Today October 16

Today is the feast of St. Hedwig, laywoman, (1174 - 1243). She was a strong woman, buffeted by the trials of life, a laywoman by choice (she could have become a Cistercian nun after the death of her husband -- after all, she lived there in the Cistercian convent) but because she wanted to manage her own life and her own finances to the benefit of the poor, she stayed in the lay state. The Poles, who call her Jadwiga (which sounds sweeter than Hedwig, anyway; it's pronounced Yahd - vee - ga) dearly love her. A little princess at 12, she was married to 18-year-old Henry the Bearded, duke of Silesia (in Poland). She was a Bavarian, like our current pope. Both spouses were Germanic and spread Germanic culture throughout Poland.

Hedwig, no shrinking violet, directed Henry immediately upon his ascendancy, to build a monastery for nuns at Trzebnica. Prisoners were ordered to work on it. Later she had him build a hospital in Breslau, and a sanatorium for women lepers in Neumarkt. But she was not able to rein him in on matters of war, to which she was in principle opposed. He fought the Pomeranians (also Poles) under the leadership of a man with the unlikely name of Swatopluk. Swatopluk used guerrilla warfare and surprised Henry in his bath, nearly killing him. Later Henry fought his previous ally Ladislaus and emerged victorious, occupying Cracow. He died off the battlefield, in peace in 1238.

Hedwig was devastated, but more tragedy was to come. Her two sons Conrad and Henry II fought each other for their father's lands, despite her missions of diplomacy for peace between them. She failed in this, and then when Henry II fought the Mongols who raided Poland from Asia, he was killed by their chemical warfare, poison gas from long-range blowguns. Interesting. . . . the year was only 1240!

"I have lost my son," she cried. "He has gone from me like a bird in flight and I shall never see him again in this life." But she bounced back, living in voluntary poverty (she was "shoeless" before "discalced" was even added to any order's names), and administering her fortune wisely. She was even blessed to be able to be the instrument of God's cure of a blind woman, over whom Hedwig made the sign of the cross.

She died on Oct 15th in 1243 and was buried in Trzebnica in Lower Silesia in Poland. Her feast day was moved to this day since the 15th was already occupied by another strong Catholic woman, St. Teresa of Avila.