a happy, loving marriage blessed with three children. Elizabeth used her position to serve the poor, distributing bread, building a hospital at the foot of the castle, and personally caring for the sick, sometimes to the displeasure of the court.
In 1227 Ludwig died of illness on his way to join a crusade. Elizabeth was heartbroken. Mistreated by her husband's relatives, she left the Wartburg, and after providing for her children she joined the Third Order of St. Francis, built a hospital at Marburg, and spent the rest of her short life serving the sick with her own hands. She died in 1231 at the age of twenty-four and was canonized only four years later. Many stories surround her, like the famous one of bread turning to roses. She shows how love for Christ becomes love for the least.
Prayers to St. Elizabeth of Hungary on Daily Catholic Prayers
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