St. Nicholas of Flüe: Feast Day, Patronage & Prayers

Feast day: September 25 (kept in Switzerland; not on the General Roman Calendar)

Patron of: Switzerland.

About St. Nicholas of Flüe

St. Nicholas of Flüe, affectionately known to the Swiss as Bruder Klaus, was born in 1417 near Sachseln in central Switzerland. He was a farmer, a soldier, a respected judge and councilor, and the husband of Dorothea Wyss, with whom he had ten children. Throughout his life he felt a strong pull toward prayer, and in 1467, around the age of fifty, with his wife's consent, he left his family to live as a hermit in the nearby Ranft gorge.

There he lived for about twenty years, and according to consistent testimony, he took no food except the Eucharist. People came from far away to seek his advice. In 1481 the Swiss confederates were on the brink of civil war at the Diet of Stans, and a message from Brother Klaus helped them reach an agreement, which is why he is honored as the patron of Switzerland and a peacemaker. His short prayer is still loved: "My Lord and my God, take from me everything that distances me from Thee." He died in 1487 and was canonized in 1947. Dorothea's generous sacrifice is honored alongside his.

Prayers to St. Nicholas of Flüe on Daily Catholic Prayers

• Prayer for Purity of Intention

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