July 23rd - St. Bridget of Sweden By: Jonathan Alapatt

St. Bridget of Sweden was born in 1303 to the knight Birger Persson and Ingeborg Bengtsdotter. She was married to Ulf Gudmarsson in 1316. She bore 8 children but only 6 survived infancy. In 1344 her husband died, and because of that, Bridget became a member of the Third Order of St. Francis. Bridget came up with the idea of creating a religious community that would then be called the Order of the Most Holy Savior, or the Brigittines. In 1350 Bridget and her daughter made a pilgrimage to Rome with a small group of priests and followers to obtain permission from the Pope to start the Order. After a long wait, Pope Urban V granted the Rule of the Order in 1370. Bridget remained in Rome until her death 3 years later on July 23, 1373. During her stay in Rome, she was a very happy person and was loved by many in Rome. She always had a bright, happy face and went for confession everyday. 
INTERCESSORY PRAYER
O St. Bridget, teach us to be happy like you were in Rome so that others may find us to be very kind. Teach us to have a constant love of God and have strong faith in him. We ask this through Christ our Lord, Amen.