I could not find very many pictures of Saint Ermengild, but she seems to be a worthy object of interest. She managed to convert her pagan husband, King Wulfhere, of Mercia, to the Catholic faith.
While I found little more than a mention and some bare facts about Ermengild, her royal and nobel family have quite a bit of information spread throughout the internet.
Here are a few about her husband, Wulfhere:
There is a YouTube video about King Wulfhere that begins at the time when his father, King Penda, dies:
Her family tree was full of saints, of course, incluing her mother, sainted Queen Sexburga and her daughter, Saint Werburga (for whom there are a lot of photos of pictures, as well as some handsome statues!)
Although she retired to the life of the widowed nun and managed two monasteries before she died, I am most impressed by Ermengild's ability to evangelize that pagan husband of hers. That is the real feat, as far as I am concerned! Husbands, especially in those days, are not famous for being receptive to learning from their wives. She must have been a remarkably influencial woman, and I would have loved to have met her!
Here are some links to websites that talk about her:
Her feast day is February 13th, which is also my dearly departed Grammy's birthday - the only relative who ever showed me an ounce of love and affection.
While the histories of this week's sainted ancestors are jam packed with tales of their influence on world affairs, as well as ecclesiastical, there is precious little real information about Ermengilda and the other sainted women, except that they were leaders of various numbers of convents and monasteries.
But that is exactly what I would expect of contemplatives and mystics. Sometimes, these monastics who have royal relatives will be found to make a mark on world history but, for the most part, their work is behind the scenes, hidden. You and I are living like that (and I am speaking to the other half-monastics and independent hermits here.) We know that, if we DO have any worth, it is only felt in the finest of spiritual realms. All of it is behind the scenes, somewhat clandestine and furtive. Meanwhile, the public face of our faith can be, at times, very grand.
I know that it can be discouraging to have our time eaten up with the mundane: Paying bills, struggling with health issues, cleaning and organizing our homes, etc. The human heart naturally seeks the embrace of a loving recognition of our spiritual labors by Our Lord, whom we adore. However, we must always keep in mind that our job requires that we remain a bit mysterious and obscure, despite being crucially necessary to the welfare of makind.
In the meantime, we can say to ourselves and to God, "ah! what a beautiful thing!" And we can hold a firm confidence that He will hear us and see the exquisite nature of our holy labors.
We also have one another, and I treasure the correspondence I receive from each one of you that joins with me in our holy labor of prayer and work for the Lord, each in our own little prayer closet or sitting in front of our personal prayer shrines. I love hearing about the causes for which you dedicate your rosaries and chaplets, as well as your other spiritual routines and practices.
May Saint Ermengild, Seaxburga and Werburga, as well as all the other saints who intercede for us at the throne of Our Lord, watch over all of us, and may we all be blessed!
Silver Rose
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