Elizabeth

This week Franciscans worldwide celebrate the life and ministry of Elizabeth of Hungary, patron saint of the Franciscan Third Order. She died in 1235 at Marburg, aged 24, worn out from her dedicated work among the destitute and sick. Daughter of a king and wife of a prince, Elizabeth took to heart Jesus' command to feed the hungry, tend the sick, sell everything and give to the poor. The latter didn't exactly sit well with her in-laws! In 1227, whether by force or voluntarily, the young princess, now a widow, and her children left the Wartburg Castle, her home in Eisenach, Germany. The following year, she took the dress of the Third Order and moved to Marburg. (Click on the link for "the rest of the story.")

So a special blessing on all those out there named Elizabeth!

One interesting footnote is that the Wartburg is where Martin Luther reluctantly stayed - for his own safety - for ten months in 1522 after he was proclaimed  a heretic by the Church and an outlaw by the Emperor for having denounced the corruption of Rome. While there he translated the New Testament from Greek into German and composed the hymn "A mighty fortress is our God".