On February 1st people celebrate Saint Brigid´s day! The female patron Saint from Ireland! Do you want to know more about her? Take a look!!
No dia primeiro de Fevereiro as pessoas celebram o dia de Santa Brigid! A Santa padroeira da Irlanda. Você quer saber mais sobre ela? Dá uma olhada!
Saint Brigid from Ireland
Although Saint Patrick is known worldwide, Ireland does have a female
patron Saint: Saint Brigid. Known as Bridey, Mary of Gaels and even as
Biddy, Saint Brigid was born near Dundalk to a pagan Gaelic chieftain
named Dubtach (Duffy) and to a Christian slave mother named Brocessa,
who was sold soon after Brigid
’s birth. She was baptized by
Saint Patrick with whom she was to become friends.
As a child the young Brigid enjoyed a position of some comfort and
privilege, the family being in receipt of financial support because of
their position of authority. Upon reaching adulthood, however, she
assumed a role of servitude and was charged with caring for her father
and family.
She never forgot her mother, however, and, despite being forbidden
to do so, she left the family home, located her mother, negotiated her
release from slavery and returned home to her father's house. To her
dismay, her father had arranged her marriage to a poet, who was among
the most prestigious men of the time. Brigid had already vowed to remain
celibate and to do God
’s work, so once more she left her home, this time forever.
Together with seven other dedicated women she formed the first ever
female monastic community in Ireland in the year 468. They helped the
poor of the time and were attributed with many miracles. Despite having
limited resources they never seemed to be without food or supplies for
their good works. She founded a school of art and a monastery at Cill
Dara, about which the modern town of Kildare now stands.
The most famous miracle associated with Brigid tells of her
confrontation with an Irish chieftain. She asked him for a quantity of
land so that she could build a monastic community. The chieftain replied
that she could have whatever amount of land her cloak could cover.
Brigid took the cloak from her shoulders and cast it on the ground where
it covered over 12 acres of the chieftains lands. He gave it willingly.
The date of her death is now that of her feastday, February 1st,
which is still celebrated with the traditional creation of the Saint
Brigid Cross made from reeds. She is buried next to Saint Patrick in
Downpatrick.
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